Christmas Memories

As seems to happen often, December flew by in a flurry.  We decided to visit family in Utah before Christmas this year so we could see Scott's sister and her family who were visiting from California at that time as well.  It was a bit hectic trying to get everything ready to go.  I wanted to leave Thursday after school and go half-way so we'd have more time with family before we had to come back home.  The weather became ominous the day we wanted to leave--luckily I was able to get everything ready and we left shortly after the kids got home from school--just as it started to snow on our route.  We had an hour or so of snow on our path, but we were able to get ahead of it and make it safely all the way to Moab where we spent the night in a hotel.  Hotels are always fun--for one night.

We didn't bring our camera to Utah--one of the things we realized shortly after we left, but with the imposing storm we didn't feel like we could turn around.  Luckily, Kaitlyn and Brynn both got their own camera so hopefully they will help me capture 2011 memories.  Here are some of our Utah highlights:

• Seeing the reindeer and lights at Thanksgiving Point with my family.  For those of you there with us you know the truth--not worth the effort, except still nice to be with the ones you love!  There were two reindeer who stood in the middle of the corral and didn't move.  After buying some food from a little candy machine to feed them Brynn remarked, "That was the biggest waste of a dollar!"  The reindeer were obviously well fed and turned their noses up to our offering.
• Porter family Christmas Eve.  We always draw parts from the Nativity to act out.  We get just a few minutes to run around the house and come up with a costume.  Scott was a sheep, and I loved his creativity.  He draped a Kleenex over each of his ears to mimic sheep ears--it was pretty good.  My mom got a present for each of the grand kids to open.  As much as Scott and I try to teach that it is better to give than get--getting is always so much fun.  When we asked the kids their favorite thing from Grandma Porter's house several of them announced it was opening a present from Grandma.
• Cousins!  Cousins!  Cousins!  Seriously--they are the best!  Whenever we visit family the kids run off together with all the cousins, and they love every minute of it.  We got to meet my sister's newest, Dodge, too.
• Having lunch with my Grandma and Grandpa Porter.
• Sledding with Grandpa Esplin.  Of course, no sledding could take place until Grandpa Esplin had cleared the driveways from snow of just about everyone in Provo with his four wheeler. What a great example of service he is.
• Shepherd's dinner with the Esplin's.  Grandpa wanted to make the experience more genuine, so he cooked up some lamb.  Our bunch wouldn't have made it well as real shepherds with the taste buds we all have.
• Bowling at BYU.  My kids love doing this every time we visit Utah.  This year was especially nice, because it wasn't very crowded.  Jared loved bowling and smoked even the big kids.
• Granny B's tour.  I've been wanting a tour of Granny B's since Jeff bought the company.  It was amazing to watch the production line of all the pink frosted cookies.  And seriously, they are the best tasting too--so go buy some now :)

I love to visit family, and always feel a bit melancholy when we leave.  Some of the kids left teary-eyed as we drove away too.  We feel so blessed to be part of such wonderful families.

Parent/Teacher Conference

Last week I went to parent/teacher conferences for Kaitlyn, Brynn and Jared.  I came home beaming, and feeling so grateful that my kids are doing so well right now.  Each child's teacher spent the time telling me how wonderful they are.

Kaitlyn's teacher says she is extremely responsible, and always on task.  She said she is very strong in math and language arts, but she especially shines in her writing.  Her teacher was impressed with the voice she has in each writing piece.  She was one of the only students to score very high in both math and language arts on their DBA test. 

Brynn's teacher thinks Brynn is so funny.  She said she is also always on task, and a very good leader.  She is able to help others, and can explain things so the other kids can understand.  Brynn's Enrichment teacher said Brynn is the most responsible second grader he's ever taught. 

Jared's teacher thinks he is one of the sweetest boys.  She showed us his journal and the darling pictures he is drawing.  He has improved so much since the start of school!  He is kind to everyone, always attentive and on-task too. 

When I was a teen-ager I remember after showing my report card to my parents my dad would remark something like he was proud of my good grades, but then he'd say he'd love me even if it wasn't filled with straight A's.  One time I asked him why he always asked me that.  He said he didn't want me to think his love was contingent on a perfect report card.  I did (and still do) tend to be a people pleaser, but I had an intrinsic desire to do well.  And really, I don't remember that it was very hard to get good grades. 

My dad proved he meant what he said when after my first summer semester at BYU, I called home crying with a {gulp} 'C' in American Heritage.  (For the record, that was my one and only blemish on my BYU transcript).  My parent's weren't upset, and even offered comfort!  It was great to know that my parents did in deed love me--even though I wasn't perfect.

Now, as a mother, I have the same feelings as my dad.  I sure love to go to conferences and hear that my kids teachers can see how special and neat they are.  And I am proud of their success.  But, I also want them to know that even if they are not perfect (since none of us are), I love them no matter what.