Much Ado in Utah

Grandma and Grandpa Cannon being "lovey, dovey"Wow! It's a forest, but....is it a deer.....in headlights?Brinna showing Hailey which way to go on the tree lined path...Shawn, out on a walk with Aydan and Mila...My sweet G-baby, Ethan, angelic, with Hailey....(sporting green hair?).....with "Mimi".........and finally in the sweetest moment of all...Mila, captured in the sunlight, so beautiful.Hailey, looking veeeerrrry chic, in her outfit for church!Aydan, Brinna, and I made a quick trip to Utah the week before our winter break out here. It was a fast trip, but I was craving the G-babies really badly and hadn't really spent enough time with Hailey last August, so I used this excuse to go out and see Hailey in her performance of "Much Ado About Nothing". I didn't get any pictures of her in costume, of course,...I never have the camera when I need it... Bad mother! But you can check out the pictures that she took on her blogsite: www.haileytracks.com

She was fantastic, the kids were adorable, (even though sometimes loud...), and we got to hang with my parents one day, (having fun with their forest wall hanging---cheap thrills...) and Margy and Eldon another day. One evening spent with my brother, Patrick and his lovely wife, Angie, was not enough, but very enjoyable anyway...

I drove around the old stomping grounds, as Hailey lives in Highland, Utah now and I used to live in that area as a 4th grader. Yes, the old grade school in Alpine is still there, and the playground where we played "kissing tag" is still the same. (...and no, I was never chased as no one wanted to kiss me...)
It just never ceases to amaze me how much new construction there is out there now, and no trees...

So it was still nice to come home again.....ahhhhhh.....nothing like New England....

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays...

Aydan, excited for his birthday party!

...Opening one of his many presents...

Aydan with our great friends, Rita McConnon, and her two boys,

Andrew and Coleman Brinna, Aydan, and Brinna's fiance, Michael
Aydan, with lots of stuff!...Mom (Shawn) definitely spoils him!The really COOL pinata!

It was a Star Wars party, and Clayton came without a mask... heh, heh
Aydan, ready to blow out his candles... Clayton put his regular face mask on for Maryn and Brinna's party!


Maryn is excited by her new sketch book from Aydan...

....And its always great to get gift certificates from her stepdad, Bret

An art book from Mom, with Brinna and Aydan joining in...
Aydan picked out a set of glasses for Brinna's cool apartment! Brinna shares the love of reading from her Mom....yeah!
Maryn and Brinna blowing out the 44 candles on the "cake batter"

ice cream cake.....mmmmmm....yummy...
Ahhhh, tis the season for birthdays in our house... First, Aydan turned a big 6 years old, then a mere week later, Maryn turned a sophisticated 18! The next week, Brinna, my second daughter, had her birthday. She turned all of 26 years old and got engaged to boot! What a eventful year its starting to be! We had a party for Aydan, complete with a pinata and then the following week had a party for Maryn and Brinna---combined....poor babies....they always have to have combined birthday parties! It was a lot of fun, though, and I enjoyed being able to hang with my kids for a few days...

"Christmas Memories...Stretched Between the Pictures on My Blog"

Aydan, all ready for the Christmas Eve celebration!
Brinna, on the phone, as usual...Whoa...watch out Martha Stewart...hostess with the mostest?
Maryn, sitting in her clean room....what?....yes, it happens once a year...
Bret's cousins, Luke and Shawna (with an "a"), our Christmas Eve guests...
Our good friends, Alisha and Ryan, contemplating our Christmas spirit...
The adorable kids of Ryan and Alisha,...Sydney and Josh...
Shawn's "Lucy!...you got some 'splainin' to do!" red bow....festive!
Clayton, reading our traditional "Texas Night Before Christmas"
Joseph and Mary, of course....played by Aydan and Sydney
The entire cast of the nativity scene...interesting costume choices this year, kids...
Aydan, with his great friend, Sydney...for their bi-annual hug...
Christmas jammie time....er....I guess Bret wasn't that happy...and Clayton appears to be snoozing...
Christmas jammies with Clayton, Maryn, Shawn, Brinna and Aydan
Christmas day, after returning home from church...present opening time!

Maryn and Aydan...

Brinna and Maryn...

Clayton....(er....a homeless person?)....and Shawn...

Aydan in his new robe with Daddy Bret...

Shawn and Bret...still the loving couple...

The aftermath of Christmas......

After taking off the lights.....this is what was left of the tree...notice the amount of needles on the floor.....crazy!

.....Only thing to do is cut off the branches and throw them out the window!...

AAAAHHHHHHHH.....those Christmas memories...

Christmas 2005 came and went, but we have pictures to remember....

Friends, family, good times....

It was good this year....

Tis the Season to Be Jolly

Thanksgiving feast fit for three kings and three queens

Aydan enjoying ALL the food!

Maryn (in center) singing in her Madrigal group....

.....and doing a jazz solo with the jazz band....fantastic!Bret and Shawn looking for a good tree...

.....and Maryn excited about the choice!Aydan helps Bret in cutting the tree.Wow! It looks great.....all decorated...even though a little fat...Aydan "showing off" the entry way decorations in his hat...The Christmas toilet seat "project"...."Happy to see you, have a seat".........Whoa!!.....just a bit too much to share!Baking and decorating Christmas cookiesOur Christmas mascot....Carrot, Aydan's bunny...
"Sole, sole, sole cake, please good missus, a sole cake...an apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him who made us all..."

Aahhhhhh, christmas caroling....

I love this particular christmas carol and I LOVE singing it with my children.

A capella, of course, in three part harmony...each part coming in on a new verse. Then, that sharp emphasis on "an apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry..." ....the rythmn has to be perfect...

I love the snow, and the crisp air....

I love the playing of cheesy Christmas carols starting after Thanksgiving,
even though I can't stand that "Momma's New Shoes" one----that is just sick and wrong...

I love getting presents for my family....excited when they will open them and hoping that they will like them...

I love the nativity scenes in people's yards, even though everyone is always trying to take Christ out of Christmas...

I love going to cut a tree with my family...in the cold, and the fact that they always humor me and try to find a skinny, "Charlie Brown" tree, because those are the kind that I love.....(except this year, and they talked me into a fat tree---ooohhhh, so difficult to string with lights!.....I just call it the "fat pig" tree)

I love how people seem happier, on the whole, at this time, and really try to be patient in lines, etc.....even though there is always one jerk there...the rest of us just smile at each other and know that we are the cool ones and aren't upset by the wait...

I glorify in being a mother, wife and G-mom at this time of the year, as I think more of my blessings, and babies, and the Christchild, and the miracle of his birth...

I love leading the choir in church at this time...everyone comes out and I have a HUGE choir, and everyone sings so very well and loves all the music....its a good feeling...

I love decorating my apartment or house or where ever I am living at the time...
Everything looks better with lights and garland on it...and red is one of my favorite colors...

I love to go to the school "holiday" concerts, where I can see one of my children sing, and feel proud when Maryn does a fantastic job singing her solo! ....And I love it in New England because the choir teacher is not afraid to sing songs about Jesus....like in California... :(

I love how I get letters, Christmas cards, and photos from friends and family who are STILL sending them, and deserve to go into the catagory of "uber-perfect" person....as they still use snail mail....

I love the traditions of the season...going to get the tree, picking out a new ornament each year, adding a Santa to my collection each year, Christmas baking Saturday, (which was only Aydan and I this year...rather difficult), caroling with my children on the Sunday night before Christmas for at least four hours and loving it!.....and working with Aydan on our "projects" for Christmas presents, or for the house...(refer to the Snowman toilet cover above... :) )

I feel so blessed at this time of year to have a wonderful family, an awesome husband, and so many great friends......

Thank you all for your friendship, your constant support, and for just being you!

MAY YOU HAVE A VERY VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A GLORIOUS NEW YEAR!!