School projects

In Katie's English class they have been given the assignment to write a poem about something they have lost.

Here is Katie's poem:

Once I lost something attached to my thumb
When I couldn't find it my mind just went numb
It wasn't a glove or a thimble or such
It had a screen and some buttons I'd touch
It was pink all over and no bigger than a mouse
I probably lost it somewhere in my house
I searched high, I searched low
I searched fast, I searched slow
I searched everywhere I went
I searched everywhere I go
Without my companion I felt so alone
I don't know what I will do if I can't find my phone!

By Katie Jones

______________________________________________________

Courtney's Animal Cell

I was pretty impressed. They used a styrofoam ball cut it in half, covered it in clay and then decorated it with Skittles, pom poms and foam shapes.

Courtney and Mackenzie hard at work.



Courtney's fake smile.



Courtney getting really tired of me taking pictures.



Enough mom!



A funny picture I found after the project was done!

Christmas Day

So I'm a few days late - 18 to be exact, I've been busy!

Christmas this year was a blast.

Tyler got a (very badly needed) new phone.



Courtney got one of her most favorite things in the whole world - a mirror! (Her big present was a new coat and shoes, bought earlier in the week.)



Katie got a new camera, she is pretty rough on them.



Sean got a soldering iron and spice rack (for his lentils) and I got a nice warm blanket and a heart monitor. We also got a Kindle for both of us, but I use it 90% of the time, so I can't really count it towards one of Sean's gifts.

After unwrapping presents, we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa's to exchange gifts and play with cousins.



Jessica, Tyler, Courtney and Andrew.



Jessica and Katie dancing.



Tyler calling all his friends and telling them about his new phone!



Tyler loves playing grandma's piano.



On the way home we started playing "I'm going on a trip", the game ended at "F" when Courtney said she was going to take a fart. Sean hates that word and does not allow it in our home. Apparently Courtney thought it was okay to say it in the car. Tyler and Katie thought it was hilarious. I should have taken a picture of Sean's face. He did NOT think it was funny!



We usually go up to Heber to my brother's house, but with the storm coming in, we decided to have Christmas dinner at our house.









It was a long day, but filled with tons of fun. Thank goodness it only comes around once a year!

Christmas Eve

The day before Christmas, my mom took us up to see my Aunt Laverne who is in a care center. (Laverne fell down the stairs when she was a child and hit the back of her head on a coal-burning stove -- she has been living at the center since she was 16.)



As you can tell by her face, she is very animated. She loves to tell us stories about her childhood. Her long term memory is unbelievable. She can tell you where she grew up, the names of all the children in her school class, and the exact year that something happened. Unfortunately, her short term memory is not very good. She couldn't remember any of our names no matter how many times they were repeated.

While we were there, Santa stopped by for a visit. Laverne wasn't very excited to see him.



However, she was excited to see Wilson...



Laverne loves men. Every time we go to visit she has a new boyfriend. This is her latest. She insisted that he come over and talk to her. She repeatedly asked him to get a little closer and give her a kiss, but he pointed out the security cameras and told her that he could lose his job if he was found kissing any girls at work.



We all brought gifts for her. She was the most excited about Michelle's gift - 3 King size bars of chocolate.

It was sad to leave, Laverne started crying when we told her it was time to go. The nurses took over and consoled her as we left. We are so grateful for the loving care she has received over the years. We are not sure how much longer she will be with us, but we know she will have a special place up in heaven when it is her time to go.

After leaving the care center, we decided to stop at Subway for some lunch.



Katie and Courtney love their Aunt Trish!





Oldest to youngest. Trish, Me and Michelle.

We had such a fun time, it has been a long time since we have been able to get together, just us girls.
__________________________________________________________

We like to spend Christmas Eve together as a family, since Christmas Day is usually spent traveling to our grandparents and other relatives. We always try to go out to dinner, this year we decided on one of my favorites - Chinese!







It was delicious!

After dinner it was home to unwrap pajamas and then up to bed, the long awaited day was almost here.