A December to Remember

Here are some highlights from our month. We hope you also had a December to remember, filled with love and the light of the Savior. See you in 2010!

fyi: The music in the movie is from from my choir's Christmas program last year!

Proud Mom Moment

As some of you may know, I sing with the Des Moines Choral Society {click here to check out the website}. It is a little community choir here in Des Moines that is my version of a MoTab experience. I learned about the group when I first moved to Des Moines from a couple members of our ward who sing/sang with them. Not having much more exposure to choral singing than the garden-variety high school/ward choir experience, I braved an audition to see if I could bump up my experience. Much to my surprise after a mediocre audition, I was accepted and started a great journey.

After four years, the choir has become an major part of my life (now I work for the choir as the office administrator in addition to singing). And I think my passion has rubbed off a little on my very supportive family.

Last night we had our first concert of the season. Usually, Kris comes and brings one or more of the kids to support me. But due to some scheduling conflicts, Kris wasn't able to come. So Emmie and Olivia came with friends instead. As part of the concert, we ask audiences members to fill out evaluation forms to see how we are doing. Tonight, as I browsed the comments, I came across the following evaluation by Emmie.

This brings such a huge smile to my face. I don't know if singing is going to be Emmie's "thing" going forward. But I LOVE that she is being exposed to it at the ripe old age of 10. Check out her favorite part of the night--And He Shall Purify. I don't know about you, but four years ago I would not have known what that meant, BA in Humanities notwithstanding. It is a movement from Handel's Messiah (which we now love to listen to in the car all the time, btw). And I don't know if you can make it out, but at the top, in her doodles, are the words to a Vivaldi piece she sang with her choir--Implevit bonis esorientes. How awesome is that that my 10-year-old daughter is doodling Vivaldi!

It's great to be part of this choir experience. But it's greater to see my children blossoming and growing right before my eyes. (And check out her creative side with all the artsy stuff she drew around the sides.)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year???

Remember all the fun associated with the winter season in Iowa? Lots and lots of snow paraphernalia--all over the house and garage--and fun winter storms that cause the state to shut down for days at a time.

As some of you may have heard, much of the midwest is currently being pounded by a big snow storm, the biggest in a decade according to our local weather guy. Today the snow is falling, falling, falling. Tomorrow we are supposed to get 40 mph winds that will cause blizzard conditions throughout the day. We are guessing that school, along with the rest of everything, will be closed down. That puts a damper on this mom's Christmas shopping plans, but all will be well as long as the storm moves along and roads get cleared before Saturday when I perform in my first concert of the season.

Christmas is Here!

It's official--I am a live Christmas Tree lover!

I have never had a live Christmas tree--not as a child and not as a grown up. Several times, I have wanted to go cut a tree and bring it home for Christmas. But every time, we have run into too many reasons to wait until next year.

But this year it worked out. We trudged out to the tree farm one bitter cold evening this week, took a saw to a tree we liked, tied it to the top of our car (thanks to Josh's scout knots), and headed home for the tree trimming (too bad I couldn't get a picture of us in action because my battery was dead). And now I'm hooked. It's officially Christmas and I don't know if I will be able to go back to a fake tree again. Sure it's a little asymmetrical. Sure, it leans to the side a bit (probably how we set it up as much as the tree itself). But it really feels like an old-fashioned Christmas to me--something I have been longing for for a while now.

We have the decorations up, lights on the house, and I guess I am ready for the snow to come. But oh, I will be wishing for sunny Texas on January 1, 2010!

Kaise's Baptism

After Thanksgiving, we all made the trek to Winter Quarters in Omaha to join our cousin Kaise for her baptism. We also got to visit the gingerbread display at the Winter Quarters Visitors' Center and take a look at the Winter Quarters Temple and cemetery.

The Family Comes for Thanksgiving

We were so excited to have so much family come for Thanksgiving. We had Grandma and Grandpa Tolman, Aunt Ashley and her family, and Aunt Andrea and her family. We had people in every bed and a few beds on the floor, shoes all over, and lots and lots of food. We haven't had that many visitors at one time before, but it was great. We welcome anyone who is traveling through this area.