Just Back Away and No One Gets Hurt.....

In a houseful of boys this is called defensive baking....  what else could Jonathan do when he whipped up this batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough on a cozy Sunday afternoon ? ? ??

Ofcourse.... get out the Nerf Gun and defend the cookie dough~!!  

And yes...in the dead of winter this boy is hanging out in nothing but his basketball shorts!

A Birthday I Will Never Forget...

Last Saturday ....my sweet husband had a birthday party for me.

I spent the day putting Christmas decorations away and he was busy taking the boys out on secret shopping trips to buy me presents. The whole family was in on it and it was so funny to find out later how many times they "tricked" me so I wouldn't know what they were all up to!

There was a lot of secret wrapping going on in Steve's office all afternoon and everyone seemed sort of excited. I love my family...

Then Steve baked me a cake!! I love to see this man in the kitchen..especially doing something so nice as baking a cake for me...

Then everyone got in the car and off we went for my birthday party! I had no idea what Steve has planned. He surprised me by taking me and the whole family out to eat at the Olive Garden. Our boys had never eaten there and loved the experience. They also loved the food. I loved basking in the love of my family around me...with all those delicious smells and tastes of my favorite food. We had a wonderful time.

When we got home, it was time for cake and presents. I was amazed at the creative and very individual gifts the boys gave me....things they had really thought about and observed that I might like and want or needed.  And Steve gave me some very nice gifts too.... so sweet and it was night I will cherish in my memory.

Thanks everyone for making this a birthday to remember. I love you!

Utah Honor Choir Performance

It was fun to get away on a sort of dull Saturday afternoon to go to a great

concert. Every year Utah pulls together the audition choirs from highschools across the state and invite two guest conductors to come. They practice together for two days and then perform. The performance is held at Abravanel Hall and that makes it even more special.

While we were waiting we also found out where Eric was sitting and ofcourse waved back and forth at each other. Do you see Eric on the front row looking down at us. Doesn't he look great in his tuxedo?

I am so grateful for talented directors and others who so generously give of their time, talents and enthusiasm to create these marvelous experiences for these highschool kids to enjoy. I was so impressed with the quality of the music and the pieces they selected to perform. I just loved it. I was brought to tears a couple of times. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. So proud and happy for you Eric....so glad you choose to involve yourself in such good things.

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Steve and I did a little reading while we waited for the performance to begin. This was pure heaven for me because I struggle to find uninterrupted time to read or blog for that matter.

What a Splendid Weekend!

My husband Steve works with the most wonderful people. For years he has worked with people from all over the world. I love that about his job. Some of these "international" colleagues have moved here to Salt Lake to work at Church Headquarters. Steve has loved working more closely with them here and we finally got everyone together to have a dinner party the other night.

I met a couple of Steve's colleagues years ago when I visited Steve in Europe while he was there on an 8 week assignment. It was so fun to see them again and finally meet these people that Steve has been video conferencing etc and talking about for years. Plus they also brought their families and that just made it even better!!! I instantly loved them all!!

These people are just about the nicest people you could ever know. In our group of 5 families we had 7 countries represented: France, Germany, England, Scotland, Peru, Africa, and the Philippines. At the dining room table I heard three different languages as well as English being spoken. Plus we had English spoken with a Scottish accent and English spoken with an English accent. Wow oh wow did we have a lot to talk about!! I could not get enough.

Everyone brought food to share and so we had a really yummy lemony chicken dish from Peru, Brie and yummy cheese from France, a very special Christmasy dessert from France, German bread..homemade...yum! and more.

I love how the Gospel binds our hearts together in love no matter what language we speak or where we are from!

I did not get enough pictures and that is a bummer...but we were just enjoying the moment. Gilles got a group photo and promised to email them out so hopefully I can post that here soon.

Here is (from left to right) Gilles from France (the dinner party was at their very lovely home) John from Scotland, (moved here about a year ago from Germany) and Miguel from Peru.

Jacob made a new friend. This is Miguel's son. They moved here a couple of years ago from Peru.

The boys had a great time with their new friends. They played games and watched a movie. In this group we have David's son, Eric (from Germany) then Jonathan and Joseph, Chloe, Sarah and Evanie (from France) and Miguel's other son....hmmm...can't quite remember his name...

This looks like a calm game but there were crazy moments of laughter and fun...These kids just instantly bonded..... and they want to get together again. Joseph went to a hockey game a couple of weeks earlier with Chloe, Evanie and Sarah and had a great time.

Here's the group photo....What a  fun night together.

I still wish we could live somewhere foreign.... have the Germany experience for a few years.... We almost took the opportunity to live in England about 10 years ago. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had we taken that opportunity..

So grateful that my husband works with such a great group of men. So grateful he works for such a fine and beautiful institution. So grateful to be involved in this work...

2010 Snapshot

Borrowed this idea off Shawni Eyre's blog..what a great idea!

Just wanted to capture the day to day stuff that goes on around here...the little things that get forgotten because they don't seem big ...even though its these little things that tell so much of our story.

Scott refuses to wear shoes (or clothes) and runs around half naked and barefoot as much as possible. (no matter how many times I dress him) I think he should have been born Hawaii.

Scott has a teeny speech delay. I am so thankful for our wonderful speech therapist Megan who has been coming to our house two times each month since the end of August to teach us how to pull words out of Scott and help him learn many more. When you find someone who is really really good at what they do and they seem to enjoy it, they are worth gold.

Our dishwasher is sort of wigging out...It is not even three years old yet. This is the second time we need to call a repair man. Kenmore used to be a brand you could rely on. I hate nothing more than mostly clean dishes.

I try to play with Scott every day between 9:30am-10:30 am doing whatever he wants to do. This includes going somewhere. This last week we went to story time at the library and he absolutely loved it.

Scott is the little tornado right now. He goes around tearing things apart and "exploring" more than ever before.

I just gave Jacob the best haircut of his life. Two days later I discovered that he had tried to cut his hair some more and has an almost bald spot on top of his head and his bangs are spiky strands of different lengths and practically non existent in some spots. Today we are going to try to fix this this problem.

I drive a carpool two days a week. (Jonathan's Jr High Carpool) It takes me about an hour to do it each time. I have done this for 5 years. I look forward to not driving in a carpool next year.

I spent 30 minutes rebuilding Michael's special lego set the other night, after Scott found it and "played" with it for a bit.

Jonathan loves his other brothers, Zach Kushlan and Bode Pfau and hangs out with them about every weekend as much as we will let him. He has the greatest friends and we are so grateful for that.

Joseph got up early this morning to get to school an hour early so he could do homework. He said getting to school early is "incredibly useful." He visits with teachers and studies in the library. Wow...what a difference a year can make!

We are in the middle of basketball season. It is fun to watch our boys play. Only three of them are playing right now. That is very nice. Life is more sane.

Eric is waiting to hear where he has been accepted to go to college. He is hoping for BYU or BYU-I and has the grades and the ACT scores etc to get in...so he is waiting and hoping.

The other day I found a paper on Eric's desk titled, "Instructions for Filling out Mission Paperwork." ...Wow...life moves fast. My heart skipped a beat.

Joseph is excited to get his learners permit so he can start driving.

Everyone is required to do their "jobs" each day at 5 pm after free time. After years of working at this I now only hear a few complaints, because I think mostly everyone has decided to comply with Mom's law. And I hope I make it worth their while. I know someday they will thank me...and boy do I need their help!

I struggle to keep the kitchen picked up...I feel it is nearly impossible to do. Someone is always getting a snack and no matter how much I remind these boys to clean up after themselves the kitchen still seems cluttered.

Michael loves to play with his friend Brandon. They are both so much alike. They are both so nice, quiet, kind, polite and helpful. I am so glad he has such a good friend.

Michael and Jacob both love to play with Keller the darling boy next door. Keller is another brother and hangs out with us quite a bit. They do lots of things together. They go sledding, play spy games, ride bikes, kick a soccer ball, play catch, dig in the dirt, jump on the trampoline, play video games together and I could go on and on. So glad the Wilhites moved in next door.

I would love to learn how to have a completely uncluttered house..like my grandmas had. I wish they would just get back down here (from heaven) and spend a few days with me and teach me how to do this.

We can't find our phone half the time because it gets left in odd places....like in the laundry room in a pile behind the laundry basket.

We go through atleast 6-7 gallons of milk each week and 2 gallons of orange juice and we eat atleast 1 loaf of bread each day. Right now the boys are choosing hot cocoa as their snack of choice. I am not sure how many cups we go through each day but it is a lot.

On Thursday mornings I go to Michael and Jacob's school early to direct the school's choir. This is a new experience for me this year. So far we are keeping things simple. There is wisdom in this but the Crowley girl in me wants to make this really big and amazing. I am glad I do this with another Mom who is wise enough to just keep it simple. I know I can learn a lot from her.

Our beloved Suburban has broken down 3 times in the last 6 weeks costing us a little more than a thousand dollars in repairs. What to do?

Jacob is waking up happier these days. He has woken up really grouchy since he was an infant. I am glad I have loved him through it all..... I deserve a gold medal for patience.

Michael is still such an angel boy....so good..almost too good to be here. Do you have one of those at your house? Even when he tries to act all naughty I don't really believe him..and I don't think he believes himself either. It is like he is trying it out to see how it feels because it is completely foreign experience for him.

My sister Caryn and her family stayed with us for about two days just before Christmas and I realized just how much I miss her! She lives in Hawaii and has lived away somewhere since she and her husband graduated from BYU and I don't get to see her very much anymore. I really miss her.

Caryn playing and singing a Christmas song at my house during her visit.

We are looking for a good deal on granite and tile because we are finally going to remodel our bathrooms. I apologize to anyone who has stayed with us. I know our bathrooms have needed help for a long time.

Last September, Eric was asked to help out at "Special Needs Mutual" by being a counselor. I finally went with him last night to see what he does there. I was unprepared for the strong spirit I felt there. I stood in the doorway and cried. I felt in awe of the "celestial" pure souls who were there enthusiastically singing in whatever way they could and learning about the Gospel. I will write more about this later. But, I am so glad Eric is involved in this...so grateful.

Scott sleeps with us as much as possible and as much as we will let him. Ahh well, he is the last child.

Scott's obsession right now is trains. He has several train sets and plays with them all the time. He also loves to watch any movie that includes a train. This has been going on for atleast 6 months now. Scott's other favorite toys are balls.... Because of this he received 3 of them for Christmas. I good soft nerf ball will keep him busy for awhile.

This is his Thomas Train set...

My boys all love to sleep with atleast two pillows...

Jonathan is getting a "mustache" just on around the corners of his mouth. I am thinking already?!!! He is only 14!

I love to hear my boys laughing and talking together after they have gone to bed. Sometimes they do this until late. But, I can't find it in myself to stop them...mostly. I know they will cherish those memories their whole lives.

I am madly in love with my husband Steve....so grateful that we feel more "one" with each passing year.

I exercise for 30 minutes almost every day between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. If I don't answer the phone during that time, you will know why.

I pick up legos and nerf gun darts everyday in the most unusual places.

I love how my big boys smell right after they get out of the shower. Thank You Gillette body wash and really manly smelling deodorants. My whole house and I thank you!

We have family prayer every night and it takes about 5 minutes to get everyone settled down enough to do it.

We usually read the scriptures every night before we have prayer but haven't done a very consistent job of this in the past two months. Even though our little boys sometimes complain about doing this, I know they have a place for it in their hearts. We have had a very good experience with this as a family. This is the third time we have read the Book of Mormon together. I am happy to report that we read together tonight and I know everyone felt good to have that back in the routine. It was like sitting back down into a comfortable well loved chair. We read Alma 37 tonight.

We have family counsel meeting on Sunday nights to go over the calendar for the coming week. If we didn't do this I would lose my mind and sometimes I still do. Ha Ha. Things used to be crazier in the Fall, with the school play, football and soccer oh and the usual piano lessons, scouts etc. But, things are much calmer now with basic basketball. I do like things calmer and not living every afternoon in the car driving someone somewhere. Even though I still drive a couple of places delivering someone somewhere each afternoon.

We have Family Home Evening on most Monday nights. Everyone gets to do a part...we call them vignettes. We read from "For the Strength of Youth" have a P.R.O. minute which stands for Please Remember Order, someone gets to share their favorite scripture and why and ofcourse we have a short lesson..taught by one of the boys or us. We try to have a short activity too...some game or something. Fun. And ofcourse a treat is required and this has been anything from m n m's to icecream cones at Maceys. We have to constantly try to keep Monday nights as sacred family time because it seems that everyone wants a piece of it. We have talked about doing family night at Sunday nights. The important thing is that we do it!

Eric just got home -as I type this- from Honor Choir practice that lasted all day. (It is almost 10 pm) He performs with choirs from all over Utah tomorrow at Abravanel Hall tomorrow. I can't wait to see the concert!

I missed my brothers and sisters today and wanted to talk to every one of them and just see what they have been doing lately.

Michael loves "dead" technology (old broken cameras, dead mp3's old computers etc) He has an old cell phone that he charges up and uses for all of its apps. He also has a new MP3 player that he uses for lots of reasons. His favorite one right now is the voice recorder. He uses it to record all kinds of things and sounds he can make. He and his friends and Jacob play it over his boom box and laugh and laugh.

I lay down with Scott and read him stories and then stay by him until he goes to sleep. He can't seem to go to sleep unless I do this.

The most annoying thing going on in our house right now is teasing. We have two boys who just Love to tease and torment others. It seems like I am mediating some awful little situation every hour. This is what tries my patience the most right now.

We love movie nights....this happens on either Saturday or Friday nights.

Jacob always freaks out a little the first time he sits down to practice after a piano lesson. But, then he works at it and it comes together. I have learned to just keep my distance and let him struggle it out. He is so very independent. I wish he could learn to be a little more teachable.

There are always shoes in our entry way. It has been this way for years. We want to find a solution for that problem this year.

I used to pick up dirty socks everywhere in every imaginable place. Today I noticed that I am mostly only picking up Jacob's and Scott's socks now days. Good for you boys.

I wish we did more with music. I have a secret dream that my boys will sing together often and be willing to perform in church and other places. I want my boys to experience what I experienced.

I only require that the boys beds are made and their clothes are put where they belong (not on the floor) in order to enjoy free time after school. They have to do those things before they go to school or the deals off! Sometimes I forget to enforce this, but I am working at it. My goal is to be consistent this year.

We generally try to have dinner at 6 pm everyday. I plan out menus a month at a time and follow it pretty closely. This helps me keep my sanity. We spend on average $800/ month on food.

Eric is so happy Jonathan discovered the Lightning Thief books and have loved talking about them each time Jonathan finishes reading another book. Jonathan and Eric are often seen curled up somewhere reading.

Jacob, Michael and I just finished reading Fablehaven 1 together. It was fun. They want me to read the first Lightning Thief book to them next. We try to read together at night after family prayer. I am trying to be consistent with this. I really do enjoy this time with them.

Steve works with the most wonderful people. We just had a party last week with his colleagues and their families. In our group we had people from Scotland, England, Germany, France, and Peru. During dinner it was interesting to hear the couples break into their foreign languages so we had Spanish, German and French all being spoken at random times along with English with the Scottish and English accents. I will write more about this later.

I still wish that we could live in other parts of the world. We almost took the opportunity to live in England about 10 years ago. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had we taken that opportunity.

One of our dreams is to take our boys backpacking through Bavaria, parts of Switzerland and to Salzburg Austria (where Grandpa Crowley served his mission)

I bought new shoes for Jacob yesterday and he was so excited! He had to wear them the minute we paid for them and then see how fast he could run to the car.

We talk about whether or not we should move about once a quarter. We really love where we are but there are things we would definitely change about our house. But, then we change our mind because our boys love their friends and everything is so good and settled.

The boys almost always throw their backpacks on the ground when they get home from school. We are working on fixing that problem this year. Oh, how I wish I had a mudroom!

I have the best calling at church. I teach primary, the 7-8 year olds. This is the year they get baptized, so it is a very exciting and meaningful year in their lives. I love to celebrate their birthdays with them, help them prepare for their baptism and then get to go to their baptisms. Generally, I feel that any calling I currently have is my favorite. I love how that works in the Gospel and I also love how Heavenly Father makes it so you instantly adore and love those you are assigned to work with. (Well, this happens almost every time...and that is ok) This year my class is huge...12 kids! So far, it is going great.

Steve does a great job as scout master and is excited about this year's camping schedule.

My desk is always covered with stuff. I don't like this and have been working to overcome this problem for years. I have files and labeled boxes to try to help myself but even still there are just things that get left there. I guess it is the place where the business of 8 people and a household takes place. Let me see and note what is on my desk right now:

-a netflix dvd envelope

-a small pile of nerf gun darts I have collected today

-the receipt from the last car repair

-a box of kleenex

-two samples of granite we are considering

-a program from the Forgotten Carols

-The Sunridge Ward phone directory

-my scriptures

-two projects I am working on

-the camera bag

-a picture Scott brought home from his little class

-a Deseret book bag with two books in it I would like to read.

-some random coupons

Yes..I know ..I am not proud of this... A more organized person would easily have put these things where they belong. I have the places but some things just get left on the desk for a little while. But, to be fair the things left on my desk are just a small percentage of the things that actually cross my desk!

So, there you go... now I must run to go watch "Star Trek" with the family on this Friday night. Joseph has called me to come three times now. I love that...

note the next morning: I slept through probably half of that movie.....but it seemed good. My boys laugh at me because I can rarely stay awake for movies if they start at 10 pm. (which we often have to do because the little boys have to go to bed before we watch some of the movies that the big boys like... We are very picky about our movies and super slow about getting around to watch them. We read up about every movie and then decide if we should see it or not--which results in not seeing that many movies. We love it when a truly good movie comes out and will actually go to the theater to see it!)

This morning -as I type- Steve is making french toast for the family. It is Saturday morning, and Steve has already gone to two basketball games and it is only 10:30 am. Eric woke up at about 7 am, said goodbye and left to go to his Honors Choir. We are getting ready to go watch Eric's performance today at Abravanel Hall.

Well, there's a little random look into our everyday life JANUARY 2010.

Word for 2010

It's a New Year....A New Beginning....

I love to read Shawni Eyre's blog. She has some great ideas and I have always been a huge Eyre fan and started reading their books when I was about 13 years old..really no kidding. And I am still a fan. She has this great idea to start out a new year. The idea is to come up with one word that can serve as a MANTRA for the coming year. One simple word that will guide you through everything else. The more I think about it, I think this idea is brilliant.

So my big word, my "mantra" for the year so to speak is --

CONSISTENCY

I did not come up with this idea flippantly. I have been thinking about this for a good month now. I thought of Discipline first or Focus, but this one is the right one! I have always been a great list maker and enthusiastic planner. These things have served me well. I really know what to do...but being a mother makes it easy to get thrown off. Sometimes this is just fine and better than sticking to a schedule or plan for the sake of a child or family memory etc. But, most of the time it is best to be CONSISTENT, and create good habits, clear expectations. It just makes the whole house run more smoothly and everyone is happier.

Words can be powerful. Let's see what this can do....

Merry Christmas! Catch Up Post

What was it with Christmas this year? It went by with lightning speed. We had a wonderful Christmas and it wasn't even too crazy this year but it came and went so fast. So, I am just hanging onto this special time of year a little longer. So, here is a quick run down of our Christmas 2009.

In the darkness of Bethlehem, the omnipotent God became an impotent Baby. The hands that made the world and hung the stars in the sky were now just large enough to grasp His mother's finger....

In the vision of a King born in a stable, attended by animals and visited by shepherds I am led to the ever startling paradoxes that are the essence of the Gospel: out of weakness comes strength; out of simplicity, profundity; out of humility, dignity. I am freed from the judgments and vanities of the world. I see the wisdom of its wise men perish before a deeper truth as three gifts are laid and worldly wisdom kneels before a little Child."

I wish I knew who to give credit to for such a beautiful thought about the birth of

Jesus. I think it captures the beauty and wonder of this great event we celebrate this time of year. When I ponder the Christmas story I am always in awe of its wondrous events and at the way this little baby born in a stable changed the world.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Let's keep Christmas in our

hearts all the year through.

Here are few scenes from Christmas '09 at the Knudsen House.

Picking out the Christmas Tree. Here is a picture with "Santa" at the Christmas Tree lot.

In my family of boys, they think picking out a Christmas tree is fine, but what they like most about it is playing hide and seek among the trees. One year when our boys were just little like 6 or 7 and younger they started playing hide and seek around the trees and they liked it so much a tradition was born. Now every year they look forward to this annual game of hide and seek as part of picking out our Christmas tree... It is an absolutely essential part of picking out the tree. I tried to get a couple of pictures of them racing around but all I could get is this one of Joseph peeking around a tree at me.

Luckily Scott just stayed right by me as we looked at all the trees.

It was a perfect perfect perfect night for picking out a Christmas Tree. It was the perfect temperature and on our way there this magical little snow shower started falling. It was the kind that makes you feel all giddy and happy. The snow flakes were huge and just gently fell from the sky. The boys all had to try to catch some on their tongues. It was an absolutely beautiful setting for picking out a Christmas tree.

Scott trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

Then the other boys had to get in on the action.

So, here's what Mrs. Santa did to keep it all straight for 7 + people. This shopping list went with me everywhere.

And here is the short list of what I cooked and baked for the Christmas fun. It does not include the Christmas Eve Candlelight buffet that I whipped up. We had Stuffed Mushrooms, Shrimp cocktail platter, chilled shrimp, Cheese ball, spinach artichoke dip with crackers, fudge, divinity, Wassail and more. Too much good food. And now a few weeks later I still feel it in my waistline. I hate that.

There are few movies we have to see every year and that is every version of the Christmas Carol we can get our hands on. Every version brings out different parts of this story we just love. But, I think our favorite is the musical version, "Scrooge."

Oh and we completely utterly ignored the new Disney version of The Christmas Carol that came out this year. We wouldn't want to spoil a good thing.

The other movie that is an annual must see is "It's a Wonderful Life!" So far I never tire of this story and its wonderful message.

And ofcourse the kids love to see the usual Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and maybe Charlie Brown. We keep it simple. There are too many mindless Christmas specials now.

We also try to see as many wonderful musical programs on PBS as we can. We don't have much time but I love to see the very best musical productions on PBS and I usually crank up the volume and let the music ring through the house. I love to do that while I am wrapping presents or baking or whatever.

Here are a few pictures of the Christmas pageant held at our ward party. Our boys were asked to the shepherds. These pictures are not the best quality but you get the picture. That is Joseph looking at the camera in the white and red checked shepherd outfit.

And there is Jonathan smiling, peeking up over the crowd.

We were lucky enough to have tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert with Natalie Cole as the guest performer. It was another wonderful concert and a special time with Jonathan, Michael and Jacob. We really had a good time together. I love this concert and try to go every year. (and apparently so does about a million other people. So I feel so lucky to snag a few tickets when I can)

I wish I had a few more pictures....(I really need help in this area) But here is a picture of Eric ready to leave to go perform in the Forgotten Carols with Michael McClean. Joseph also performed in it and loved it and I am sad I didn't get a picture of him. We went to this wonderful performance as a family and absolutely enjoyed it.

Eric had a special part at the beginning. He played the part of an old man who is waiting at a bus stop with his elderly wife and is touched by the Christmas spirit. It was so fun to see him perform and he did a wonderful job. I was so proud of him and Joseph. They consider performing in the Forgotten Carols a real highlight of their year.

Michael McClean..the warm-hearted loving musical genius who created this production.

Nurse Connie is played by Kelly Shepardson who used to live in our ward. We love to watch her perform as well. She is the very best at this role.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without pausing to sing the songs from the Forgotten Carols.

I am so grateful my boys are given the opportunity to participate in this production each year. This great man, Michael McClean is awakening greater faith in the hearts of every one who performs or watches this production.

I also didn't get any good pictures of this event. I helped direct the choir at Jacob and Michael's elementary school. This is a picture of us on the night of the performance. Wow..did my hair need help or what. It was a fun little program. We sang Wintertide, It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas with the duet--pinecones and holly berries.., Hot Cup of Cocoa--a very fun song with some choreography and Christmas Tree, a very pretty, heartwarming song from the movie Home Alone II. It was a simple and sweet program. I do this with Cindy Meier and she likes to keep things more simple which is good because I always want to make things bigger ... I can learn a lot from her about keeping things simple. I am so glad I have the opportunity to work with her.

Michael had a 5th grade Christmas program and He got to play two piano numbers in it. I was so proud of him. He has really become a musician this year.

Caryn and Brian flew in from Hawaii on December 20th. It was sooo good to see them. I realized how much I miss my sister Caryn. (I mean I knew I missed her but there was something about this visit that made me realize how much I miss doing day to day things with her and just having her around to share life with) She is just the most wonderful person. She has 4 little kiddos and she is teaching Art History at BYU-Hawaii. Her husband is also a professor there. Caryn loves all the things I love.. We didn't get to do enough during her short visit but it was great to have them to ourselves for a few moments.

Caryn with her darling little daughter Annika.

Playing and singing a song called "The Snowman."

We had a Crowley Cousin Christmas party. We met up at Temple Square to see the lights. It was a very cold night so it was short.

Mom and Dad and cute little Chrysanne. Oooh I love these people!

Our shivering family enjoying the beauty and peace of Temple Square at Christmas.

Our neighbor gifts this year. I made those cinnamon sugared almonds and fudge. I attached a Christmas ornament to the bag of goodies. On the Christmas tree I put the scripture, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Tried to keep it simple this year....

Below are a few scenes of Christmas Eve.

The extended Knudsen family got together to sing the Hallelujah Chorus and other Christmas songs and have dessert. This was a change. We usually have a progressive dinner but the family is getting too big and some of Steve's brothers have grandchildren of their own now. We pretty much thought that we would do our own thing this year but not to completely let go of tradition Wayne wanted to at least get together for singing and desserts.

When this group sings together I think we pretty much raise the roof! Wow!

Are these cute girlies or what? Brittani and Stephanie...

And these cute girlies too...Robin, Grandma Knudsen, Barb and Lindsey..

The boys belting it out!

After everyone went home, Barb, Rod and their family stayed with us to enjoy our Christmas Eve Buffet. We didn't get to caroling like we wanted to but we rolled with it and were flexible. We were so glad the Schmidts could hang out with us a little longer.

We ended our night reading the Christmas story and sharing a few special moments just our family...and then it was off to bed..!

Santa brought the goods...

Christmas Morning.......starts very early. Our boys have some traditions. First of all everyone must sleep upstairs. So the big boys who have their bedroom in the basement sleep in the extra bedroom upstairs. At about 4 am...they wake each other up and all 5 of them (Scott sleeps through the whole thing) gather in one room to open up the little gifts in their stockings (Santa leaves their stocking on their beds) eat the yummy treats and play games together. We usually wake up to their loud laughter about 5:30 am. They have the greatest time. Then they come in to wake up up at about 6 am by singing to us and they mercifully let us go back to sleep (ha ha) until about 6 :30 am. This year I couldn't stand being left out of the fun so I went down to their bedroom and joined in the fun. It was great.

Then ofcourse everyone has to line up on the stairs. Dad turns on Christmas tree lights and then everyone can run down to the Christmas tree!

Scott got a new bike.

Jacob got a lego set.

Michael got legos too...

Jonathan made a shield for Michael to go with the sword he gave him. It is always fun to see what the boys come up with to give to each other. They always draw two names each and often make home made gifts. We always have extra chores available for earning money and we have a big family Christmas shopping trip.

Christmas Day was very relaxed. We had a yummy crepes with nutella and bananas breakfast and drank wassail all day..along with hot cocoa with marshmallows.

At about 4 pm -ish Steve's mom joined us for a yummy Christmas Day dinner. Yum!

The rest of the week we watched movies, had a game night. Steve and I went to the annual Wittwer Cousin Christmas party. We went iceskating and just relaxed.

Out to eat on New Year's Eve at a Chinese Buffet. I have decided I don't like buffets. The kids love it but it is too chaotic to really enjoy and the food is usually sub par. But, still this photo notes our tradition of having chinese food on New Year's Eve. But, next year I envision sitting around a round table talking more. After this our kids went off to parties with friends (sniff!) and the rest of us stayed home and watched the movie "The Great Race." Steve and I also worked on a puzzle together until about 2 am. I really missed my boys...and it was an ok New Year's Eve.

I love to decorate the house for Christmas every year and try to create some Christmas magic for all of us to enjoy...Here are a few pictures to capture a little bit of what I did..

Our Christmas door 2009. Our door really needs serious help. I have been trying to decide whether or not I should paint it...and what color. What to do?

Our Christmas entry and bannister 2009.

The family room fireplace mantel...

The little group of Alpine Christmas trees in the Family room. I would have a Christmas tree in just about every gathering room and corner of our house if I could...

Next Year....

-take more family pictures! And document better our activities.

-Simplify the food...eat less.

- Open the kids Christmas presents to each other on Christmas Eve so that the special giving magic of this isn't lost in the fun of Christmas morning.

- Hold a Neighborhood Christmas Open House in lieu of neighbor gifts. Gather donations and give to a charity..

-We always dream of having a Soup and Sing night where everyone brings an appetizer or dessert to share and comes prepared to perform some song or read a poem or something. We would love to do that.

- This year we will have a Christmas Jar!! We will find ways to serve others all the year through. --New Christmas pajamas for everyone is a good gift to give on Christmas Eve. It makes for great family pictures on Christmas morning. We have done that some years. I have decided we should do this every year.

-Pause each night at family prayer no matter what....to read a Christmas story or watch a short 5 min or so Christmas message produced by the church that can be found on youtube etc. In the craziness of our schedule and activities in December I think this is crucial.

-Go caroling...!!! This is a must.

-Go for a drive to see the Christmas lights, spend more time on Temple Square and go to the Gateway to see the big Christmas tree.

Those are just a few ideas...

Even so it was a wonderful Christmas -Christmas '09 and we will try to carry the spirit of it forward into the new year.....