Sledding and Glaciers

Every year our neighbor invites the neighborhood up to their cabin in Midway for sledding and lunch. It is really a lot of fun! This year was no exception but it seemed we did have more injuries than usual. Preston got wiped around as he crashed into a tree and came up with his nose bledding. Of course, he wanted to hurry and get it cleaned up and back to sledding. I got wipe lash as a young boy from another group crashed right into me (I was off to the side!) and knocked me right off my feet. I was holding Sterling and was worried he got hurt. I hit my head pretty hard because I had a huge head ache and was quite sore the next day. Nonetheless, the kids loved it. On our way home we stopped at the glaciers located in Midway. It was beautiful.

(The pictures were taken from the iphone since our camera was out of batteries)

Silent Night, Holy Night

All is well, all is bright. The night of Las Posadas (Spanish word meaning lodging or inn) is a traditional, festive celebration that first introduced to the native people of Mexico by European missionaries, and is the reenactment of the story of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. This is a picture of our luminaries on Christmas Eve.
My husband took this picture at about 2 in the morning after we were nestled all warm in our beds and I had wished we had taken a picture of the luminaries.

Playing in the snow

I love Utah. I love living in a place that has all four seasons. Here are the kids playing in the snow over the past couple of days. (We learned how to get Sterling to smile...when he says please he smiles and says "cheese")

Christmas tree

We have a new tradition (since a couple of years ago) to go cut down a real tree. We go up to Manti Canyon and find the perfect tree. Okay, there is no such thing as the perfect tree, right? It's like saying we have the perfect family. The first hour is fun and enjoyable as we look for the "perfect" tree. We are picky and selective. But then we get tired of climbing and looking. Kids get onery. We just need to pick a tree. This is the "perfect" tree for our family. It's not perfect but we like it.

Fishing with my husband

I really didn't want to hold the fish but I guess it's protocol to show off your prize

Paul caught the largest fish.

This picture was right after I caught the fish.

My husband likes to go fishing. I consider him a pretty good fisherman. I like it when he goes fishing because he usually brings home fish for us to eat after he goes fishing. He has a friend who takes him fishing with him on his boat. In October this friend invited me to go fishing. Wow. I felt special. I have never been fishing with them before on a boat. This is high tech. This friend has a fish finder GPS! This is serious business. I was a little nervous. It really was a lot of fun. I enjoy fishing. It is relaxing and exciting when you get a bite. It was probably a little too cold for me when the wind was blowing but I ended up catching a large fish. BTW: This friend calls it "catching" not fishing. He's great.

Satoshi

Every year in October we have had a japanese student come and live with us for a week. It is one of the highlights of our year. The kids really look forward to it every year. Satoshi was so nice and respectful and gracious. He actually could speak better English than our previous Japanese student which was so wonderful to be able to somewhat communicate rather than playing charades. I am always amazed at their proper manners, something my family needs a lot of work on, and trust. I am sure it is scary to come to a strange country and live with a strange family and be at their mercy, eating their food, having to speak a different language, doing their activities. He was so willing to do anything with us and trusting us completely. Usually it is a week of non-stop going but this year we didn't do as much and it seemed more enjoyable and less exhausting.

What we did (this is more for me to remember than for all you readers):

Halloween party

Kids learned how to make origami

Bowling

Horseback riding with scouts

BYU game

Sunday dinner with sisters and their Japanese student

Eating at JCW (note the picture above, he couldn't believe the size of the hamburgers in America)

Walmart (we spend hours and hours there...they loved it!)

Closing ceremony

Japanese sushi (we didn't want to take him to someplace he can experience in Japan but he wanted to go so Paul took him at 9pm the last night. He said is was "very delicious")

As I reflected about this experience something that made an impression on me is that even though we didn't speak the same language we did communicate. We communicated with our actions. What did he think of our family? Our rituals? Saying prayers before meals? Going to church? Reading our scriptures as a family? I wondered if he felt peace and calm in our home amid the chaos of children. Did he feel the Holy Ghost? Did we plant a seed for him? (it is illegal to preach to him because he is underage but we could do our normal routine) Brad mentioned that it would be cool for him to go on a mission to Japan and preach the gospel to our students. Actions do speak louder than words. We may say we believe but do our actions show that we believe. Is there any doubt in other's minds that I am not ashamed to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ? That I take it seriously and take the opportunity to bear my testimony and live the gospel fully. One of my most favorite quotes is from David O Mckay: "What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ, will determine what you are and will largely determine what your acts will be."

On the way to the closing ceremony, Satoshi said he is sad and we asked Why? Because he will miss our family and loves us. We love you too Satoshi and miss you. The morning he left (very early, mind you) he went into each of the kids bedroom and told them Goodbye. It was a very sweet moment.

Bread recipe

By popular demand (okay, request of 2 people), I am putting the recipe for homemade bread on my blog. I have a Kitchenaid so you can double it if you have something bigger (ex Bosch)

3 c whole wheat flour (freshly grounded, within a months time)

1/3 c vital wheat gluten

1 1/4 T instant yeast (I use SAF yeast)

2 1/2 c very warm tap water

Mix all four ingredients and mix for a minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes (this is called sponging)

1 T salt

1/3 c oil

1/3 c honey or 1/2 c sugar (honey is better!)

1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice

Add the next 4 ingredients. Mix for a minute.

2-2/12 c WHITE (bread) flour (you can use wheat but we like the taste of both flours)

Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing between each cup. Add enough flour so the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix for about 6-10 minutes. This should make a soft dough that when you touch it, it springs back and dough is not left on your finger.

Preheat oven to lukewarm. Put dough onto oiled counter top and divide and shape into loaves and place in bread pans. I usually spray my bread pans with pam so it comes out easier. Put dough in the lukewarm oven and let it rise. Once the dough reaches the top of the pan, turn oven to 350 degrees. Do not remove the bread. Bake for 30 minutes (start timing when you turn the oven to 350 degrees). This recipe makes 2 loaves. Enjoy! Yummy!