It was a MAD house

We've gone from no one working on the house to mass chaos. On Friday we had 4 framers, 2 electricians, 4 plumbers, and 2 heating/cooling guys all working at once. When I stopped by to visit, you really had to watch where you were going. I asked if they would be working tomorrow. No one ended up working, which was fine with me. It is easier for me to check on their work without them being there. I found just a couple of small changes. Tyler is the one who gets to communicate with the workers. We need a few outlets moved. The biggest problem was from the heating guys. They ran a tube right up through one of my nooks. I was not happy about that at all. I've visualized these nooks for a long time. I had to fight the builder, framer, and now the heating guys on it. I WANT IT!!! And what I want, I get.

I LOVE my calling

Being the Primary choirester is the world's best calling!! I get to help the kids learn new songs each week. This month is "Tell me the stories of Jesus". So I made a posterboard with my kids looking down (like they are reading the book). And then made a book that as the pages turn you learn more word to the song. This week was just the 1st verse. We will add the next two verses later this month. The hardest part is, my kids want me to call on them to be my helpers each week. Which I don't do. I pull names out of a box. If I am ever released, it will be a sad day.

Today we also learned the song "Don't ever forget to pray". President Hinckley wrote the words. So I thought it would be nice to sing this song as a tribute to him.

It was a BLIZZARD

Our day began so peaceful. Sun shinning, temperatures up, etc. I even began to dream that the weather would stay good and roads to our new house would be in earlier than normal. Then.....all of the sudden the wind was crazy. (over 60 mph according to the news) Then it began to snow. We are use to that, but it normally comes from the North or South. This time it came from the West. It was about lunch time and Tyler was up from work. And then all the power went out. Right in the middle of me making my dinner group dinners. Tyler thought quickly and decided to get a load of wood in the house and to crank up the fire. Good thinkin' cuz we were out of power for a couple of hours. The school lost power too. My teacher connections called me and told me I could pick up the kids if I wanted to. No way, you keep them I thought. About an hour and 1/2 later my teacher connections called again to cancel the dinner I had arranged for them that night and mentioned, "without the power the school is getting cold." I didn't even think about my cold little kids. So off to school Tyler went to pick them up.

After school the kids all got dressed in their snow clothes and played outside. At least there is something for them to do now. I don't like when it is cold without snow. Cuz then no one wants to go outside. Looks like we have a least a weeks worth of fun until the snow melts.

Michelle's New Life

Ok, it's not a new life, just a new hairdo. In early January, I chopped it all off. This is after growing it out for 18 months. These pictures don't do it justice. It is actually really cute (if I do say so myself). The best part is that I am ready from showering to make-up, the whole nine yards in just 30 minutes.

My new life is the piano, my favorite Christmas present. I spend a lot of time practicing. Dayna requires 6 hours a week for my free lessons. I am currently learning the Primary song Autumn Day. The kids favorite song is "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." They all get their "dance partners (even Justin-he uses Gandolf) and dance while I play. This took me back to my childhood when Mom would play a song and we would start walking around the tables in living room. As she played faster we would go faster and faster. I hope I am making memories for my little ones like Mom did for me.

Missing Tooth

Justin had a tooth hanging around for a week or so. This week while at school on Wednesday, he found me at the Snake Bait store to show me the tooth was bleeding. That was thanks to a chip. I sent him back to lunch and then about 2 minutes later he reappeared with a tooth in his hand. The Principal, Mr. Taylor told him to put it under his pillow and the tooth fairy would give him $100. He said that in front of me for my benefit. Luckily, the toothfairy got a reminder text message from her friend and the $1 made it safely to his pillow.

Isn't it lovely....

This picture was taken last week on Wednesday. WOW things are really moving fast. The whole upstairs is framed. So you can actually see how things will look. And I am very pleased. I really think I am going to love the floor plan. I found a few changes to make, like the location of the windows in my closet, and making the windows smaller in the master bedroom. Thanks to Dayna, I won the fight about a door on the front of my garage. I REALLY REALLY wanted this door, because the kids would come in the house that way. Go to the locker room, hang up jackets and backpacks, and take off shoes. I was told it wasn't possible. Boy I was mad. But Dayna said, "Oh fooey, don't let them tell you that, you really need that door." So that's just what I said to Tyler. He and the builder have now made my door possible.

Then you turn you back for a minute, and the trusses are going up. The poor framers are having to deal with some cold wind. I'm glad it's not me up there nailing the trusses in.

Merry Christmas

We had a fun time this year for Christmas. It started about a week early when the kids got to open their traditionally Christmas Eve present of PJ's. They were lucky to open them early, due to the fact that Kaylee needed PJ's to wear to school for a party. Nothing that she was currently wearing would have been presentable. Those PJ's were worn for nearly a week straight. Tyler wanted to know when I was going to wash them. I said, "They can't walk on their own yet."

Next it was onto Christmas Eve. It's always fun to get together with the Hillyard-Hunter clan. Craig and Aubree pulled a fast one at the White Elephant exchange. They had wrapped up one of Grandma's cats. Mac was the lucky winner of the prize. Luckily, it wasn't me....I would have screamed and dropped the cat.

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Then came the Christmas Nativity. Courtney had the coveted role of Mary. Kaylee was an angel and Justin was a Wiseman.

Finally we had an appearance from Santa Claus-also known as Clay. He brought Kaylee a large porcelain doll. We named her Gabby. Kaylee carried the 6 lb baby around for 5 days. When we had a minor tragedy. Kaylee dropped Gabby and broke her face. Poor little Kaylee cried and cried. She loved that baby. And unfortunately, she did it as we were loading the car to go to Arizona. I talked her down only by promising to buy a new baby. We have replaced the glass Gabby with a normal plastic one.

Christmas Day!!

Santa found his way to our home. Justin could hardly stand it. He woke up early. I heard him in the family room, and told him it was too early. Go back to bed. 30 minutes later, I could hear wrapping paper being torn. I ran down the hall and told him he couldn't do that. I thought I had stopped him just in time. At least that is what I thought. As we were opening presents, Justin said, "I got TMNT." How do you know I asked. He said he had opened that present in his bed. We all had a good laugh. The girls were excited to see their new bikes. Wow, we must have had good kids this year because there was no coal.