All I Want for Christmas...

...is a Hippopotamus! 

Gracie wanted the game -- Hungry, Hungry Hippos for Christmas.  To our delight, she learned the song, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" in her preschool class.  She sang that song and other Christmas hits and hymns for us this season. 

Gracie gets really excited about doing the "actions" when she sings.  I hope she never loses that enthusiasm. 

I really love her little singing voice.   

Merry & Bright

The Christmas Season 2012

 was filled with so many fun events and memories. 

*We did some Holiday Shopping at the new outlets.

*We made lots and lots of Rudolph Cupcakes. 


*The girls looked sweet in their matching Christmas Dresses the Sunday before Christmas. 

*I helped with Gracie's Pajama Christmas Party at her Preschool.

Jody and I had the opportunity to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert featuring Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw.  Our friends the Jensens invited us, and it was an amazing night.  The Conference Center is always exquisitely decorated for Christmas, and the orchestra and choir sounded beyond perfect.  

We enjoyed Christmas Parties with Family.  Gracie adores my cousins Natalie and Courtney.  They are so sweet to her every time we get together.



Gracie and Courtney

Something I really like, that my side of the family does each year, is choosing some names off of the  2News Angel Tree.  A few years back, among my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, we decided rather than buy gifts for each other, we would spend that money on families who really could use some support during the Christmas Season.  During our Family Christmas Party, the kids get to share their experiences about shopping for and helping other children.  It's always really special to hear.  This year Gracie chose a little boy -- her same age -- off of the tree.  We picked him because he has some of the same interests as her.  She helped us pick out a blue (Gracie's favorite color and his too) coat, three shirts, some pants, underwear, a Thomas the Train set and some puzzles.   She told us she was happy she could help and that she thinks he would want to be her friend.  I bet so too.  I'm sure they would be great friends!  We also adopted an older gentleman this year from the Angel Tree.  It was really nice to shop for him and know he wouldn't be overlooked on Christmas Morning.

Christmas Eve was super magical.  We spent the evening at Grandma and Papa Tait's house.  We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.  How cool is that?  Santa had both Gracie and Nahla come up and help him sing some songs.  When it was time to sing  Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, Santa had some plastic antlers for the girls to wear.  However, Gracie came prepared.  She stuck with her trusty pair of antlers from home -- the ones she has been wearing all Christmas season since July.  Gracie even got to wear a red blinking nose -- talk about a dream come true for a kid who LOVES Rudolph!!

Both Gracie and Sienna were fine to sit on Santa's lap.  Santa shared some notes from his "Nice List Book" about each of the girls...things that the elves had written down.  He reminded Sienna to work on her "inside voice" and Gracie to be extra kind to her younger sister.



Cousins: Nahla and Gracie in their New Christmas Slippers

Sienna loves the "Rocking Moose" at Grandma & Papa Tait's house.

On Christmas Morning the girls were excited to see that Santa had brought treasures while they slept.  Gracie wouldn't come out of her room until she got the "ok" from us...because in her words, "I don't want to ruin the surprise!"  How sweet is she!? The girls had so much fun going through their stockings. Grandma and Papa Tait came over to visit while the girls opened a few presents from under the tree.

Santa brought Sienna a plush "Lambie" from Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins. That is Sienna's favorite show. Santa also brought her a little Doc doll. Gracie was thrilled with her Hungry, Hungry Hippos Game, a purple "locker" with a real key and lock, and that sparkly pink reindeer she saw days before Christmas. I wouldn't buy it for her, even after she performed a song and dance in the store singing about WHY it needed a home at OUR house...Good Thing Santa Claus hears the wishes of little ones. She was SO excited to see it on Christmas Morning!!

It snowed on Christmas Eve, leaving fresh powder to play in on Christmas Day!!  The girls had a blast being pulled on a sled behind one of the neighbor's 4-wheelers. 
And Gracie perfected her Snow Angel Abilities. 

Later on Christmas Day we enjoyed a really yummy dinner with my parents and Michael.  We exchanged presents.  Grandma and Papa Wiscombe got Gracie an Art Easel with paints and markers.  They gave Sienna more "Little People" Princesses to go with her Castle.  

 

I love my parent's home at Christmas time.  My mom and dad decorate their home so beautifully.  Under the Christmas tree is a village my Grandma Wiscombe made.  The girls have a good time playing with that snow-covered village and exploring all of the other fun decorations at my parent's house. 

Before the New Year, we visited Downtown Salt Lake to see the Macy's Christmas Windows. Each display was completely made of candy. Gracie wouldn't leave her reindeer in the car. So they were able to enjoy the window display as well. If you haven't noticed..."Reindeer" have really been trending at our house.

The lights at Temple Square looked especially spectacular this year. The snow was gently falling as we walked around the Reflection Pond. It was truly a beautiful sight!

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him...

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem.

It was a busy night about two weeks before Christmas.  I was hurrying around cleaning up dinner dishes, and my mind was in about a billion places; trying to organize my "what I need to do in order to be ready for Christmas, check off list."  Gracie caught my attention.  However, she wasn't tugging at my shirt or yelling.   She was talking in a hush -- almost reverently -- and it wasn't even me she was talking to.  She had gathered up a handful of her toys out of her room.  She had carefully placed them around the Baby Jesus in our nativity set.


"Can everyone see the baby?"  She whispered. 

"This is a very special child...His name is Jesus."

She was careful in arranging the toys -- making sure they each had a good view of the Christ Child.  I stopped what I was doing, and just watched.  She didn't see me observing her play.

"Did you know He was born to save the world?" 

She quietly asked her toys. 

It was so sweet. 

And she was so diligent in sharing her testimony of this special little baby.

And suddenly lists didn't matter -- tasks were meaningless. 

Perhaps someone other than Mr. Duck, Tinker Bell, and Clarice the Reindeer needed a reminder.  I smiled to myself.  Yes.  Gracie, this baby did indeed come to save the world!  And that is why we celebrate Christmas.  Hearing it from the mouth of a five-year-old made the season a bit sweeter.  

2012 -- a Year to Remember

It's been a busy year.

A growing year.

A year full of laughter, tears and everything in between. The other night, as Gracie said her prayers, I made a point to remember each word she said and how she phrased it.  After she said Amen, so I wouldn't forget, I quickly typed her prayer out on Jody's open laptop.  It went like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Please, please, PLEASE bless that Sister Gephart can get feeling better.  Please bless I won't get cancer.  Please Heavenly Father help my house not to break.  I'm thankful for Daddy, Mommy and Sienna.  But Please, Please, PLEASE bless that Sienna won't sneak into my room while I'm sleeping and break my things.  I'm thankful for my cozy bed and that I turned five, and I'm so thankful for my birthdays.  Thank you so much for letting my reindeer jammies fit even though I am five now.  Please bless the Cheney Family.  Help me to remember the things I learn in school.  Bless Papa Wiscombe's thumb to feel better.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

A bit of an explanation:  Sister Gephart is a mother of five. She lives in my parent's neighborhood.  She has been fighting cancer for a year now.  The cancer has spread completely throughout her entire body.  Gracie has never met her.  But she prays for her each and every night. 

Gracie thanks Heavenly Father (in nearly every prayer) that she turned five-years-old.  At the first listen, you may smile a bit and think that's cute.   But I think there is a deeper meaning: our neighborhood suffered a tremendous loss earlier this year, when sweet little Carson Cheney was taken back up to live with our Father in Heaven so unexpectedly in a tragic accident.  He was just weeks away from his 5th Birthday.  We know he is safe and being watched over...but his family misses him so much! And every time Gracie gives thanks for her birthdays, I think how blessed and lucky I am to share yet another day with her.  And I know children see things so purely.  I would never have thought to give thanks for my birthdays...but that's where children are so simple and so in tune with a greater spirit.   

And now as the hours are few in this last day of 2012...I am excited to see what 2013 will bring.  Our greatest joy comes from family.  Here is a look back at the past 12 months!

January



February

March

April

May



June

July

August

September



October



November



December

Happy New Year!!

Holiday Party at the Governor's Mansion

Because of my job with KUTV, I was invited to attend

 Governor and Mrs. Gary Herbert's

Holiday Open House. 

News Personalities, State, County and City Officials and extraordinary volunteers who help our State were all in attendance. 

Jody and I had an enjoyable time chatting with some 2News Friends from the Weekend Crew. 

 


KUTV Weekend Morning Show Producer -- Jenniffer Michaelson, Morning Anchor -- Amy Nay, and Myself.

 

The Governor's Mansion was built in 1902.  The craftsmanship and details are really something to behold.  At Christmas time, the Mansion's Halls are Decked to Delight.  The evening of the party, there was a children's orchestra playing on the upper floor.  It was really a lovely night, in a beautiful setting with good food and great company. 

Back in 1993, the live Christmas Tree in the same location as the one behind us in the above picture, caught fire.  That fire destroyed a large portion of the Mansion.  Governor Leavitt and his family were living in the Mansion at the time.  They were safely evacuated.  Since that time, the Mansion has been renovated to it's exact 1902 Architecture.   

A Visitor from the North Pole

Our good friends the Leishmans invited us to Breakfast with Santa.  It was such a fun experience.  Neither of the girls were afraid of Old Saint Nick.  Gracie told Santa she would like "Hungry, Hungry Hippos and a Locker."  (She told me the locker is so that she can hide her toys from Sienna, so that Sienna won't break them.)  Sigh.  Sienna is asking for a Queen-Sized Bed.  Ha!! 

Not really. 

But maybe she should...since she ends up in my bedroom nearly every night.    

 

Look at that smile!  She was REALLY excited to see the Gingerbread Man. 

Gracie loves her neighborhood friends.

I thought it would be nice to get a Family Picture.  But it wasn't meant to be.  I considered sending this out as our Christmas Card.  It's a perfect depiction. 

Happy Holidays!!





Then it was time to snap some photos of our girls.  Some people (clear throat...Jody) called this the most stressful five minutes of the day.  Despite Sienna running away and knocking Christmas Decorations over, and basically causing a huge scene...we actually got some fun shots!  I can't tell you how happy my heart is looking at these pictures.  Sienna is a busy 2-year-old.  And it can be exhausting chasing her.  But we wouldn't have it any other way.  We are so glad she is healthy. 
(She hasn't had a single Kidney Related Problem/Illness since her surgery in June.)  Hooray! We are so grateful for both our girls.

 Love these sweeties!

 Gracie made this Button Snowflake Ornament. 

The Perfect Christmas Tree



*Our First Christmas Tree*  Butte, MT

Jody and I have made it a tradition to buy a REAL Christmas Tree to decorate each year. It was so easy when we lived in Montana. Tree Permits were five bucks! We would drive up into the mountains -- find the perfect tree...and chop it down. There are so many fun memories surrounding finding the Right Christmas Tree: I went with a ranger and cut down a tree for a KPAX Feature News Story. And two days before Gracie was born, we hit the bumpy mountain trails surrounding Missoula. It didn't jump start my labor. But we found yet another -- memorable tree.

Christmas 2007



     This year, we started our day off right.  We went to the Lehi Christmas parade.  The parade didn't have very many entries.  But it had two of the most important components:  Candy being thrown and Santa Claus! 

 

Then we headed over to the Christmas Tree Lot to scope out that one-of-a-kind tree.

      The girls enjoyed running around and around and around the lot.  Gracie stopped for a picture...and Sienna wasn't too far behind (as always)! 

Over the years, we have bought and personalized ornaments from the different places we've traveled and lived.  Each year, it's a stroll down memory lane decorating the tree. 

And there it is!  The Finished Product.   Our house still smells of pine.  Yummy.