Well, I've sure been neglectful of the blog lately. I'd like to say I've been sooooo busy that I haven't had time, but hey...

Anyhoo (don't you love it when people say that?), we have been busy, just not too busy. We're basically ready for Christmas and have been enjoying doing some fun things around. A couple of Saturdays ago, Matt, Kayleigh and I went to a thing at a local elementary school and listened to kids from different ones sing. Santa came by for a few minutes on a fire engine. Kayleigh thought that was pretty cool. From there we went to our ward Christmas party. It was a Mexican affair...taco salad and pinatas. Kayleigh sustained an injury. Everyone thought she got hit doing the pinata, but really she tripped on Matt's feet and busted her lip. Lots of blood and crying, but all is well now. Because it was Fast Sunday the next day and we didn't want to start our fast on just taco salad, we had decided to do a lunch-to-lunch thing starting Saturday afternoon. Therefore, we didn't eat the taco salad. It was a good thing, because several families in the ward were sick the next day and are blaming it on that.

I've been temporarily watching a six-month-old baby girl named Dannon. She's the daughter of a lady I hired to direct the Peery Egyptian Theater in Ogden before I quit working. It was just a two-week gig. Such a cutie and so good. The girl sleeps like Kayleigh used to. The other day she took a 4-1/2 hour nap! Today is supposed to be our last day. We're going to kind of miss her, but with it being so cold and the fact that she doesn't like being in her car seat, it's kind of hampered our running around during the day.

Last night we had a YW party. One of the games we played involved the girls blowing up balloons, stuffing them in the legs of pantyhose then putting them on their heads as reindeer antlers. They had red clown noses, too. It was hilarious! Little do they know that their pictures are going to end up on the ward bulletin board for Sunday!

What else? Jenny is doing really well at BYU. She found out that just about everyone she knows and rooms with is not coming back this next term. They're all on a different track than she is. She might be changing apartments and will end up starting all over. She doesn't seem stressed about it though, probably since she knows what to expect this time around. We're looking forward to her coming home this weekend.

Tara is working more and more hours at McDonald's. It seems to be going well. Her boyfriend, Travis, moved to Clearfield to live with his dad, so we'll see how that affects the relationship. She's afraid he'll start getting on her nerves if she has to be around him all the time. She's feeling well and doing well. It was interesting the other night having Travis over while we had Family Home Evening. He isn't religious at all. Matt's lesson was about Adam and Eve and how we tend to focus on what we can't do or don't have rather what we can do and have. As Matt was asking questions, Travis knew more about the story of Adam and Eve than Tara and Garrett (or so it seemed). On the way to take him home, I asked him how he knew so much about it since he didn't practice any religion. "Oh, from watching the 'Simpsons!'"

Brandon and Brittany are doing well in Canada. They've moved into their own place and are settling in. They both got jobs working at hotels, Brandon in Buffalo, NY and Brittany right by their apartment. You can access their blog from ours to keep up on what they're doing.

Garrett is Garrett. He's plugging away at school and hanging out with friends.

We're looking forward to spending time with all of you at the family parties coming up!