Shepherds....

For My Mom and Dad who are currently serving in the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center.  

Shepherds

Of all the characters in the Christmas story, besides Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, it is the Shepherd’s who impress me most. 

We don’t know much about them other than the striking fact that our Heavenly Father chose them to be the first to hear the “good news” of our Savior’s birth.   I have pondered this glorious fact, that God chose them…some of the most humble and lowly of all people.  Who were these people and why were they chosen? The scriptures don’t elaborate..but I  imagine that the hearts of those  shepherds  were gentle and kind.  I imagine that while they lived their quiet humble lives, caring for sheep they pondered the prophecies of a Savior coming to save His people.  I imagine that they believed and prayed about these prophecies as they shepherded their sheep.  I believe they looked forward with faith and humility to the wonderful day when the earth would receive a Savior to save all mankind.   

I imagine it was a peaceful night, the night the Savior was born.  The shepherds with their sheep on the hillside, their sheep and lambs scattered about.  The night sky was clear and full of stars, one noticeably brighter than all the others.  Perhaps there was a fire or two crackling in the stillness of that night.  And in this peaceful scene, can you imagine the shock and wonder the shepherds felt at seeing an angel appear and suddenly announce to them, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of Great Joy, which shall be to All people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you.  You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth.” 

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

“And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

I am sure the shepherds never forgot that night.  I imagine that they told that story to anyone who would listen.  In a sense they were called to be witnesses that night…and tell others of their experience. 

And this is YOU Mom and Dad….  You are humble, good people with kind hearts.  You have pondered the scriptures and prophecies all of your good lives.  You humbly believe and always have!    You have been blessed with deep testimonies and knowledge of the Savior and Heavenly Father’s Plan.  You are now going forth telling people the good news….that  Jesus came, that He is our personal Savior and the light and life of the world.  You tell people that our Heavenly Father has a plan for His children and Jesus is central to that plan and is our Redeemer.  You tell people that there is hope and that life is good and has purpose.  Heavenly Father has blessed you with knowledge just as surely as he did the Shepherds! 

You also go forth “glorifying and praising God for all the things that (you) have heard and seen.”

You are the bearer of good news!   And we love and honor you for it!  What joy to serve the Savior and Heavenly Father at this special time of year and in such a special place.  We wish you a very Merry Christmas.  May you feel joy and peace.  We love you....

One of Most Favorite Christmas Treats.....

You can get great recipes on The Sisters Cafe Recipe Blog.  There is a link to their blog on my page here on the right.  I saw this and had to share.  This is one of our favorite Christmas treats.  Everyone knows these little treats...you smell them roasting in all their yummy sweetness while you shop at the malls this time of year.  The first time I had these was in Salzburg, Austria of all places!  Steve and I bought them in the open air market...it is a very romantic memory...which makes this treat even sweeter...  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

submitted by Melanie

1 cup white sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg white

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups almonds

Preheat oven to 250. Cover a 13x17” baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease well. In small bowl combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl slightly beat the egg white. Add vanilla and beat until very frothy, but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir until well coated. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spread evenly on the prepared pan. Bake for one hour, stirring half way through. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container.

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Focus on Jacob...

Sometimes I love my children so much that it hurts.  I love this boy.  I am so proud of him.  He works hard to do his best in anything he is doing.  Last week he performed in the Silver Mesa Elementary Christmas program.  He had a little solo part and despite the fact that there were some technical problems with his microphone he did great and was a real trooper.  

He sang a couple of lines from the song "When Santa Comes to Town" from the movie, Polar Express.  And he even smiled during the performance!  I wasn't so sure that he would ..but he did.  Way to go Jacob.  

Another exciting thing happened for Jacob this week.  He got to go to a Utah Jazz Game!  This provided some awesome one on one time together.  We rode the light rail train, enjoyed the sights and sounds of downtown Salt Lake, ate fun food and had a blast at the game!  

And the Jazz won!  It was a great game..so exciting to watch ....and people watching was as fun as the game..well, almost.  

But, the best thing of all was spending time with Jacob......  What a go get 'em boy!  Blessed...and so grateful. It was a great night.  

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.... and the end of a tradition..possibly...

We picked up our Christmas tree early this year.  We just had to do it before Eric went back to college after Thanksgiving Break.  We have certain traditions when we go get a tree.  It usually goes like this:  We get out of the car and whoosh----- the boys are all gone, chasing each other, playing hide and seek in the "forest" of Christmas trees.  We wouldn't see them again until we are ready to leave, except for the occasional whoosh of one of them running by us, saying "shhhhh don't tell them I am here!" 

But, now look at how things have changed!  See those calm cool expressions?

This is about all the boys did the entire time as I wandered around with Steve to pick out our tree.  

They were absolutely boring.  They just sat around the fire chatting with each other, like regular old grown up people.  Even Michael and Jacob followed the big brothers along just relaxing... by the fire, petting the doggy that came wandering by.  It was so calm that I was disgusted.     

What has gotten into you boys?  Where is the excitement and the wild game of hide and seek?  

Ahhh yes... let's pet the doggy.  So calm!  Bleh!  So well behaved!  Shock! 

Scott did enjoy checking out the reindeer.  

And with some coaxing on my part, Michael, Jacob and Scott attempted a very weak try at hide and seek..It lasted about one minute flat.  

Oh well!  We had a wonderful time... took our tree home that we agreed (like we do every year)   was the most beautiful yet.  Put it up and then went out to dinner.  Decorating came the next day.  

My Three LIttles...

Trying to cherish the days with these three....  I can see how quickly things change.  So every minute counts more than ever.  

Thanksgiving Weekend Continued Part 2

A highlight of Thanksgiving Weekend is the BYU vs U of U game.  I relish this rivalry (and hate it when people take it too far!  C' mon people!)  

  We were blessed to share this fun event with the Haruch Family!  And we had a great time!  Ate too much, laughed a lot and witnessed the agony of defeat!  But there is always next year hee hee hee...

We had some rebels in our group this year.  Uncle Aaron there is wearing a red shirt under his blue shirt and Aunt Christine is doing the same, shocking blaspemy!  Oh and it is a well known fact that Joseph here has been a U of U fan for a number of years now.  (Oh where did we go wrong?)  But, I have been  surprised to see him warming up to the "Y" over the past year.  (So there is hope..all that fasting and praying might be working :D   ha ha!  






During half time, We feasted on deli sandwiches, cheese and crackers, a yummy drink,  veggies and dip, chips, and a bunch of desserts.  Thanks so much Chrissy and Aaron and family...  We had such a good time with you.  And we love  you bunches.  

One Exciting 15th Birthday Celebration....

Jonathan's life is pretty exciting right now.  His birthday was too.  The day before his birthday he played a football game and completely utterly stomped on the other team (Olympus 27-0)   By winning that game, his team was moved on to play the next day at the Rio Tinto Stadium...on his birthday!

So, he got to play in this stadium......  

Exciting game!  Exciting location.   Final score 19 to 18.  They lost by one measly point.    But, what a fun night! 

The picture above is not  a picture taken during his game because I did not get a good picture of his game at the stadium.

We had a alot of crazy fun this night.  Steve and I took turns waiting in line for the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7 and then 

Joseph took over until the movie started.  

Joe and I both got to play card games with a group of complete strangers and had quite the adventure while waiting in line.         

After the game, Jon rushed home and showered just in time for his party to start.    

This was our first Girl/Boy party.  Call me crazy, but I sort of suggested this..and Jonathan jumped all over the idea.  

You see, I wanted to see who he seems to be texting all the time ........

.... and I was happy with what I saw... what a cute group of kids.... and good kids too.  

For this late night party that began at 10:30 pm, we served some of Jon's favorite food, crepes with all kinds of toppings, mini Quiches, veggies and dip and a yummy drink. 

It was really fun to have three cute girls at our house!

Left to Right:  Zack, Wyatt, Trevor and Dani.

Yum Jon!  Crepes with Nutella and Banana!  He has loved this since he was 3.

His friends wanted to sing him Happy Birthday so they put together this crepe cake.  

Then we were off to Harry Potter 7... !   I think Jon and his friends had a great time!  They made a great memory together at this Midnight movie.  They all got home at 3 am  eek!  Luckily, the next day was late start day, meaning school started at 9:30 am and it was also the last day of school before Thanksgiving break.  So we thought it would be ok.  And it was.  

Later...... We had a second Celebration....  

We have a tradition of taking our kids out to dinner on their 15th birthday. 

We ate at the Joy Luck Club, a Chinese restaurant.    

Jon opening his fortune cookie...oh what will it say?  

His birthday fortune was awesome.

At home to sing Happy Birthday and have birthday cake.

With the Bro's.....

He cut the cake and gave anyone who wanted it a very generous piece......

And here is the famous birthday sign and money from Grandma and Grandpa Crowley.  He also opened a card and money from Grandma Knudsen and others and other presents.  He got a bunch of clothes and a coat for his birthday .  Happy Birthday Jonathan!

Last but not least 15 of the top reasons why I adore this Boy: 

1. Jon is passionate about life.  Whatever he is interested in, he is all over it, works hard strives to do his best.  
2. Jon is a good friend.  He has had the same three best friends since he was 5 (since we moved in to the neighborhood)  He also has lots of other friends and has great people skills.  It is just plain fun to watch him when he is with his friends.  
3. Jon is a take charge kind of guy.  He gets in, takes control of the situation, solves any problems and moves on.
4. Jon takes things in stride.  He rarely lets things get him down.  He has always been like this.... and I could tell you some great stories.  He smiles in the midst of opposition and came to the world this way.
5. Jon is a great blessing in our family.  He makes things happen.  He is often the one that starts the board game or encourages everyone to play a basketball game.
6. Jon is creative.  He gets busy and makes things from stuff laying around the house.  We have a plethora of weapons, shields etc made from foam tubes, camping mats etc.  I am amazed at what he comes up with.
7. Jon has a great imagination and is an excellent writer.  He is currently writing a novel (and I am not kidding)  It is quite good and I wouldn't be surprised if I see him sitting in Costco someday signing copies of his newly published book.  
8. Jon knows what is right and does it...almost all of the time.   
9. He has always had eyes bigger than his stomach and takes more than he can eat ..most of the time.  
10. He is one  handsome guy.... 
11. Jon is a cook!   He is confident in the kitchen and has prepared many yummy things since he was about 3 (when he made crepes regularly)
12. Jon has an eye for style and has good ideas.
13. Jon knows how to make good decisions.  We gave him the choice of staying at Churchill Jr High or going to Albion Middle(our school) I watched him ponder and pray about this choice and ultimately he made the absolute correct decision and is having the most wonderful year at Albion Middle.  
14. I respect his thoughts and ideas... 
15. He is a great brother and friend.  He is the kind of brother that will pull in a foam pad into Eric's room when he is home visiting from college just so he can sleep in the same room with Eric and talk.  I love that he spends time with his younger brothers by playing board games with them.  I love that he can mess around, laugh and joke with Joseph.  

And One last thing!  We love watching Jon in any sporting event.  He is a great athlete. 

Happy Birthday Jonathan!  We love you!!