For those of you avid Team Christensen blog fans!! Here is what we've been up to. It's taken a while. Our computer crashed last week, so we have had technical difficulties. On top of the mom forgetting her camera. HELLO!! So, this is what we've got. Not very exciting I'm afraid.




Snow Forts. How fun, but ours are filled with leaves.
The kids took colored water and even went out and painted it. I just wish we had more snow!

Brett's favorite Christmas Present. Kinda fuzzy.



Almost as big as him. He loves to eat them! Gross.

Sunday afternoon hangin out!
So bummed that the CHristmas music must be put away. That is always the worst part of Christmas for me. We had a great year. Once again no pics, cuz I am dumb.
We had a family Christmas Eve delivered treats and watched Mr. Kruegers Christmas.

Christmas Day we went up to Uncle Rick and Aunt Em's house. That was bogus. I thought we would have all day to relax, but we had to beat a snow storm and we left at 10:30. I was not a happy woman, and I had to leave the house a mess while we were gone. That is one thing that is unaccetable. If we die, I don't want someone to walk into my house and say......OH goodness, what a mess, she was quite nasty.Now let's give it all to DI.

We went to Soldiers Hollow and tubed day after Christmas. SO FUN!! Will make it a tradition! GOt out to take a pic of the kids in the 8 feet of snow and my batteries went dead. DANG

Had Paityns Birthday at Uncle McKay and Aunt Tracys house. You would think I would remember batteries. NOPE! Her little 3rd birthday and her mom is a dummy. Hopefully Kenna can send me hers.

Came home for a total of 23 hours (enough to clean and pack) and left to Vegas for New YEars
Went to the temple, played Wii American Idol, and Knock BLocks, screamed in the New Years and lost Wades babies.Had to call our friend to come over and break into our house (see..., thank heavens it was clean) and turn our machine on, so whomever found them could let us know.

Went to Logandale for Day after with Jessens, kids rode horses, played with pups, played football, video games and had a blast. Guess what I FORGOT MY DING DANGIN CAMERA Found Wades babies (his hunting dogs)

WHEW, came home. Now We are home in our own beds and are grateful for the beds and food our families provided for our long extended vacation. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I am going out tomorrow to buy a ton of batteries and have tatooed on my chest "Don't forget the camera"or maybe my forearm, I think the chest would be a little toooo tender.
My dear sweet cousin Jodie Daniels featured me, yes me. I know you are all thinking....."What?" She featured lil ole me on Friday Faces. Check it out. It is official I am such a dork!
http://www.mynameisjodie.blogspot.com/

Tradition Questions

This is our tubing video from last year. I still laugh so hard at it. Maybe you don't find it funny, but I do.

Just a little questionairre. I'm hoping everyone will leave a comment of a Christmas Tradition, or idea for one. Maybe even a homemade gift idea for kids to make. We are starting some new traditions this year. We do 1 activity a day until Christmas, read a story and sing a song at night, and of course it has been Christmas Music 24/7. We are having a "Back to Basics" Christmas this year. Very excited about it. We are trying to get away from the huge Christmases and get back to "The Reason For the Season". Wade is even on board. He sat this morning and listened to Christmas music for about 15 minutes, and he doesn't even complain about it in the car. What a good sport. Christmas is such a fun season, even if there is no snow yet. I would love everyones help, so leave those comments even if they are 3 or 4.

Thanksgiving 08 LV

O.K. sorry, no pics. I can't believe I didn't even take my camera out of the bag. In fact it is still in my backpack. What a loser mother. But since this doubles as my journal, I have to post. We went to Vegas and Aunt Marily and Uncle Craig came down. They were so fun. All I have to say is Ching Chang Chong where is the turkey?! The kids were great, all they did was play Wii. I was so impressed thanx to my rigorous work out schedule lately, I scored a 31 on the age thing, and I did pretty well on the Wii fit yoga. I was feeling pretty good about myself until Wade scored a 37, and did pretty good on the yoga thing too and he beat me on the Hula Hoop thing. All in all it was great. I think we are going to do THanxgiving here next year. I really miss out on the cooking. It is my favorite hobby. It was actually cold and overcast so it felt like Thanxgiving. I told Wade it was the first Thanx Day in Vegas that we have ever had it overcast, and feel like a winter holiday and I was raised there. Good times, Good times! Once again sorry no pics.

Busy Week

Daisy came to visit and loved the boys. Gage was a little freaked out and Ruger tried to get his groove on, good times, good times. She got to stay for a day and so did Ricks kids. All 5 of them. It was so fun. The kids had a blast and they played their hearts out.
Brett had his Veterans day concert. Yes, I do his hair every morning, and by 8:30 it looks like this. Have yet to find a gel that can tame the Brettmeisters hair.

New hair cut for me. I hate showering in the winter. It's too cold, and then to have to blow dry the mop, it's just too much. I cannot stand hair in my face. Someday I will cut it boy short. I envy those women that can pull it off. Besides it's the best way to lose a few stubborn pounds. I have been working out hard since August and havent' lost a pound, inches maybe but no pounds. I think I left 5 pounds at least on the salon floor . Wade doesn't love it, but WHO CARES!! I love it, so WUZ UP!!!???


Paity and I baking cookies. It is so nice to not have a ponytail like this everyday.



Petey after church. I wanted all the leaves in the picture, she wanted two. Guess who won?




I did this without permission, and Michelle I hope you will forgive me. I got onto one of our cousins blogs and she had her stand on Prop 8 on there. I was so impressed and proud of her for standing up and saying something. I agree that not many people will see it, but maybe if I post it than even more people will see it and know what I also do truly believe. I am so grateful to her for putting this on there with the messages from the apostles.
I was pretty shocked with all that happened in CA and here in UT over Prop 8. It makes me think of some of the persecution Joseph Smith and the early members of the church must have sustained. I was also impressed with those of other faiths that stood up for what they believed in and were the majority in the vote to pass this important issue. We may not win forever on these political issues, but I know that as long as we do what the Lord has asked us to do; to live his commandments and to obey because of our love for him, than our families will be blessed. I for one am with the prophet and the apostles. Marriage is sacred, and our children are the biggest blessings that come out of our marriages. That, and the opportunity to live again with our families in the eternities with our Heavenly Father. I don't want to take anyone's freedom of choice away, but I in turn expect the same.

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Though I am pretty removed from it here in NM, I am still aware of what is going on with the whole Prop 8 thing in CA. I have seen on the news, many different LDS temples with protestors outside, against our stand on the issue (yeah, like we're the only ones). It has disturbed me and irritated me. I find it ironic that they are protesting with THEIR free speech OUR right to free speech against it.... so whatever. And while I realize that this blog only reaches a few of my close friends and relatives, I have to speak up.When I first heard of Prop 8, not really knowing all the details, I just rolled my eyes and thought "Who cares? Let whoever wants to get married just get married. Big deal. I don't agree with same-sex marriage but if homosexuals marry, it really doesn't affect anything I do or believe, so why not?" What I didn't realize is that it does affect me. What I believe marriage should be-- a union between a man and woman--is no longer being protected. I was given an example of a fertility doctor who was approached by a same-sex couple wanting fertility treatments. The doctor said that because of his beliefs, he would not treat him but referred them to his business partner, who shared the same office, staff, billing, etc. The couple sued the doctor and won. Excuse me? What happened to protecting the doctor's rights? What about his beliefs? After hearing this and many other examples such as this, I stopped rolling my eyes and started to listen. This isn't an issue dealing with homosexuality vs. heterosexuality. It's about protecting the right and freedom to believe that marriage between a man and woman is something worth protecting.So where do you stand?

Neal A. Maxwell stated:Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions."Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat." --- Elder Neal A. Maxwell, BYU Devotional 1978