Week 49

{December 5 - 11}

Kanyon had basketball practice on Monday night, and we had Family Home Evening after he got home. For our lesson, we had the boys finalize their Christmas lists (that they'd been editing all week)!


Ammon had basketball games on Tuesday in Belgrade, Montana. Josh drove the bus for it. They were gone all day, and didn't get home until about 2:00am that night! I found out that day about a bullying incident at school regarding my twins and another boy. The other boy has been stealing their pencils and water bottles for weeks, and he's been saying mean things to them because they don't play football anymore like he does (they both run XC now), but then I learned that at recess, he pulled on the back of Micah's shirt, and Micah kept telling him to stop, but he wouldn't, and finally the shirt ripped before the boy ran off because he didn't want to be in trouble. I was livid! Josh was gone, so I wanted to wait until he got home so I could talk to him about it. I knew he would be home late, and I have a hard time going to bed without Josh, so I worked on scripts for the upcoming Ward Party's Christmas program all night and watched T.V. until about 1:00am when I finally fell asleep. I was glad they made it home!

The back of Micah's shirt that a boy at school pulled on until it ripped.
Micah wore his hoodie the rest of the day over it. It makes me so sad,
because he got this shirt for medaling in the top 10 at the Challis XC meet.

Josh didn't have to drive bus route on Wednesday morning since he was home so late the previous night, so he got to sleep in a little bit. When he awoke, I told him of the bullying incident at school. He talked to the twins that morning before they left for school, then he went in to talk to the principal. She wasn't as concerned as she should be, considering the high school has taken on an anti-bullying campaign this year. She said she would talk to some teachers and the boy, and get back with us later that day, but she never did. I called repeatedly and left messages with the office, Josh went back in to try and speak with her, but she was unavailable and didn't return our calls. SO frustrating! Kanyon had basketball practice again on Wednesday night. He really enjoys going to them! He especially loves playing Lightning, because he's usually one of the finalists. While he was in the gym, I used a projector in my Kindergarten teacher's classroom to make signs that some children would be holding up at the end of the upcoming ward party's Christmas program. Kanyon helped me deliver a 12 days of Christmas that night, and when we got home, I painted the signs, and got everything ready for the ward party the following night!!


Thursday was the ward party at 6:30. I went early with the younger 3 boys, and Josh and Ammon came a little later after delivering the 12 Days of Christmas gift for the day. I got the stage all set up with the help of some other ward members who helped me with the stairs, piano, microphone, and sound system. Then I proceeded to make sure almost every individual child in the program had a costume, knew where they were supposed to be on stage, and gave them a script and went over their lines with them. I did it before the party began, then during dinner as well (as some of the kids came late). I never had a chance to eat, but I was feeling like the program might just work out as I'd hoped it would! I was also the pianist for the program, so I asked Sister Deschaine if she could be the backstage manager. I had written out detailed instructions and a map of the stage with all the performers on it, so I'd hoped it would be easy enough to understand. I was so, so grateful she accepted the responsibility! I couldn't have done it without her and Camille, who directed the children's songs from the floor in front of the stage. The program started out with ancient prophets who stated their revelations that a Savior would be born, followed by the kids all singing "Said Samuel". Joseph and Mary spoke next, and then Emily sang a song as Joseph pulled Mary on a donkey around the the tables in the gym. The donkey was a covered wagon with donkey images on front and back. If I have one major regret from the party, it's that I didn't take a picture of Joseph pulling Mary on the donkey. They were both dressed awesomely (all the kids were responsible for bringing their own costumes). The curtains then opened with Mary and Joseph at the manger scene, and a lot of the smaller children holding posters of animals at the stable. The kids all sang "Away in a Manger". Then Shepherds, Sheep, Angels, and Wise Men all acted out their parts, with the angels singing another song, and when everyone had joined the scene, the final part was the narrator and a few young girls quoting the scripture in Isaiah that says"And he shall be called: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace", and the kids all sang the final song "Shepherd's Carol", They sang the final verse in a round, a capella style. The program went pretty well--except for a few random things. I wished I would've had Joseph pull Mary around the front of the gym; I'd given him instructions to walk around the exterior, and up the middle, but there was SO many tables set up, that he walked all around the outside (not enough room to go up the center) and the people sitting up front never saw him and Mary with the donkey. When the curtains were first opened on the manger scene, the little kids holding posters were all sitting in a straight row rather than being staggered, and they completed covered Joseph, Mary, and the baby at the manger scene, so I got up from the piano in front, walked up the stairs, and physically moved some of the kids! At the end when the young girls said their part of Isaiah's quote, there wasn't a direct path for them to walk behind the manger and raise their posters, so they walked straight across the stage, went completely around the backstage curtains, and returned back to where they had originally entered, before one of the leaders backstage showed them where to go. They were the very last part, so we all waited for them to reappear before we could sing the final song, and it took a full minute of silently waiting! It was kind of chaotic once the program ended, because the curtain closed, and the kids were supposed to return to their parents, but they kept hanging out backstage, so I finally got up (again), walked up the steps, went through the closed curtains, to tell the kids what they needed to do. The Bishop was backstage too, trying to find the microphone to have someone say the closing prayer, and there were so many kids (it was like a mob) that neither of us were able to get our goal accomplished quick enough! I was starving when it all ended, so after the prayer, I went down to eat the salad that I'd brought. I'd made a beautiful Christmas green salad--every component was green and red (for festive Christmas colors) and had spent over a half hour chopping all of the fresh vegetables that evening. I was happy to discover that some of my salad was still left, so I got a plate from the end of the table, and by the time I'd made it back to my salad bowl, it was completely empty. There was a lady clearing the remains of everybody's leftover salads onto a plate. I explained to her that I'd brought that salad, and I hadn't eaten dinner, and I wanted to eat the food that I'd brought. I asked her if she was going to throw them away. She told me that she couldn't eat anything else on the table (due to her diet), and she was going to take it home to eat (she'd already eaten dinner earlier) and I told her that I was the same--I couldn't eat any of the potatoes, fruit salads, rolls, or dessert due to my diet, and that I really wanted my salad. So she scooped up four spoon fulls onto my plate. I sat down at a table and cried as I ate. I felt like my expectations for the program weren't met, and I was so hungry, and I hated having to have a confrontation at a church function just to eat leftover food of what I'd brought from home! I finished eating as tables and chairs were being cleared from all around me, then I packed up everything I'd brought, and the boys helped me carry everything back out to our vehicles. The heavens opened up and it was snowing beautifully outside, which made my heart glad! I loved the sight!

This was after I'd moved some of the kids holding posters away from
the front of the manger scene!! 

Some of the brand new posters I'd finished making that
week for the end of the program. Glad these girls
finally found a spot to stand to display them! ;)

Thanks Gina for taking this photo--I'm playing the piano
as the kids are singing the first verse of "Shepherd's Carol"

Kanyon was "Samuel the Lamanite" in the program.
He refused to let me take his picture the night of the
performance, so I settled to have it taken the next day instead. 

The front of the donkey that Mary sat on to get through the gym to Bethlehem

The back of the donkey

I've always loved the look of snow falling
at night, lit by street lamps. 

Friday I had plans to go watch a play at ISU in Pocatello with Darcy, but after it snowed all evening, we changed our plans. And we were glad, too, because it continued to snow all day Saturday and would've been a challenge to drive in. Josh finally put up our exterior Christmas lights in the snow that day, too. For years, he's put a singular lighted deer on our roof, but this year, he wanted to do something different with it after being inspired by some images he saw online. He hung it from the new garage instead, in honor of the deer the boys had hunted this year! I had a work party at 1, and a friend's Christmas party at 6, but I opted to not go to either due to my sugar-free, carb-free diet. I didn't want to look like I was being picky (when I had to be), and didn't want to seem rude, so I thought staying home was the best option. Josh and I went to Darcy & Phil's house that evening instead, and played Settlers of Catan with them. It's become one of our favorite monthly activities. I won for the first time ever!

I've enjoyed coming up our driveway at
night, and seen this fun lit-up display!

I've never won at this game before! Josh
and Phil didn't take the loss very well.

I'm a winner!!

I finally put a tree-topper on our tree on Saturday. I'd been looking for something blue or silver or pink all week, but could never find anything! I finally decided to use some of the leftover ribbon from Malachi's reception to make a bow to add to the top instead. The ribbon was silver with a glittery design in it, and matched the tree skirt pretty well, and I was glad to find the perfect topper without spending any money! The Christmas tree decorations were finally complete!

Sunday was cousin Sammy's homecoming in Stanley. We drove down that morning, and there was quite a few people in attendance. Kanyon sang the song "Gethsemane" during the program (after being bribed with money by Grandma and Grandpa), Sammy spoke, Michael & Denae talked about their favorite Christmas hymns, and the congregation sang them. It was nice to sit next to Josh during Sunday School--I never get to when we are at our home ward! After church, we ate dinner at the Forsgren's house, played Telestrations, Kanyon played the PS4 (and insisted that he wanted one for Christmas after that), and hung out for a while until it was time to head back home. It was a nice relaxing Sunday with family! When we got back to Salmon, Josh went with me to the Christmas Cantata at the foursquare church. We wanted to support our friend Darcy who was singing with the choir, and had a solo in the program. It was the first time Josh has ever gone to it (I went for the first time last year), and he surprisingly liked it! It was a great show, and Darcy did a great job, too!

The snowy 2-hour drive was beautiful