Merry Christmas 2008 and Happy New Year 2009!

Hello Family and Friends! Wow it’s already been a year. Sometimes I can’t believe it and other times it seems like ages ago. What to say in a page that covers the lives of a family over the course of the entire year. Life is Crazy, life is good, and our year has been just that crazy good.
SOMETIMES
Sometimes there’s ups and sometimes there’s downs. Sometimes you feel like climbing and sometimes you just need a bath. Sometimes we are the big fish in the little pond,

and sometimes our shoes, and mittens feel like they’re just too big. Sometimes you feel like your going over the edge.
Sometimes you feel caught in a tight place,

and sometimes you just need a peak at what’s going on out there. Sometimes you just have to have some patience, and Sometimes… you just want to chill. Sometimes you just need a nap. Sometimes you feel like your digging for treasure, and sometimes ……………you find it! And Sometimes everything just works out. Although life can be crazy, Life is good, and we are living it. Life is an adventure. We hope that all is well with you. And that you and yours can also feel the wonderful love of our Savior. His love is always not just sometimes. Love the Stangers; Kip, Leejean, Wesley, Lily and Madi.

Christmas Tag

Merry Christmas Season!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both.
2. Real tree or Artificial Tree? Real
3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as we can after thanksgiving day.
4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Love it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? One year my whole family pitched in an saved to get me an electric key board.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Kip
8. Easiest person to buy for? The kids
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Four, counting our tree ornament. I love nativities.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of one.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? My family watches the Christmas Carol, every year. But I also love Miracle on 34th street, and the Hallmark christmas movies.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever it crosses my mind throughout the year. Definately in November, through December.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not a Christmas present.
15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas candy with peanut-butter and chocolate. ah but that's probably my favorite candy year round.
16. Color of lights on the tree?Multi-colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? I love it all. especially the kids songs.
18. Travel or stay home? Christmas Eve in Richfield with my family, and Christmas day in Hansen with Kip's family.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolf.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning except what we get at Grandma and pa Ellis's
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? We keep it pretty simple, so it's all good.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? No theme, all ornaments are accepted.
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Actually It's be christmas breakfast with our very own sugar cereal with bananas and milk.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I can think of things sometimes at other times but when asked at christmas time, my mind goes blank. go figure.

I tag Stephie, Mollie, Janet, Johanna, Shannon, Julieanne, Akeey,

Merry Christmas!!!

Fishing YEAH!!!

A friend of mine told me of these ponds over in Filer that the fish and game stocked for kids to fish this Friday after Thanksgiving. On friday they even had guys out there with free tackle for kids to use. So we thought we'd go on saturday and see how it was. We had so much fun. And the kids caught tons o' fish. We all had a blast. It was our most productive fishing expedition ever.

Ah.. the booty!

Each of the kids caught at least 2 fish. It was so exciting. Even Madi caught two.

Here's wesley with his two golden trout. he caught more than that but that's what we have pictures of.Madi caught a fish. But when they flopped on the ground they scared her. She loved looking at them though, as long as they weren't flopping at her. :)

Lily with her first fish. She probably caught the biggest fish, besides one of Grandma's.

Grandma coming back from the big pond. YEAH what a fisher-woman.

look at all the fish! We caught all but two. Someone gave us two. So we caught 16 total. Grandma Stanger caught three on the adult pond. Lily caught two on the adult pond with dad's help. And the rest, the kids caught on the kid pond, with only a little help from dad, mom, and grandma.

Happy Birthday Wesley!

Wesley turns 6. Wow, he's getting to be such a big boy. Sometimes I just watch him and am amazed that I am his mother. Then I just feel greatful.

This year he wanted a pirate cake. The sails' say "Captain Wesley and 1st Mate Preston" the smaller sail says, "Princess Whitney".

Wesley shares his birthday with two of his cousins Preston turning two, and Whitney turning one. Here he is standing with Preston.

And here is cute little Whitney devouring her one year old cupcake, and using it as a facial mask as well. Maybe frosting on your face really does keep you looking young, he he.

Thanksgiving crafts

I have a friend who loves to do crafts and has many projects. Right now she says she's trying to de-junk and wanted to finish these crafts quickly, so another friend and I went to help, very willingly, I might add. She had started these cute little scarecrows. She already had the head and bodies stuffed, the legs and arms sewn and the shirts made. So we stuffed legs and arms, sewed them on, dressed them, gave them hair, faces, and a hat. They turned out so cute. We did have to get together two different times to finish them but we did 17 of them. It was sooo much fun. Everyone should have such a friend.

She also had lots of little straw hats left and another project, lots of felt feathers and turkey parts. So she gave me the parts and my kids and I put turkeys together. My cute chilluns picked out their own feathers, colors, all parts, and then I hot glued them on.

My cute kindergartener has been learning about patterns and picked great color patterns for his.

Lily just loves pink. We each did two, so that makes 6 all together. So now we have turkeys hanging on walls, from door knobs, and anywhere else they can think of to move them to. The kids really had a fun time and it wasn't that hard.

The Parable of the Pool

Just some more of my thoughts. I wanted to record this where i could find it, before I forgot it altogether. About 4 summers ago we bought an above ground swimming pool, it's 16ft. in diameter and 3.5 ft in depth. The first time in the pool Wesley fought it, and even with a life jacket on he clung to me with his arms wrapped tightly around my neck and cried. With floaties, however, he was finally able to have fun and not cling to my neck.

After days of going in the pool, Wesley got really good. Then he realized that he could touch and would walk around the pool and have fun without a life jacket or floaties on his arms. Then one day we added more water.

The next time we went out to go swimming, I knew that the water was deeper than Wesley was ready for so on the way out I convinced him to put on a life jacket. He finally decided to put it on and climbed into the pool. He quickly realized that the water was deeper than before, but the life jacket kept him from going under. However, the new situation made him a bit nervous and he clung to me for a little while. But he soon realized that he was ok with the jacket on. After a while he figured out that he could stand on his tippy-toes and tilt his head up and still touch without his jacket, and off he went to have a great time.

As I watched this process unfold I couldn't help but wonder about how our Heavenly Father feels as he watches, nudges, and helps us from beyond the veil. He has given and continues to give us all the tools and help that we need to get through the trials he knows we will face.

Just as Wesley was scared the first time in the pool, we are scared as we face a trial we know is there. We cling to what we know and hopefully to the Lord, and cry, not knowing or realizing that he has already given us what we need to succeed and have fun. When faced with a new calling or new trial we are first overwhelmed with what lays ahead. But as we strive to do it anyway, staying in the pool, little by little we realize that we do have what it takes, and then we learn that we can touch, and off we go. However in life, as in the pool, nothing stays the same. Eventually the water will rise.

I'm always amazed, humbled, and feel truely blessed when I react to a prompting, or even just in keeping the commandments, I find myself prepared for a trial that I didn't even know was there. I'm sure the Lord knowing what lays ahead of us is always trying to convince us to put this "Jacket" on. " Yes, I know you didn't need it last time, but you may need it this time". And if we listen we may feel a bit unsettled or a little overwhelmed by the new situation but then quickly realize that if we stand on our tippy-toes, and tilt out heads back we can stay above the water and continue on, and even find joy in the journey. Then there are always the times we might not listen and find ourselves drowning for an instant, before we reach up and take the before offered "jacket". Thankfully even when we don't listen Heavenly Father, like mothers at the pools edge, is always there to help and pull us up. I'm so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who prepares and helps me through my trials, the known and the unknown, in this journey of life. He even knew from the beginning that we would need a savior, and prepared the way. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ.