End of December 2009 Poster

Not only is it the end of another month, but as the end of December, it is the end of another year. As we say good-bye to 2009, here is how Elder Gary's poster looks for the year.....

7 months of stickers. Still a ways to go until the half-way mark though.

All the different stickers for all the different months

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Happy Very Special 8th Birthday!

Today is a very special day for a very special boy. Today Tanner turns 8 years old. Which means that in 4 days he is going to be baptized. He keeps us laughing with his quick sense of humor. We are so glad that Tanner came along in our family, it's been fun having him as the caboose to the train of our family.

Oh how he loves his TMNT--

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Looking a little tired thinking he's never going to eat the cake!

Finally getting to blow out the candles!

Was so excited to get the same present all his brothers and sisters got on their 8th birthdays. A real set of Scriptures with a case and his named engraved. He couldn't wait for his birthday to go pick them out!

Happy Birthday 8th Tanner!!!

Oh Christmas Tree!

I used to leave our Christmas decorations up until New Years, then we had Tanner a few days after Christmas. In order to keep his birthday just his birthday, we take the decorations down the day after Christmas. This year was no different. At least in the taking down the decorations part. Wynn decided he didn't want to haul the tree down to the Christmas tree drop off. Instead he wanted to burn it to see how fast it would burn since for some reason it dried out really fast this year. It usually is barely started to dry up when it's time to take it out.

I didn't want it burned in my backyard, even though the fire department is only a few blocks away, and the fire hydrant is in my yard. I told him he had to call our dear friend the Fire Chief. Craig decided he was in and told us to meet him at the mouth of Green Canyon. He even went so far as to call and tell the fire house that if they got a report of a fire at the mouth of the canyon that it was just us and he was with us. And does it scare anyone that I was the adult representative in this situation?

If you choose to watch, beware of the off key (on purpose) singing and silly comments. And sorry, I had to turn it on it's side to fit it in the screen.

(and this was done with no disrespect to Christmas. It was just a tree at this point)

The Best Christmas Gift EVER!!!

This morning we got up around 6:30. We went downstairs to see what Santa had brought. (More on that on a later blog) Then we went upstairs and opened the gifts under the tree. We had just finished that when...........

ELDER GARY CALLED!!!!!!

We got to talk to him for ONE HOUR! Even though I get an email from him every week, it was sooooooo good to here his voice. He spent Christmas Eve with a great family there in Texas. He told me the dad had sent me an email. So I came downstairs and got on my email and had the 2nd best present.........

PICTURES OF ELDER GARY ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!

Elder Memmott watching Elder Gary checking his email

Elder Memmott and Elder Gary with the Christmas tree







Elder Gary with the Christmas tree.
(what a good looking man)







with his Amarillo, Texas mug for his hot chocolate








Elder Memmott, Elder Taylor (just home from Korea) and Elder Gary

The Group

Elder Gary, Brother Taylor, Sister Taylor, Elder Taylor and Elder Memmott

With the Texas flag

Saluting the Texas flag

(he really does love Texas!)

Doesn't he look good! I am so glad that he had such an awesome family to spend Christmas Eve with. Thank you Brother and Sister Taylor!!! Merry Christmas to your family and God Bless You!

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care

In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

with Christmas Eve dinner all done

The tree all trimmed. The presents, how fun.

Now it's off to see the lights of our friends.

Then home to see what games Santa's elves left under the tree again.

We'll play for a while, but it can't be all night.

Or our Jolly old friend will be nowhere in sight.

And though these things are fun,

the true cause to celebrate this season.....

This is the one

only True Reason.

Merry Christmas to all our friends!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Today was Tuesday. Therefore, it means tonight was Mutual. Tonight happened to be the Young Mens/Young Womens combined activity. The YM were in charge. We went caroling to people in the ward......

We got to the church, had a prayer, got instructions of whose houses we were going to....and then found out that they couldn't get a wagon this year. What!!! The kids were so disappointed. So we loaded up in vehicles and drove to each house. I had 6 girls with me, and oh how much fun we had. I think we had as much fun driving to the houses as we had singing at the houses. We sang 2 songs at each house. Each recipient being ever so appreciative of our thoughtfulness. But as we got in the van to drive to the next house, we would listen to Christmas songs. There was much singing and much more laughter, loudly on both counts, on the short drive. It was a nice night for it, no below zero freezing temps like we had last week!

The last house was one of my neighbors.....Crazy Bonnie. (said respectfully and well earned, of course. Bless her heart) We got to the house, all lined up on the walk and porch, rang the doorbell, she opened the door and we began to sing.......she actually stood there and listened for a few bars......then she yelled for us to get off her porch, slammed the door and turned of ALL the lights, inside and out!!! The kids all faltered for a second and looked at us leaders and we kept on singing. We finished that song and proceeded to sing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' just like we did all the other houses we had gone to. Then we proceeded to the Church house for cookies and hot chocolate. All the kids laughing there heads off at what Crazy Bonnie did. (at what she did, not at her)

They loved it. Had a blast that they will never forget. Or not for a long time at least, if they don't write about it in their journals.

His One Christmas Wish

I got my weekly email from Elder Gary yesterday. He is still in Canyon. He is a little bummed that he is still in his greenie area, but great work is going on there.

In the email he let me know that he received his Christmas box from my parents. Then he proceeded to let me know that he didn't want us to send him anything.....I mean NOTHING!!! He said the only thing he needed was clothes and he has all of them that he needs. He wants us to take the money that we would have spent on his presents and shipping them to him, and use it for someone who really needs it. He has ALWAYS been one to think of others before himself.

At first I thought, I can't just send him nothing! Not one thing! But as I have thought about it, this was his Christmas list. His one Christmas wish. Give to someone who needs it worse than he does. This is what he would do. After all, this is the kid that right before he left for his mission, we had a food drive. I sat 2 sacks of food out for it. But Gary wanted to do something from him. So he went to the grocery store, bought things on sale, so he could buy more with the same money, and bought a full sack of groceries to come home and place it on the doorstep.

So....That is what I am going to do. I am going to take the money that I would have spent on him and give it to someone that I know needs more than he does right now. I know, beyond a doubt, just who that person is supposed to be. Then I will send him a Christmas card telling him who his gift went to this year.

May we all learn from a humble missionary, just what the true meaning of Christmas really is.

Merry Christmas Elder Gary.

Not a Very Wise Man

Hope this brightens your day with a good laugh!

Not a very wise man...

Mark forgot his wedding anniversary and his wife was really ticked off at him. She told him, "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in under 6 seconds, AND IT BETTER BE THERE."

The next morning, Mark got up really early to take care of the gift. When his wife woke up a couple of hours later, she looked out the window where there was a small gift-wrapped box sitting in the middle of the driveway. Confused, his wife put on her robe, ran out to the driveway, and took the box into the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Mark is not yet well enough to have visitors.