What was your Favorite Christmas Gift?

The other day someone asked the girls what their favorite Christmas gift was. They thought about it for a moment. Anna said, "My Frozen stickers." I was surprised, as that was probably the smallest, least expensive gift she got. She really does love them and sticks Elsa and Anna stickers on her dresses and papers and such all day. She loves them. For a child it is all about the simple joys of life. They don't need anything big or fancy.

Elise was also asked the question and in her cute little Elise voice she said in excitement, "The sparkly headbands that I gave to Anna." I was humbled and touched, I thought she would say something she got, yet she mentioned the one thing she gave. That was Elise's favorite, most memorable gift for Christmas. The gift we let her go to the store and pick out, wrap up, and give to her sister. That is what she remembered and was most excited about. That was her favorite Christmas gift.

I guess I can learn from these little children to take joy in the small simple things of life and to remember that joy comes from giving, not getting.

You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man

Elise decided she wanted to bring reindeer puddings and gingerbread men for her preschool snack. At night Kent made a few batches of gingerbread men (Stub Toe Joe cookies – a mild type of cookie similar to gingerbread) with the girls.

Mama promised the girls she would put the gingerbread men away as soon as they were done cooling because we had read a story about ginger bread men running away. But Mama forgot to put three of them away before bed, two gingerbread men and a small gingerbread bear; she accidentally left them out!! Uh oh!

The next morning Mama said, "Girls, did you eat your gingerbread men I left you on the table?" The girls said, "No, mama, we didn't." Mama said, "Then where are they?" Then we spotted a note on the table....

We ran to the raisin container and we only saw this.

Oh no! We ran to the doll bed and only found this and a few raisins.

We ran to the Christmas tree and up in one of the branches we found this. Darn they got away again! 

We ran to the scale and found this.

But don't you worry we finally caught those little running men in the drawer that holds the girls tea party stuff. They were getting ready for a party with raisins and tea party set. The girls ate those little cookies up as fast as they could so they could not get away again!

Grace's First Birthday Party

Grace's had her first birthday this week! She almost enjoyed her birthday as much as her sisters enjoyed her birthday. It is amazing that it has been a year since she was born. We just love this little, cute girl. She brings so much joy into our lives. I made her a chocolate pudding cake with whipped topping and a yummy potato ham soup for dinner. She ate so much of her dinner she wasn't hungry for the cake, but enjoyed playing with it anyway. Nana and papa came over to help us celebrate and she recieved a very fun package from Grandma and Grandpa Slack. Happy Birthday little Gracie.

Opening Presents

Eating Cake

Two Girls in a Boat - Then and Now

Then

Now

Phoenix Temple Open House and the Agave

We went to the Phoenix Temple open house. This is the 2nd Temple open house that we have had the privilege to take our girls to, this year. It is a beautiful temple and like the Gilbert Temple has the agave symbolism throughout the temple. The girls really liked seeing it. Elise especially liked the baptismal font that was "sitting on the oxen's backs and the oxen had horns." She clarified to me that they were not real oxen but just pretend oxen.

Anna especially liked seeing the sealing rooms. Her part in the sacrament meeting program this year goes: "Temple marriage is a priesthood ordinance and strengthens my family." When we saw the sealing room I told her it was here that temple marriage takes place and showed here where the bride and groom kneel over the alter to get married. I showed her the mirrors that represented eternity. She was very interested and loved it.

The Phoenix Temple uses the agave flower as a design throughout the temple, just as the Gilbert Temple used the agave plant as it's theme. I have been thinking about why these temples use the agave plant and it's flower, I don't know exactly but I have learned a few beautiful things about his plant. 

1) The agave can represent new life, eternal family, and the influence of generations. As new leaves come forth, the old ones die away. On many agave, the older leaves leave their imprint on the next generation of leaves and the newer leaves also leave impressions on the older.  

2) The agave plant only blooms once in it's life. Throughout its life it builds up and stores energy/ starch in it's center. When the agave is fully mature, it gives all, literally all, of it's energy and strength to raising it's tall beautiful arm to the heavens to glorify God. Then with no energy left it dies. What a beautiful image. 

This morning during my early morning run, I ran by an agave plant with it's flower reaching the sky in all it's glory. I stopped to look at it and I thought: it truly is fulfilling the measure of it's creation.

Creative Activities for Family Home Evening

I told the girls we would be having Family Home Evening tonight. A bit later I saw Elise drawing a picture and she asked me for some scissors. She said she was making a game for our family home evening activity and it was going to be a puzzle that we all had to put it together. She is so cute and creative. I showed her how to hold the scissors and she actually learned how to cut for the first time. She cut her picture up in so many little pieces.  At family home evening last night we all tried to put it together, which we couldn’t really but she was so happy about her game. She even wanted to put it in a special puzzle box after we had finished. Good job Elise!

Anna also decided she was going to make up a game for us to play at family home evening. She wrote a whole bunch of made up words on a paper earlier in the day and during activity time 

we had to sound them out and try to say them. It was pretty fun.

They are at a really fun age right now and get so into and excited about the little things in life. They make life fun.

Dolls and girls and different cognitive levels.

Elise: My Rose (the name of her doll) talks.

Anna: No, she doesn’t; dolls do not talk.

Elise: Well my Rose does talk. Hummph.

Anna: Dolls are not real so they don’t talk.

Elise: She talks to me at nighttime when she is going to sleep.

Me: I think Rose talks.

Anna just looks at me not knowing what to say. I take her aside, out of hearing range of Elise, and explain to her that she is right but little children like Elise like to imagine that their dolls are real so we should let them.

Later that morning the girls both want to bring their dolls to the kitchen table for breakfast.  I notice Anna is pretend feeding her dolls some of her breakfast. I don't know why I thought Elise would do the same, just pretend to feed her doll, after having the previous conversation earlier that same morning; but I did. Then I looked over at Elise I see Cream of Wheat dripping all over Elise’s lap and down her dolls face. Oh great!