We talked to the Burgon Missionaries!

We talked to our missionaries We got to talk to Gavin and Dallin on Christmas Day! It was so fun to hear their voices and know that they are doing great.Dallin called us first at about 11am. He was at some member's house with alot of other people from the ward. Every once in a while we would hear alot of commotion. He laughed and talked with all of us. We were at the office and we used the conference phone. We could all hear everything. Dallin talked about his new companion and how he liked him. He is thrilled to be back in Leeds. That is where all of the work is strong. He has some strong investigators and is helping some less active members. Dallin went on to tell us that he is looking for someplace else to live. The lady they are living with is going on a mission so they need to find another flat. I think he will be glad about moving because he and his companion share one tiny room. Dallin sounded about the same although he did use some words that we did not understand. We think that he will not pick up an accent because he doesn't hear well enough for that. He sounded so happy and grounded in the Gospel. We are very lucky to have him as our son.Gavin called us at about 3pm. So off we marched back to the office to talk to Gavin. He definately had an accent. It was so fun to listen to him speak. Gavin loves Tasmania. His flat is right by the water. He loves how beautiful it is there and how the pace of life is slower. When he called us it was the day after Christmas in Australia--boxing day. He said that they had a great Christmas day at his stake president's house. They had great food and played some games. He seemed like he had a great holiday. His only concern was that he could teach the people that much during the holidays because they are very busy. He has some investigators including a young 10 year old boy. After we had talked to Gavin for about an hour his accent starting going away. It was so wierd. We laughed and talked to him also. After all of the talking and laughing it was sad that we had to hang up. I felt a little sad for the rest of the day. I can't wait for Mother's Day when we can talk to them again.All of you will have this experience and then you will understand the mixed emotions.

Awaiting a Princess!

It is official. I am done with all of my mad nesting! And what a great feeling it is with a day to spare! Jeremy thinks I have gone crazy but for some reason I just have to have everything perfect for the baby to come.
I have cleaned out every cupboard, drawer and closet and have cleaned out the garage. Every surface has been cleaned and sanitized and every stitch of laundry is done. Christmas is safely put away and all of those "need to get to someday" projects are complete. I put together an awesome 72 hour kit along with an emergency kit for each car. I put together a family emergency plan and put all of our important papers, policies, birth certificates, home movies and pictures in a safe place. We have beefed up our food storage (although this is still a work in progress). I have decorated the babies room along with some finishing touches in other rooms. I have caught up on all my scrap booking and I even spiffed up myself with a pedicure and a haircut! I have to say that the only thing I think I left undone are cleaning the blinds and windows which I figure would be good to tackle this spring! After all, they are just going to get snowed on tonight!

So now what do I do you ask!?! Wait for our tiniest princess to arrive! Ok, so I know this sounds a bit like bragging, and well, I guess you could say it is. I am just so satisfied knowing all of this is done. It really does feel like a million bucks! So whether you are having a baby or not, I suggest you do a bit of nesting, it's good for the soul!

Christmas Spirit

I love this blog!! Okay Jenny, we will post on it more often now that I know how easy and fun it is!! Thanks for setting it up.

We had a fabulous Christmas! It took us all day (as usual) to get through all the presents. I don't know why my kids are so slow, but I do enjoy the peaceful unhurried feel of it all. We seem to like playing and trying out everything we get from Santa in the morning and not even worrying about the presents under the tree until well into the afternoon!! We were not as slow this year as some, at least we got everything opened on Christmas Day!

The boys had shopped for presents this year at the school's mini-store. They take a dollar for every person they need to buy for. They get all their shopping done and bring home everything already wrapped. I love it!! There's only one problem though...no one is there to give them guidance or feedback and sometimes the present doesn't really match the person. Anyway, Addison came home so excited about what he had found for Hannah. He just knew she was going to absolutely love it. He could hardly wait for Christmas to see her open it. When I found out what it was, I was a little worried that Hannah wouldn't be so thrilled and I could see the potential for some hurt feelings on Addy's side. But, I decided to just leave things and see how they worked out. On Christmas, Addy brought his present to Hannah first. When she opened it there was a huge fluffy white feather boa inside. I could tell that at first she was speechless! I could see her saying to herself, "Now what am I suppose to do with this? Surely he doesn't really expect me to wear this?!" But to her credit, she made the situation perfect. She put her arms around Addy and told him what a special present it was. She then proceeded to tell him that she was going to save it for times when it was especially cold outside like when we go cross-country skiing. Smart girl!! We generally ski in the boondocks where no one else is around!! I am happy to report that she has already worn it on a ski and Addison is just thrilled!! I am just happy that it worked out so well. The Christmas spirit lives on!! ( By the way, Danny gave me a new dustpan. "So you can do your work," he said. I guess that means my holiday is officially over and I can get back to being the maid again!!)

Love you all,
JoAnn

Hoffmann's Christmas

Jen-

This Blog is great!! We had a Wonderful Christmas. The little girls woke up before 6 a.m. and woke everybody up. We had all the presents open and breakfast over with before 9. Everybody took a nap at some point in the day, and no one got dressed. Boy did we smell like roses!! We finally got dressed yesterday afternoon and went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks (kinda stupid). We are planning on going sledding tomorrow, since I spent a couple of hours pulling Tyson around in the yard today on the sled, I have decided we need to go to a hill, my shoulders are killing me. Hope everybody had a great christmas. What is everyone doing for New Year's???

Christmas Flashback!

If you double click on the picture you can see it up close!

Ok, so we know I don't remember this moment too well, but do any of you remember this particular Christmas?  I loved to act out the manger scene.  My favorite was wearing a towel on my head and picking out one of Mom's nick nacks as a present!  I also remember fighting over who's baby doll could be Jesus.  I guess you didn't have that problem this particular year.  I think I look a lot like some baby pictures of Kayla!

I would have been around 3 months old, Karen was 16 months old and Charlotte would have been 15.

Oh and by the way, this is beginning to look like my personal blog (which I already update regularly).  I know Christmas was busy, but since that has now past it would be nice to see some action.  Otherwise, I'll stop taking the time to update this one and just stick with my own personal one because that is what this one is turning out to be!

Love you!

Favorite Christmas Memory

I think my all time favorite Christmas memory is a time when Karen and I had what we called our sisters tradition.  We would sleep in the hallway right in front of the bathroom door in the basement of our house in Santa Fe.  Of course Karen would make me hold her hand as we fell asleep.  This particular Christmas I remember waking up at the crack of dawn (actually, I remember waking up at the crack of dawn every Christmas!) and running down the hall to go upstairs to wake Mom and Dad.  We noticed the light on in Charlottes room and went to see what was up.  In Charlotte fashion, she had been up all night making these cross stitch ornaments for Mom.  I can still picture the beautifully stitched ornaments with the red and green hoop frames.  I remember thinking how did she stitch all of those and I never saw them.  Now I know she was probably up all night doing them.

I don't know why this particular Christmas sticks out more than most but it does.  I don't remember any other specific details for this Christmas but for some reason it is a special memory in my mind!

Neeley just came in to the kitchen to tell me "I think I got plenty of things but they're still going to have Christmas next year.  When will they stop Christmas."  I guess that should say to me that she got enough!

We had a wonderful time this year.  It was so fun to see the girls overwhelmed faces as they ran into the living room.  They just stood there and smiled like the weren't sure what to do.  Then they dug in and starting discovering everything.  They both loved the Jeep and have been dragging all of their other presents into it.  Right now the radio in it is blaring.  Neeley got in right off and took her lead foot to the gas.  She nearly catapulted them out of the living room!

Family time

It was so nice to have all of the siblings there at the family Christmas party!  It's too bad so many of them were BYU fans!! Ha, Ha!

Karen and I were talking the other day how nice it is that our kids get to experience the friendships and bonds they have with their cousins.  Since we were at the tail end and lived far away, we kind of missed out on the whole cousins thing.  Now any time Kayla gets to get together with kids she always tells me her cousins are coming even if they are just some friends.  It was really fun to see them all together last night!

Jer and I decided to give the girls an early Christmas present so they could wear their new dresses to church today.  They looked so cute we just had to take pictures!

There are times in life that make me think about what a responsibility it is to be a parent.  Friday night was one of these times.  Our house was full of people for a party and the girls were downstairs playing with all of the kids.  Jeremy carried Neeley up stairs and took her, screaming into the bathroom.  When I went to see what calamity had happened this time, I came to find her chin bleeding and Jeremy with a worried look.  She had fallen off of the jungle gym and needed stitches.  So we left our house with the party still going on to take her to the ER.  The whole way there we were trying to make light of the situation so Neeley wouldn't be scared but inside we were both scared to death.  We were trying to mentally prepare Neeley for what was about to happen so we were downplaying what they were going to do while at the same time giving her a little idea so she wouldn't be so nervous of what was to come.  She was ok until she heard the word poke and knew she was getting a shot.  It was then that she started to cry and wished that she was at home playing with the kids at the party and that Kayla was there with us.  She would never wish Kayla to be hurt, she just envied her for being able to stay behind at the party while she had to get poked with a needle.  We were both wishing it was one of us.  When the nurse came in to wrap her up in a sheet to keep her down, I thought, oh no, here we go.  Then I tried to make light of it all and told her that they were making her into a burrito just like we had had for dinner.  Thankfully she thought that was pretty funny!  After she made it through the shot, I told her she was brave and she said, "No, I wasn't Mom!  I cried!"  Nine stitches later we were headed back to the party.  It was so nice to find the whole kitchen all cleaned up!  Yesterday she was fine and hasn't complained about it one bit.  in hind site, it really wasn't as traumatic for Jer and I as we thought it would be!

Last night at the family party Charlotte was telling me about an experience she had just had.  Kimi desperately wanted one of JoAnn's puppies and was crying and begging for it and was making a huge fuss about it!  What Kimi didn't know was that Char had already arranged with JoAnn to give them one of the puppies for Christmas but wanted to keep it a surprise!  Charlotte just kept up the charade telling Kimi that there was  no way they could have a puppy.  In her head she thought, "Kimi, if you only knew that Mom has it all worked out for you.  Everything will be ok.  I have  plan."  It was at that moment that she felt those same words reiterated to her from her Father in Heaven, reminding her that He has a plan and that she just needs to be patient and trust him.

These two experiences have caused me to think about our own Father in Heaven and what experiences he went through with Christ as well as those things he witnesses each day in our lives.  I am sure it was difficult for him to see Christ suffer and that it is also difficult for him to see us endure our struggles.  Many times I am sure he has wished that he could do it for us.  I have thought a lot in the past few days of the struggles we have yet to bare and it frightens me.  I am not sure what I will have to see my own children experience but I do know that we have the greatest example of all.  Our Father in Heaven has given us this knowledge so that we may draw strength and comfort from it.  I am so very thankful this year for that little baby that lay in the humble manger with such an awesome road ahead.  He didn't arrive in this life as our Savior.  He became our Savior through those experiences he endured.

Wow, we have arrived!

To the computer age that is!!

I am very excited that Jenny set this up. Thanks Jen. It will be a lot of fun if we all read and post on it often. I had fun at the bake off and yes my goodies are disappearing quite quickly and we have a long time to wait for next year. Hee Hee! Janell thank you so much for letting us once again raid your home. We better be extra nice to you or will be in big trouble!!
We will see you all (including Kayle and Becky, I hear yeaaaaa!) at the Christmas Party on Saturday.

Love ya!
Karen

OK, How can it be!

OK, how can it be the Neeley Girls Bakeoff with one old geezer there? I know I may be slipping - but surely not so far I am classified as a girl!!!

I agree with Jen, the goodies are, well even if I do say so and I helped make the Haystacks and did a few other chores to help others, superb!!! I wasn't bothered by grandchildren and surely being pregnant wasn't a problem for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it! And the slowly disappearing goodies on our counter are evidence that the products of the day were GREAT!

Thanks all for letting me participate and enjoy your all - which I DID - and the few little ones who were there too.

Love Ya - ALL!!!

GREAT gramps (Yes I can be GREAT because I have GREAT grandchildren and 1, though in far away Wisconsin, GREAT grandson!)

Mom and her favorite companion!

Neeley girls bakeoff!

Ok, so we may not be Martha Stewart (who would want to be anyway!) but we sure made some good treats!  It was fun to spend time together and get some baking done.  The only bad part about it all is having all of those treats around to tempt me.  I polished off most of the thumbprints already (After all, it is my duty since I am the only one that likes them!)  Then there is the OCCASIONAL picking in the Almond Joy Balls, Fudgie Oatmeal Bars, Raison Bars, Fudge, Caramels, Haystacks and those oooh so unforgetable Peanut Butter Balls!

In all it was a wonderful afternoon.  The only thing that would have made it better was a bit less whining from Kayla.  We talked about how nice it will be when there are just adults and no kids there.  Yes, easy for you all non pregnant women to say.  At least your end is in sight!  Don't wish away those days too fast!

Well, I can't wait for next year and maybe even Mom will be there instead of in her book! Ha, ha, ha!  Love you all!

P.S. Thanks also for letting me be in the back row.  If you squint, you can't even tell I'm pregnant!

Welcome Family!

Ok, so we are now embarking on a new family mission!  The mission of blogging!  Now, I don't ever expect to see any posts from Mom (we would all faint of course at that one) however, I would love to see frequent posts from the rest of the family.  I started my own personal blog a few weeks ago and have loved it.  It is fun to see and tell the day to day things of life!

So happy posting!  Add whatever pictures, messages, fun stuff that you wish.  Lets make a goal for each of us to post once a week.  It really only takes just minutes to add a short note.  Just think how close we can grow together and get to know each other better!

I love you all!