MERRY CHRISTMAS ELDER GILL!

THE Highlight! We had a 2 hour video chat with Elder Gill!!!!!! We spent christmas morning listening

to Colin's experiences thus far in his 2 months in Kentucky. He looked fantastic and sounded great--so comfortable and happy in his role as missionary. Hearing about the people he meets and works with was

priceless. What a gift for us to be with him! We met his companion Elder Ritchey and got a call from a darling family he is teaching who is planning their baptism in January. They had wonderful things to tell us about Elder Gill and called just to express their gratitude to us for allowing Colin to serve.

THE LOL surprise of the day was finding Brian in hog heaven with his gift from Josh: a new Axis and Allies game. He sneaked off and spent the afternoon organizing his ships and artilliary into containers--plotting his next strategy for the game that lasts 6 hours--(and that's a minimum--what?!)

AND THEY SHALL FIND THE BABE WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES...

Tradition. Tradition! Gills, Walkers, Rays and Clarks have been getting together for years (15?) on Christmas Eve for the annual Nativity and dinner. This year, we introduced 3 new stars: 2 of the cutest wisemen ever known: Nathan and David. And little Cody made his debut as the Baby Jesus--he was perfectly behaved! Nathan (age 2) kept us thoroughly entertained as the wiseman who really only wanted to sword fight.

All-time family favorite: Singing carols around the piano--doesn't get better than that!

Amy sets up her bed under the tree with Apollo awaiting Santa's arrival

The INN crowd

Mission reunion! Elder Quinn (now Jordan) Elder Gill (now Nate) with new member Alex Paquette (visiting from Quebec)

"Giving, not getting,brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world's busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ."Thomas S. Monson

a carl bloch christmas

Carl Heinrich Bloch (May 23, 1834 - February 22, 1890) was a Danish painter. He was commissioned to produce 23 paintings for the Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace. These were all scenes from the life of Christ which have become very popular as illustrations. The originals, painted between 1865 and 1879, are still at Frederiksborg Palace. AND he's my personal favorite.

NO MORE A BRACE-FACE

Somebody got his braces off--i'm not saying who but his initials are JMG

but who can tell...?

Took a half-way break to see the neighbor's pet zebra ...(?)

Working off the turkey and mashed potatoes!

Lots of people claim to have invented the term Grassy Knoll, but only one man did. Here is the scoop.

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/gk_name.htm

(Mindy is pointing to the 6TH floor window of the text book depository from where Kennedywas shot)

Proclamations of Thanksgiving

By President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

you may not be able to tell (ha!)...but the one filming (aka dad) was in charge of the brussel sprouts--very proud of his brussel sprouts. They were tasty though, not gonna lie.

turkey and FOOTBALL=Thanksgiving

TIME

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.

We are enjoying TIME with nathan now that he is back...games, games, games...our family pasTIME...

joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat

"go, go, go joseph you know what they say
hang on now joseph you'll make it some day
shalala joseph you're doing fine
you and your dreamcoat ahead of your time"

"there i was standing with baskets of bread
high in the sky i saw birds overhead
who flew to my baskets and ate every slice
now give me the message - like hers, would be nice"

SNOW SNOW SNOW!

curbside drop...fast and furious

easy come...easy go....One elder returns, one elder departs

ironing the white shirt one last time (well, maybe not the last)

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. ~Irish Blessing

HAPPY B-DAY DINNER/DATE FOR JOSH

scattergories

joshua turns 17 and has a once in a life time quadruple date with his brothers..!

TIM TAM SLAM!

a french canadian tradition

slurping hot cocoa through

the tim tam (cookie)--gotta be quick though...the cookie quickly disappears...hence the name tim tam SLAM

ELDER GILL HAS RETURNED!

We thought we would let him "ease" back into the real world...

FALL BREAK TEMPLE TOUR

First stop: Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We performed baptisms. Colin and Chris Dixon and Brian baptized Amy, Kyra, Josh, Ashton, James, and Mindy. We had family file names for the Michel family. It was great to do their work and feel of their gratitude. Thanks Michels for providing the names.

Standing on a beautiful bluff just west of highly traveled Bangerter Highway, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple sits at the foot of the Oquirrh (pronounced O'-ker) Mountains, facing east toward a panoramic view of the Wasatch Mountains and the valley's other three temples: the Salt Lake Temple, Jordan River Utah Temple, and Draper Utah Temple.

The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was the thirteen

th temple built in Utah and the fourth built in the Salt Lake Valley.

Next we visited The Mount Timpanogos Temple. Some of us did baptisms again while Colin, Chris, Brian and I did sealings. It was great to be in the sealing room with such wonderful, pure men!

On July 17, 1995, a 13-foot-3-inch gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni was set atop the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple to an audience of an estimated 20,000, who literally clogged the surrounding streets. Once the statue was in place, the throngs of visitors broke into applause and then spontaneously began to sing The Spirit of God.

The third day we went to the Draper Temple. Once again, doing baptisms. What a great day for me to stand in the water with my son Colin and see those I love sitting all

around, watching us. Then I watched as they performed the work for those who can't do for themselves.

Standing high atop a hillside near the mouth of Draper's Corner Canyon—featuring 1,021 acres of dedicated open space—the Draper Utah Temple offers a inspiring view of the entire Salt Lake Valley.

Last day, we finished at the Salt Lake Temple. (Home to our own beginnings, so really a special day.) Colin, Brian and I went to an endowment session while Amy, Keera and Ashton did baptisms in this historic baptistry. It was an amazing thing for them, although they did have a bit of a wait after while we finished up. The three of us had the amazing experience of having an "insider's tour" after our session. Something I will never forget, but will have to wait for another venue to share.

When I was five years old, I was Mary Poppins for Halloween. It was my favorite costume ever. I really wanted to be Mary Poppins. I love every single song and my children have grown up hearing me sing those songs as an answer to their questions now and then. My life has been regulated and carefully swayed by Mary Poppins: a thing of beauty is a joy forever, spit spot and off we go, Splendid, splendid! Pie crust promises: easily made, easliy broken. I even sang the lullaby Stay Awake to get my children to sleep. I have told a couple of people in my life that they are "practically perfect in every way"--just like the famous nanny, or well begun is half done (in other words, tidy up the nursery-or playroom in my case) in every job that must be done, there is an element of fun, you find the fun and snap! I love LOVE Mary Poppins! I often tell those in my household: Enough is as good as a feast or I love to laugh! So it seems fitting that my feelings this week as one son comes home from a mission, one departs, one who has been away for a long time returns, that I wrap it up in another quote from the script from the very beginning of the show and the central focus of it's meaning:

WIND'S IN THE EAST, MIST COMIN' IN.

LIKE SOMETHING IS BREWIN' ABOUT TO BEGIN

CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON WHAT LIES IN STORE

BUT I FEEL WHAT'S TO HAPPEN, ALL HAPPENED BEFORE.

This week in my own life, I am excited, nervous, happy, anxious, ready, not so ready. Sure at moments and at others, not so sure. Change is in the air, that is for sure. As a mother, the only thing constant is change, but as my children get older, the changes are more permanent and affecting. So, I "look to the future with joy" (this one from Grandma Hazel) and increase in faith. If you look closely, you will see my "carpet bag" sitting next to me in the above temple photo. And I try to remember Change is as good as a rest.

"Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement."

so... i came home from a wedding on saturday and brian and the boys had dug out our front yard. and piled it onto our front walk. for their amusement.

as brian is always reminding me, "we are not raising landscapers, we are raising boys...".

day 2: the pit.

day 3: the drill
(incidentally--this happens to be the week before elder gill (nathan) returns and elder gill (colin) leaves)

day 4:

the liner

(we still can't get to our front door

day 5: brian, hard at work between surgery cases

on his "day off,"--shovels the last of the river rock from the front step into the rock garden.

day 6: farewelcome fountain: finis! (french for elder gill's benefit) in preparation for colin's leaving (farewell) and nathan's return (welcome) we now have a farewelcome fountain! thanks guys!! I love it!!!