"I'm Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas..."

Wednesday I went to the Third grade Christmas concert at Lincoln Elementary. Jacob did a great job singing. As you can see from the picture, he really got into character for some of the songs. The boys stayed busy with parties and activities during the final week of school for 2008. Cameron went with the rest of the Fifth grade to see "Tales of Despereaux" on Friday. I think most of the week was spent watching movies in class instead of doing work, but hey, it's Christmas! I'm sure the teachers have figured out that the productivity levels of their students are on par with sea sponges during the last week before break anyway.

Parker went snowboarding at Grand Targhee with the neighbors yesterday. He said it was very cold, but the snow was not bad. I have a running joke with our neighbor that he gets to claim Parker and Hayden on his tax return this year, since they have spent so much time down at their home.

Paul has had another rough week. The pain in his shoulder is still giving him grief. We're doing our best to make it bearable. We have an awesome home health nurse named Kate who makes sure we have the supplies we need so I can give Paul fluids and nausea medicine through his port when he's really sick. That saves us from late-night trips to the E.R. He is scheduled for a PET/CT scan on Tuesday afternoon. I don't know how soon we'll get results, with it being so close to Christmas, but we'll keep you posted.

The younger boys have been counting down the days until Christmas with four Advent calendars, though at this point, that's probably unnecessary. I'm sure they know how many hours, minutes and seconds are left! At this very moment, Hayden, Cameron and Jacob are in the other room watching home videos of Christmases past. I just heard Jacob say," You were so cute, Cameron!" This year our family has been treated to the Twelve Days of Christmas via UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, and even YouTube, courtesy of the Utah Carling Clan. It has been fun to see what surprises await us inside each envelope, package, and e-mail...thanks!

I got the results of my final exams...I got an A in English and a B in Science, but my overall final grades were A's in all three of my classes. I must have gotten some heavenly help to be able to maintain my grades in spite of the challenges I've had this semester. I was surprised by an e-mail I received inviting me to be a tutor next semester for the Foundations Science class I just completed. Apparently, my teacher was impressed with my performance. I respectfully declined the offer though, in light of my other responsibilities.

We will be spending Christmas at home, enjoying each other and wish the same for each of you. We are grateful for the opportunity we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us; we are grateful for the blessing of peace that has come into our lives as a result of this knowledge. The trials of the past sixteen months have been easier to bear because we know we aren't in charge and we aren't alone. We love you all and are so grateful for the love and generosity you have shown to our family (thank you, Pizza Fairy.)