Home for Christmas

This Christmas was a crazy one. Scott's mom, Grandma Sue, was in the hospital.  Scott traveled last minute up to Utah to help be her advocate with the doctors. So we had to celebrate without him and missed him so much!

Christmas morning with a kindle and some mints!!

They boys got their RV cars!

Christmas eve with the Hedges. Since Scott was gone, we couldn't have the Elders over like usual. So we invited the Hedges who are always so funny and they helped us to feel more like it was a holiday.

Yes, we are that family who goes to a movie at 9:30 am, pick of seats all for cheap!!

Big Hero 6 was our holiday movie!! Can't you see we loved it!!

Santa Sighting!!

 Jacob in his pj's telling Santa of all his GOOD deeds this year.  He's been a very good boy, and we love him.

 Sperry is so happy she can't contain herself (which is how she is 99% of the time, happy happy happy).  love that about her.

Service through Music

 One of our friends organized a musical program at our local assisted living center.  Sperry and Maddie always entertaining, no matter what they do.

Here's Jacob playing his famous "Star Wars" song.  Amazing that something he learned about 5 years ago, is still as popular as ever.

Carter on the clarinet, Scott on the saxophone,  and Darrin Hardy on the trumpet brought down the house when they played as a trio of Jingle Bells.  (no pict for this, but sure you can picture it).

It was a wonderful night and I think the kids had as much fun as the residents did.  Isn't it nice that simple service gives to all.

Season of SNOW & she·nan·i·gans

Some people think we are the family who keeps the Craze in the word Crazy! They are right.  Here's some random photos of our world in December!  Photo above, is Scott trying on geek glasses.

Sperry very happy on the slopes!

The boys, on a scout spectacular ski day. Chilli Time!  Carter in blue and Jacob in green.

 

Carter knows how to "work it" in his bow tie. 

Sperry sings

This year's Sperry's Christmas concert was filled with songs of the season.

Of course no concert is complete without her friend Maddie and her brothers who were in charge of taking pictures this year. Sperry, we love your talent.

 Sperry is top center in the long hair and pink dress.

 

Sperry's 5th grade class gave elaborate presentations and food different holidays from around the world. Sperry, and her group was in charge of Pongal . A holiday that is celebrated by those in India. She did a great job helped design the costumes the table setting and she and her friend were done the food which was kind of like a cookie dough with cherries in it .

She got to play the xylophone as her group performed a ceremonial dance.  Sperry you are an amazing girl packed with talents!

 

Only A Star

"Being only one star, what can you do;

When there are millions and millions and millions like you?"

I may be one, but I'm not all alone.

Prophecies have declared my work written in stone.

Many are waiting for what I am to give.

Looking for direction wherever they live.

Everyone has something important to do,

Your work may help one person; or even two.

​Be a light to the world, no matter their view.

Let love of the Lord reflect in you.​

And then it was time, our star couldn't stay.

It's light announced the Savior,
our first Christmas Day.

~ marci sargent, 2014 ~

Light of my world

Love how the light came in our creche  statue today.  Love how the Savior brings light to my world.

Sargent Sayings, 2014

 "Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth"

~ Silent Night ~

Sharing some  

Holiday Cheer 

 with some of the things said in our house this year...

Jacob, age 15

"I'm deciding if I should be the goalie in our floor hockey games at PE. They have pads and everything, but people in PE come at you pretty hard with sticks. And sometimes it isn't a good thing."

"I think a kid broke his leg today in PE while we were playing dodge ball. I don't know what happened, but he went down and then he wasn't in my next class with him. 
He was one of our top scorers."

"When I was running past a few kids playing soccer, they started to chase me yelling, 'Justin Bieber!! Hey, are you Justin Bieber?  Hey Justin!'"

 Carter, age 13

"Oh yeah.... We are going to have a big party on Saturday. I  invited all my friends. They want to play the new Smashbro's game.. Hope that is ok."

"So, the scouts have been working hard at 
indexing (his Eagle Scout project). 
We are going into the gym to have another break." 

"When I ski, I like to have the need 
for Speed and point the skis straight down."

Sperry, age 10.75

"Running into your Orthodontist while eating out with your family... pretty sure that is one of the worst things that can happen to you!!" I reassured here that there will be many things that will top this and she replied, 

"I don't think so! Pretty sure this is the WORST."

"What type of extra money jobs can I do where I make a lot of money, but don't have to do a lot of work... and it's fast?"

"Mom, this is my OWN money, 

so if I buy gum, or a stuffed animal, 
you can't tell me not to."  

Scott and Marci, age of Parents

Sperry was selecting her first pair of glasses. I picked up a pair and said, "Want to try these on? I really like these glasses!"  She started laughing and finally said, "Mom, you like them because they are the same glasses you have. I don't want us to be twins."
 
"During the campout, the Scouts made their 
own shelters out of rotting wood.  
Oh, and Carter's sleeping bag has a lot of tree sap on it." ~Scott

"Boys, don't get your TEEN on today. 
It's not going to work. " ~Marci

Carter and Jacob are taking Spanish in school. 
 Scott impresses the boys with HIS Spainish. 
"¿dónde está el baño?" (where are the bathrooms) AND "!Cuidado Piso Mojado!" (caution wet floors)"~Scott

My kids told me that I just did something embarrassing. "What, am I embarrassed for doing that? It wasn't THAT embarrassing. You should have known me in high school. Embarrassing stuff happened all the time 
and I just got used to it." ~Marci 

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours.

He Is the Gift

Merry Christmas

The Christmas Story

Two thousand years ago a miracle happened in the ancient land of Judea. 

 This is the story of a husband and a wife. 

It becomes the story of a mother and a child. 

But from the beginning, it was always a story of a Father and a Son.

http://www.mormon.org/christmas/story

Click above for the scriptural account of Jesus Christ's Birth .

Jacob and braces

Jacob got his braces off! 

He was ahead of schedule and now is able to enjoy the luxurious chewey gooey lifestyle once again.

Home for the holidays

Over the mantle: banner with different titles for Jesus Christ

At our house, the day after Thanksgiving we quickly set up Christmas. It's the only holiday I decorate for and this year, we had some new additions.  Each member of our family wrote on our mantle banner the different titles of Jesus Christ that can be found in the Bible dictionary.  I love how everyone helped and how it turned out.

The mammoth tree, craigslist find this past summer

This summer, my looking for the Christmas tree came to an end.  I found a gently used 12' tree that we bought for $150. (hooray for deals).  We hadn't seen it and bought it in boxes. But after putting it up and placing our decorations on it, it turned out to be the most beautiful tree I've ever seen.  It's so beautiful to have that huge-mungo thing up...I love it.  The ornaments on our tree are your typical purchased inexpensively. But a few of them I'll tell you the meaning behind, which makes it a little more special.

• Red and green beads with little wooden stars. This garland is something I remember from my childhood. It was on our tree growing up and has somehow survived all the years.
• Cowbells. Yes, I said cowbells.  As a family we love going to bike races each summer. We have been doing this for about 8 years now and I love the sound of the bells as a cyclist comes to the finish line (or at the start line).  So this year, I decided to add cowbells to our decorations list for our tree.  I thought I would spiffy them up a bit with paint or ribbon. But once they were up, I liked them just like how we got them. It's a memories thing for me.
• Crystal snoopy. We received this as a gift from Grandma Sue when the kids were very little.  As a family we love our Charlie Brown classic movies.  This little snoopy has always found a place on our tree.
• The hand crochet angel.  About 5 years ago, a friend came to me asking if I would help spread the word. A sister from Romania was trying to move herself and her very handicapped daughter back home after several years in the US.  To make money for her travel, she made these beautiful angels.  They weren't much money, but I knew that after I spread the word, I would want this sweet little angel on top of my tree. To me, the story behind it teaches about the love of caring for others. This sister cared so much for her daughter, it was touching for me to learn about.
• The large, gold, glitter stars.  These were purchased literally at a truck stop last Christmas. The stop is one of Scott's favorite places to stop on our drives from Colorado thru Wyoming on our way to Utah.  It's the Little America.  Last year, we traveled home to Colorado on New Years Day.  The weather was bitter cold and the roads were icy.  We passed a few cars off the side of the road and even an overturned semi truck.  The roads were closed ahead of us, just as we pulled off at Little America for breakfast. Sperry and I looked into the gift shop and I found these ornaments and fell in love with them and their 75%off price.  After our breakfast, the roads had been reopened and we made it home safely.
• Silver Bells. These were a gift from Grammie Karen years ago.  At first I thought they were so beautiful. Then the kids always seemed to find these bells when they were little and shake them incessantly... I thought I would go crazy.  But, now that that stage is over, they are beautiful again.
• Red hand dipped candles. These are another keepsake from my childhood. I remember when my mom bought these candles and how she draped them over the Christmas tree branch, just like I do.  I learned not to keep them in the garage...because candle wax can melt during the summer.

Merry Christmas, from our House to yours.

Merry Christmas, to all

Giving Thanks

We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home.  We kind of like it that way. We eat when we want, usually around 2.  Scott smokes a yummy turkey! And we have the usual sides and pies.  This year, we actually had a dress code: no t-shirts and sport shorts.  It was a wonderful day spent with our crazy little family and no stress or hassle.  It was a day of Thanks for each person in our family and for all the blessings we have been given this year.

At home where "Be Yourself" can be over-rated.

mr. Turkey smoker extraordinaire!

Sperry, I will call this, "Dig IN"

Group Photo: captures the crazy.

Scott, Sperry, Jacob, and Carter at the big dinner.

Black Friday girls day

Maddie and Sperry shop Black Friday

This year, as a family we shopped deals on Thanksgiving night.  We got some great deals and I told Sperry that Friday was her shopping day.  Of course her shopping partner Maddie came with us too.  We started at 7am and shopped for a few hours.  The girls bought some things for them, and even some gifts for others!! It was so fun sharing this tradition with Sperry. As I was reminded several times that she had saved her own money so I didn't need to tell her what she could and couldn't buy. It was HER money.  At one store, they even showed me their shopping list complete with a budget. I knew they would be smart and not spend all their money on gum and candy with that paper!  So much fun with these two girls, always.  The big highlight was when I let them go and shop in the dollar store by themselves.  They came out, with big smiles and even gift bags for their gifts.  Shopping trip, success!

Sperry and the Orphan, piano recital

Twosome trouble!

 This year Sperry had her last piano recital.  She has played since 1st grade and really has a talent for music.  But, as tradition holds in our house... when you are in middle school you get to pick your instrument.  For Sperry, this came a little earlier and she is excited to move over to learning the violin.   For her last recital, she played, "The Orphan".  This pieces was not only hard to learn, but the last 2 weeks Sperry had lost the music.  All of her practicing was from memory.  Good thing she has an amazing memory!  She did awesome!  Here she is with her amiga, Maddie (who also plays piano) and their wonderful teacher Cheryl Reeder.

Sperry, Sister Reeder (the teacher), and Maddie

Carter and the Clarinet

This year Carter participated in several concerts playing the clarinet.  He plays beautifully and I love hearing him practice every morning.  He plays at his middle school concert band.  Looking sharp in a bow tie and cummerbund!  He also was invited to participate in the Honor Band for our School District.  11 kids were invited at his middle school to participate and it was 2 days of practicing.  We loved the concert and are so proud of him!  He is amazing.

After his Concert Band performance, very handsome!

District Honor Band

Getting ready to play

Mr. Calm and Cool Carter

Like Dominos: a sofa set...

Living Room upgrade, yes the table is a piano bench!

When I am not feeling well, I plan things in my mind. I research them on the computer. And I save my money looking for a deal.  Well everything aligned and I was able to upgrade our family room!  A domino affect occurred and we upgraded the basement and changed some things in the living room.  I gave away a sofa, sold a coffee table and smaller TV on craigslist. Then I waited for black Friday so I could upgrade the basement TV and we could set up the Kid Kingdom downstairs.  Still haven't put in carpet in the basement since the flood, but in kid kingdom, the residents seem to care more about a party than carpet. 

So happy with how it turned out!!    

New sofa set, love it! This is our family room.

New sofa set, love it!

In our dining room, I now have an Heirloom table runner, with flowers created by Great Grandma Chana Elizabeth and Grandma Florence Sperry.  Quilted into a table runner by my wonderful friend Elizabeth Steele.

Heirloom table runner, with flowers created by Great Grandma Chana Elizabeth and Grandma Florence Sperry.  Quilted into a table runner by my wonderful friend Elizabeth Steele.

Go ahead and ask Scott how long it took us to move a couch into the basement. Let me just say, it took a noble effort by Scott, Jacob and Carter.  For about 30 minutes, Scott was sure that we would have to get a smaller couch for the basement.  Then, he engineered the situation and found a solution!

 Incidentally, it took less time for Scott to hook up the new black Friday TV and WiiU in the kids kingdom, than it took for him to bring the couch downstairs. But I'm not complaining; it's all put together how I have been envisioning it. New and improved. And of course our basement would not/could not be complete without a spin station (for stationary cycling).