Baptism, Thanksgiving, & Visitors!

I'm done explaining myself with the delay in blogging, it is what it is!

BAPTISM

Mason did get baptized, we were lucky enough to coordinate everyones schedules and have both Grandparents here.  This is a little long, but for memory sake I have to document what happened....

We are in a Ward that kinda does things differently, not wrong, just different.  There really isn't anything set up to guide a first time mom through the whole baptism process.  No one is in charge.  I started planning way ahead of time so there were no complications.  Well, without getting too much into it, here is how it all went down:

• His official Bishop interview was taken place outside during a service project, which we didn't know that was the interview until the week before his baptism.
• The morning of I couldn't reach the person to fill the font
• Turns out they left the font full from the baptism the night before(brrrr, cold!)
• Sam ran to the building to add hot water(added water and stirred it around with a broomstick)
• Bishop ended up not being able to attend and asked that Sam conduct(Yes, he had to conduct  wearing his beautiful white jumper)
• No members of the Bishopric were able to attend, and therefore we had no key to the library to get the TV out for the DVD
• I was in tears for everything falling apart when I had done so much to make sure everything ran smoothly.

In the end, everything turned out fine, he did get baptized, the spirit was felt and all of those little things really didn't matter.  

On the big day with the Grandparents

This is what I get when I am trying to take a decent picture, I just think it is so typical of a growing child, sure shows his age!

HOLIDAY STROLL

This is what you get living in a small town.  We headed over to a nearby town and enjoyed their Holiday Stroll.  Main Street is all lit up and all the busniesess are open with little treats and festivities.

Seriously, I just about died when I saw this, when do you see people singing Christmas songs in the front of the store glass window? 

 It's hard to see the other picture, but it is the lights looking down Main.

Sam parents and mine were able to join us that evening.

THANKSGIVING

We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents in town.  The missionaries were able to come have dinner with us.

We played a bunch of games, ate wonderful food and really had a great day.

Mason and Abby with the "wishbone"

As long as I can remember we have gone to a movie on Thanksgiving day.  So after the missionaries left we headed over the the theater and watched Tangled.  It was a lot of fun and an excellent movie, I would highly recommend it.

Before my parents left, my Dad had to hop on the riding mower.  We had just bought it the week before, you remember me telling you about moving here and mowing our 1acre lawn with our little push mower?..yeah, never again!

CHRISTMAS ON MAIN

Our little town has a fun holiday event as well.  It is so cute what they do in small towns.  We headed to town and ate dinner,  enjoyed free smores, a free horse and carriage ride and the highlight...Abby performing in her mini recital for tumbling.

She did a great job, she's the one in the very middle.

APPROACHING CHRISTMAS

We left to Utah for the holiday, but before we left the kids did decorate a little fake tree that we have for when we do leave town.  We visited Santa at the mall, he was scary looking to me and the kids were kinda freaked out by him too.

I have to share, this cracked me up:  

We told the kids that this year before they got a bunch of presents, that it would be a good idea to get rid of some of their toys that they don't play with anymore, or have outgrown.  We figured there are plenty of kids out there who don't get much and we could do a small part to help.  So I told the kids to each pick 5 toys that they don't want anymore. 

 Mason, being the kid he is, came to me with 3 of his old imaginex dinosaurs, his geo trax train and some action figures.  

 Abby on the other-hand....she hates to part with ANYTHING.  The picture above is what she brought to me, let me explain: 

 1. half of a broken toy skateboard(probably from McDonalds) 

 2. the other half   

 3. a ripped polly pocket dress  

 4. A broken mirror

 5. the crotch to a polly pocket.  

Let's just say, I laughed, HARD, explained to her why those things don't work, took a picture, then threw them in the trash.

Christmas in Utah to come....