It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, DANG IT!

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." No phase has ever been so despised by me. Grrrr. Snow is great if you are sitting in front of a warm fire with no place to go, like the song suggests, but what about the rest of us? What about the poor trucker who is just trying to make ends meet? What about the lonely traveler who is just trying to make it home? What about ME who has to drive Provo canyon every day for work. Let it snow indeed! I have nothing against snow. I love to snow shoe and ski and I even snowboarded once. We are even looking to buy a little sled for Emma this year. She is old enough. I hope that it doesn't scare her. I don't hate snow, I just hate driving in it.

Christmas is on track for us. We have been very blessed this year. Being a full time student and part time worker, our little family is has as much money as a frog has horns. Wow, that was a stretch, but you get the idea. We had an anonymous donation of a used cell phone and a sum of money from someone that knows us. Thank you who ever it is! The cell phone was to replace mine that was destroyed. The money really helped to buy things for the kids that they might actually want. No DI Christmas for us this year! YEAH!

My finals are over for this semester. It was a very difficult semester. I started to panic and freak out at the end. There were a couple nights where I let anxiety in and ended up as a balling mess. It wasn't pretty. Erin, being a good wife, pointed out that I wasn't giving enough credit to the Lord. He was the one that told me to go into this field, and I didn't have faith that he would help me. So I changed focus. I made sure to study my scriptures before I even touched my school work. Instead of looking at school as a task I was doing because I had to, I started to look at it as a sacrifice that I will give to the Lord when I am done. I will say, "I have done what thou hast asked me to do. I have done my best and here is the results that I now give to you." I am working hard to make it an acceptable sacrifice. The finals went well thought this new focus. I was happier, my mind was clearer, and received help from the Spirit throughout my tests. I am very thankful.

Emma is so excited for Christmas. She points out every Christmas light she can find. We want to take her to Temple Square to see the lights there. It would blow her mind. Matthew is getting really smart now. He has figured out that if he smacks the keyboard cool sounds come out of the computer. We think that his first word was either Mom, Dad, or Hi. He says all three now. We honestly have the cutest kids. If you don't think so........well.....no one really values your opinions anyway.

I wish everyone of our friends and family a very merry Christmas. May Santa bring you the things you need. May you find the joy in the true meaning of Christmas. May you also keep your sanity though it all.