Sam n' Me

This is Sam and Me. Sam just turned 11. He is a swell guy. The best thing about Sam is his giggly sense of humor. He is a very mellow fellow and he is just plain fun to have around. He is very good at putting things together. Last night he showed me and grandpa his Hot Wheels track - that he has no problem assembling. He also had an awesome KNex thingy assembled in his room. His mom says he routinely spends time working Legos. I think he's an engineer in the making. He's also an avid reader. Sam does very well in school and everyone likes Sam. Tenderhearted Sam is a wonderful brother to his 4 sisters.
Happy Birthday, Sam.

Stake Creche Festival

Our stake has been putting on a Christmas Creche Festival for at least 10 years. Over 600 nativity scenes are on display. Most are from members of the Church, but about 30% are from non-members in the community. It runs for 4 days and several musical groups from the community perform. I have displayed my collection each year and usually find one to add each year. This year I added a handmade, crocheted nativity from my daughter, Megan. Thanks Meg, it is beautiful.
Here are a couple photos of the whole cultural hall. They go to great lengths to decorate beautifully and create a lovely environment for the displays.
 
 Here's a photo of my nativities. The Boyd's Bears nativity is always a favorite, and it is the only one of its kind on display. My oldest nativity is an Olive Wood from the Holy Land. My brother brought it back from one of his visits to Israel. I've had it for at least 20 years (I think). I also have one from Spain and Ukrainian nesting dolls from Josh and Courtney's trip to Europe, the Philippines from Jared's mission, 2 from Ecuador from Micah's mission service, two from our trip to Alaska, one from Sarah's trip to New Zealand, a German Pyramid, a triptych, pottery from New Mexico, and several ornaments I did not display this year. I cherish each of these nativities, as each has special meaning to me. There are others in the photo which do not belong to me, but were in too close proximity to keep them out of the photo.

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Thanskgiving 2008 Arizona

A Big Thank You to Micah and Sarah for allowing us to spend Thanksgiving with them. They were the perfect hosts. They made us all feel so welcomed and at home. Dinner was terrific - even if it was their first attempt at cooking a turkey! It was perfect.
The boys enjoyed having their own table. The reds got up and ran around, but Jackson stayed vigilant over his plate. I think it he was kind of amazed at the constant movement of his cousins.
Lacey loved her mommy's carrot casserole and the sweet potatoes. She is the most pleasant baby. I don't think she ever cried while we were there.
We had some good dogpiles! Jackson has dog piling down to an artform. I think he kind of enjoyed having so many guys just his size to hang out with.

Emily and Aaron enjoyed lounging on the comfy sofa.

And we had a great time seeing all the lights at the Phoenix Zoo, while all the animals were tucked into bed. We could smell them, but we couldn't see them. The light show was amazingly entertaining.
I won't talk about the drive home on I-5. Suffice it to say the 12 hour drive took 18 hrs. The kids were real troopers. We would have stopped and got a motel, if it wasn't for dad having to work in the morning.