12 Things I Love about Chirstmas

12. Playing in the Snow
11. Christmas programs
10. The Christmas tree
9. Making Christmas gifts
8. Receiving presents
7. Giving presents
6. HOT CHOCOLATE
5. Wacthing snow fall at night in the dark.
4. Christmas music
3. Seeing Friends.
2. Being with Family
1. Celebrating the birth of our Savior.

What are your top 12?

Our Amazing Bubba

Our little 10-month-old has taken his first steps. He has been taking as many as five steps between Eric and I. Tonight he was distracted by the computer so I would clap my hands to get his attention and now before he takes off each time, he has to clap his hands.

He also discovered today his head and hair. No every time you ask him where his head/hair is, he'll rub his head.

Bubba also got his hair cut last week.....pictures to follow......

HE DID IT!!!!!

HE DID IT!!!! Eric graduated last Saturday! It was a nice ceremony. All of Eric's family was there! It was really good to see everyone again. My parents and sister came for the day as well. All of us at our home are relieved that these last four years are over!!! Now (as people have been telling us) real life begins. I don't think we can be more excited though.

Eric has been offered and accepted a job in Idaho Falls, ID. He will be working for the government at a nuclear reactors facility (don't worry...he's not in any danger). If he can get what's called a "fast start" approval, he should be starting as soon as Jan 21st! We are also hoping to be in a house by then too. :) LET THE BILLS BEGIN!!!

Our Tree

This is the Fosburg Christmas tree this year. I made all of our decorations our of candy. Mostly gum balls and candy canes. I had a lot of fun making them. They turned out so good that I think I might make some of them and sell them at craft shows.....What do you think?

My Favorite Christmas Story

Since it is the Holiday season, I thought I would share my favorite Christmas story. I hope this will bring those of you who read it to share it with their families....mostly the

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Late one Christmas Eve I sank back, tired but content, into my easy chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations, I couldn't help feeling that something was missing. It wasn't long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I knew that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Santa Claus himself, standing next to my Christmas tree. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem described him. But he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed. And there were tears in his eyes.
"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked. "Why are you crying?"

"It's the children," Santa replied sadly.

"But the children love you," I said.

"Oh, I know they love me and the gifts I bring them," Santa said. "But the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. ...and it's not their fault! It's just that the adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children."

"Teach them what?" I asked.

Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly. "Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent."

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on my mantle. "Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen with its unchanging color represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus. It's needles point heavenward as a reminder that man's thoughts should turn heavenward as well."

Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree. "The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise of the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises and that wise men still seek Him."

"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas." He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. "Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color of the life-giving blood that flows through our veins. It is the symbol of God's greatest gift. Teach the children that Christ gave His life and shed His blood for them that they might have eternal life. When they see the color red it should remind them of that most wonderful gift."

Santa found a bell in his pack and placed it on the tree. "Just as lost sheep are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to ring today for all to be guided to the fold. Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep."

Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened the room. "The glow of the candle represents how man can show his thanks for the gift of God's son who was born that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow in Christ's footsteps, to go about doing good. Teach them to let their lights shine before men that all may see it and glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the twinkly lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them representing one of God's precious children, their light shining for all to see."

Again, Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and white striped candy cane. As he hung it on the tree, he spoke softly, "The candy cane is a stick of hard, white candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus and the shape 'J' to represent the precious name of Jesus who came to earth as our Savior. It also represents the crook the Good Shepherd uses to reach down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like sheep, have gone astray. The original candy cane had three small red stripes which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed, and a large red stripe that represents the shed blood of Jesus so that we can have eternal life. Teach these things to the children."

Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh, fragrant greenery and tied with a bright red bow. "The bow reminds us of the bond of perfection which is love. The wreath embodies all the good things about Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts to understand. It contains the colors of red and green and the heaven-turned needles of the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all; and its color again reminds us of Christ's sacrifice. Even its very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and the eternal nature of Christ's love. It is a circle without beginning and without end. These are the things you must teach the children." "But where does that leave you Santa?" I asked.

The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's face. "Why, bless you my dear," he laughed. "I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the spirit of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."

"I think I'm beginning to understand at last," I replied.

"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the children these things......then who will?"

Pain.....Lots of Pain!!!!

So I went to the dentist this morning...I haven't been for years. I had lots of work done. now I'm in A LOT of pain!!! I can hardly move I hurt so bad. And to top it all off Eric has a long day at school, so I am at home with two crazy(but lovely) kids. I have to get ready for company this weekend and I can't even do that. GGGGRRRRR...... I'm stressed...just a little.

Happy Halloween...a little late...

We really went all out this year for Halloween. Carving pumpkins is always fun for us. We always get just enough pumpkins for our little family. Boo made us all sick by eating the pumpkin guts raw....YUCK...

The Saturday before Halloween we were invited to the Woods home for a murder mystery dinner party. We were Dracula and Bride of Dracula. We had a blast...THANKS WOODS!!! Oh by the way..Dracula did it..that dirty bird!

It was really fun dressing up the whole family. This year we did a Little Mermaid theme. Boo was Ariel. Bubba was Flounder. Daddy was Prince Eric and I was Ursula. We had a lot of fun walking around downtown Moscow trick-or-treating. Bubba however scowled the entire time he was dressed in his costume. You could just picture him thinking: "this is so demeaning." This was deffinately a Halloween to remember!

Leaves

Words just can't express.....

The Kids

Boo entered our lives September 24th, 2004. She was the sweetest blessing we could ever hope for. Ever since she was little she has had a GREAT scene of humor. She really knows how to make people laugh. Especially her little brother. She says the funniest things. For example, we were in California for the summer while Eric worked as an intern. I put her hair up in curlers. When it was curled, I gave her a "do" and told her to go look in the mirror and tell me how she liked it. As soon as she saw herself she said, "Oh I like it. It's so California." That came from a two-and-a-half year old. The things she comes up with.

Bubba came to our family, January 25th, 2007(9months today). He's been a big ball of fun to have in our family. This boy just radiates joy. I think the only time he's not smiling is when he's sleeping. He's been a fast learner from the start. He was rolling over at four weeks and has not stopped moving since. He's active and loves to jump and roam around the living room, chasing big sister.

We've been lucky with both of our kids not being the crying type. Bubba is seldom found crying, and usually then it is an act. He loves playing patty-cake and ANYTHING that has to do with big sister, he idolizes her! We have to put the two of them to bed at separate times because will play all night.

Bubba is starting to walk along furniture and standing by himself. I think we will have a walker for Christmas.

Job Interviews

We just had two contacts this morning for Job interviews. A company in Yakima is really interested in Eric. I talked to the contact while Eric was busy and the man said that this company at first said they didn't have any openings. After looking at his resume however, they said that they want to try "to get him a job as soon as that diploma is in his hand." We are going to be in Yakima on the 8th of November and we might possibly stay a couple of days depending on how we feel.

Eric also received an email from a piping company based out of Pennsylvania. They want to schedule a phone interview with him. There are opportunities in this company all over the nation.

On November 1st and 2nd, Eric will be in Bothell, WA for another interview with a company that works with Boeing....I can't remember the company's name(AIT, I think). There are lots of opportunities in Seattle area.

We also have to contact Sierra Pacific, the company in Red Bluff, CA that Eric had his summer internship with.

We are all excited to see where we end up. We'll try to keep you updated.

Graduation

Eric Graduates on December 8th, 2007 at 12:30 pm. For all of you that can, we'd love to see you there!!! Admission is free and so is parking. Eric has to be there at 11:30 for line up, so our little family will be going at that time. If you are planning to come and want to stay at a hotel. I would suggest looking for a room now. They fill up fast! Let us know if we can assist you in anyway.

In the Beginning........

Ok so I just messed up and didn't save before I moved on.....so we will try this again.

So, I thought it would be fun to have an about us blog to begin our site.

Eric and I met in Spokane, WA at an LDS Singles dance. He wasn't out of high school yet, but his brother(whom I was friends with) dragged him along. His brother pointed me and my best friend out and said, "Flirt with those two; they'll like you." I danced with him once and thought: "What a cute kid. Too bad he's so young." (I am a year-and-a-half older)

For the longest time, actually thought he was someone else's brother. Infact, I was friends with his older sister too before I dated him. I didn't have any idea that they were all siblings. But, about a year later at a Monday night activity, magic happened. We had stayed later the week before in the parking lot of the church and talked. About what? I dunno. Then on March twelfth, 2001 after talking late into the evening, he invited me to go get ice cream at Shari's. We talked there until about four or five in the morning. We wrote on a napkin dates we were going to go on before he left on his mission.

That was basically how we got together. I know. I am really long winded.

BUT IT GOES ON....After dating for six months, Eric left to serve a mission in Venezuela for TWO YEARS!!!!. It was hard to see him go. I only got to talk to him a couple of times while he was gone. In the meantime, I also went on a mission that was cut short due to health problems (I'll spare you the details).

Eric came home September 11, 2003. We were "officially" engaged(another story to tell) on September 30th, married November 15th and had a magical honeymoon in Disneyland.

In February of 2004 we found out we were going to have a baby. Along came our little bundle of Boo. Two years later our big Bubba was born.

I guess that's us in a nutshell....a rather large nutshell as it turns out......

I'm not sure what these blogs are to do...so any input on what you want to see would be great!!!