Christmas 2010

First Christmas with just our little family.

It was special.

We've been stressed.

Who isn't?

So to anything to take it down a notch is nice.

Staying home.

Devin however cooked like everyone was coming HERE.

Crab salad.

A whole ham.

rolls and summer sausage etc. etc.

Christmas eve.

Cache and Nay put out the reindeer food in the yard(oats and glitter)

 Naomi was too scared to sleep.

"Santa's gonna pull my yegs me."

So we had to convince her that Santa was NOT coming.

A strange big man with a beard is gonna sneak into your house as SOON as your asleep, what's to be afraid of?

Devin and I exchanged gifts in the wee hours in front of the fire after Santa came.

He got me a scarf that had a lot of meaning behind it that maybe I'll share sometime, but probably not. And to my surprise picked out a matching wool coat. He had me close my eyes and then put it all on me.

He is sweet.

I gave Devin soccer cleats. I had to keep calling him from kickin his soccer ball around in the back yard so the kids could open their presents Christmas morning. He is a child at heart.

Tangent: I often tell Devin he reminds me of my grandpa Childers. When he opened his cleats he was SO excited. 

"These are the nicest cleats I've EVER had!

It immediately popped an image of my Grandpa Childers birthday. I was visiting one weekend in college. The only present he got were a bag of home made gingersnap cookies from my Aunt Christie. I was feeling bad about it, then I looked at my Grandpa and he said sincerely: "This is the best birthday I've ever had! My favorite cookies and my beautiful wife at my side. I'll tell ya, I'm ONE lucky guy." He had a big cheesy smile. 

I love him.

I miss him.

Okay tangent over.

Devin and Cache got Nerf guns and gear from G&G Orton.

So did AALL cousins and dads.

They had a war at the church gym Christmas morning.

After the Nerf war, we traveled over the mountain and through the woods to Grandmother's house. 

She lives a wheat field away from Great grandma's.

We had a party at my Grandma Carla's(my grandparents.)

Here is Gage with is Great Gramma Carla. aka sweetest lady ever.

 We have grown too big even for grandma's house, so the party was moved to the shop.

The shop has funner toys
anyway:

In the Spratling family, there is a pretty strong division between boys and girls.

Boys are the pranksters and girls are the targets.
Like hoisting the girls up on the lift.
Then boys shut the lights off and spray them with a fire extinguisher.

And when I say boys I mean the grown up Uncles.

The more dangerous the prank the funnier.

Probably something to do with 7 brothers that never had a sister to set them straight.

Aunt Shelly has learned just to cover her eyes.

Yes,
  Grandma Carla appreciates daughter in-laws and grand DAUGHTERS, more than the average mother.

Tug of war during dinner.

Uncle Jay is not reprimanding, he is helping the tug of war cause.

And if you wonder wear the 7 boys got their 
mischievousness from....

Anyway, enough of that.  My cousin Tony had a baby.  

His name is Lane.

Lane and Gage, the next generation to terrorize Grandma Carla's house.

And raid the ice cream freezer during harvest.

Just. You. Wait.

Through the field back at my parents home, Ben came up from AZ with his girls.

I don't have any other pics so Sarah, mom, Cindy maybe you could send me any?


True to missionary tradition. We took a family picture with Ashley's framed picture.

And also true to tradition we took this picture.

Cindy is ALWAYS my favorite in these pictures.
 Put it as my wall paper forever just to make me happy.
Devin is always pretty good at these pics too.
How did WE marry such weirdos?
Anyway it was a merry Christmas.

They Mean no harm.

I once went to a very poignant fireside on INTENTION.

He talked about the importance of the intention of our hearts in all things we do.

 I've thought a lot about intention and how it apply's to all aspects of life since then.

Like for instance this week with my children:

Now Cache, what exactly what was your intention here?

Situation #2:

Cleaned the family room spotless for company.

 quick bathroom break.

Came back the pic below.

Almost flew off the handle, but then I noticed there was some organization to this mess,

 pause.. CACHE, what exactly is going on here?

"Well the baby is happier sitting up to see us."

 So they tried to prop him up.

look closely. 

First wipes uses to prop up his swing to a sitting up position.. didn't work.

Prop wipes up with rocking horse...still not strong enough

then chairs, skate board, even a burp rag shoved in there.

And my favorite which you can't see is inside the box on top of the table is filled with blocks to weigh the table down.

And my MOST favorite: Naomi placed her liiiittle pink tea cup up against the leg of the table to hold the table in place.

Intention: make the baby happy. Can't get mad about that.
*Note: all these items are from their bedrooms, so also quite impressive to accomplish during a 1 minute or less bathroom break...

Situation # 3:
Again, stepped out to change laundry, came back PANICK. 
" WHERE is the baby?!!"

in his own little baby fort of course.

And finally Naomi, "the destroyer." 

If I were true to intention, she would more accurately be :

 The Redecorator.

Intention.

It may be the death of me.

I am a child of God

 It's Monday night.

 Family home Evening night.

Devin usually ALWAYS gives the lessons.
But Devin had to work late tonight, and a lot,
I decided, I might be old enough to take on some of the responsibility around here.
So me and the chill'ns had family home evening.

The lesson: "I am a Child of God." ( out of the nursery manual.)

Cache conducted which was anything but reverent.

"Welcome to FAMILY HOME EVaaaaaNING!!! (burp noises and on and on)

Naomi said the opening prayer since she has decided she can pray now.

Naomi blessed "TASH" 17 times...
 each time Cache heard his name he would do a somersault

and I would get mad at him and tell him to be reverent during the prayer....

Great start.

Naomi would have NEVER finished if I didn't help her along, I asked her to please help 

that the spirit might be at family home evening tonight so we maybe learn somethin.

jibber jabber "Sumpin."

I told them that they have a father and mother who loves them.

They also have a father in Heaven who knows them and loves them.

Then we looked at a pic of Moses. 

Moses climbed a mountain. (they climbed the couch)

He prayed. (they knelt and pretended to pray.)

Then we read the scripture out of the bible where God tells Moses that

he is his child.

Then Cache and Nay took turns standing and saying " I am a child of God."

It was simple. 
It was a bit crazy, 
but the spirit was there.

I recognized it.

It just felt right.

We then talked about how every person on this earth is a child of God.

Even the mean people.

Knowing this can help us love people, by looking at them as more than just a person that did something terrible.
 Hate is replaced with sorrow that that person chose to do such an act....

Knowing this can help us love ourselves and treat our bodies and minds with more respect.

In my case, I was taught this as a young child.

But I forget.

Tonight I was reminded again.

Who i am.

Who my children are.

Who my friends are.
Who the people on the news are.
It was sort of a wake Up call i felt.
Get with the program.
Teach these children who they are.
Treat yourself like a child of God.
Fill your days with things that will help you and them reach their potential.
The potential of a child of God....
Wow that's some pressure.

Then we played duck duck goose 
and ate left over christmas cranberry bark.


And speaking of wake up calls:

Family home evening was a good ending to a loong day.

This morning I thought Devin was tickling me so I playfully smacked him in my sleep,
only to hit a diaper, where devin's shoulder should've been.
Naomi had made her way into our bed and in effort to find the most comfortable spot, drapped her legs over my body and stuck her foot in my arm pit. She was squirmin it around tryin to get it all nestled.
Devin was already gone for the day.
I hate anytime I wake up and he's not there.
Plus I had missed my morning workout window.
I had even set my shoes out last night.
 Baby cried, pulled him into bed,
Then my Cache showed up.
stuck himself in the middle of us all.
The sun wasn't even up yet.
Always so tired I am.
 "Mind over mattress" is what Devin always says.
But really did I even have a choice today, with these 3 giving me a wake up call?