The Orchard Team Huddle

I thought I would share a little bit of after-Christmas shopping advice that comes from years of experience. 1.   Potpourri may be very inviting when it is half off in the days following Christmas but you really only need one bag per year.  You may say they will make great visiting teaching gifts later on but resist the urge to buy extra.  One bag will do. 2.  When you have a great neighbor gift idea for the next year and decide to stock up on tons of wrapping paper, get your gift out before someone that is more organized than you does the same thing.  You will be stuck with paper to last a lifetime.  I am still begging to give that stuff away. 3.  Gingerbread house kits are already hard so it doesn't matter if you buy those a year ahead! 4.  The best way to decorate a 10 ft. tree is a little each year.  I started 8 years ago and it is almost as full as I would like it!  Just don't get too close to the sides and back.  I spend about $20 a year at after-Christmas sales and as s...

A Christmas Eve tradition that is almost as fun as Christmas morning. Dear Santa, I hope you like the puzzle me, my mom, my dad, Douglas, my Grandma, Charity, and Parker made. It took a very long time for us to finish it. Your treat is a browny and some milk. We hope you like it From, Stockton It has been a long time since Santa showed up with something as fun as this! "I always wanted a Twisty Bug!" The perfect stocking stuffer. This "Baby's First Christmas" thing is so much fun. This is what our house still looks like!  We have been playing Mario Kart and Wii Fit for 3 days now.  Ahh, Christmas.  

So I woke up this morning and realized that I didn't get a picture of Mason with Santa.  My boys hate sitting with Santa.  They are terrified of him.  So, it somehow slipped my mind that Mason may just tolerate him this year.  He is too young to know better and next year may be too late. Besides, I had a save $10 on your $10 purchase at JCPenny's. I begged the boys to go.  I even offered to buy them 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.  I think the chance that I may make them stand by Santa was not worth the reward of lunch.  They stayed home.  I should have known when I got to the mall that I had made a big mistake.  There was not a parking spot to be found and I was about 4th in line for the next one to open.  I was thrilled when I finally got a spot about 5 rows farther than I would have liked but at least it was a spot.  I opened the back of the car to find that some really nice family member of mine decided to unload the stroller for me.  I am not sure when that happened but I was st...

18 years ago today Russell and I were married at 8:30 a.m. in the Salt Lake Temple on the record breaking coldest day of the year.  I must start off by saying I am so sorry to my mom and dad for getting married 4 days before Christmas.  I was the oldest of 6.  My dad had just been shot in a hunting accident and had been in the hospital a month prior to that.  My mom had to deal with my dad, Christmas, and this wedding all at the same time.  Now that I am a mom I realize how that just might have been her ticket to the funny farm but she did a great job and I love her so much!  Also, 8:30 am is not a great time for people to have to be to a wedding but we only had an 8 week engagement so there weren't a lot of options.  When you are young and in love, those things don't really matter to you! We had a wonderful ceremony followed by freezing cold pictures.  I would take my coat off for the shot and immediately put it right back on.  It was miserable to say the least.  We had soup ...

It was a much anticipated night.  Russell and I even talked about going to the game.  It was possibly the last game in Texas Stadium.  I have never been there but have loved the Cowboys my whole life.  We decided we best not spend the money right now and planned for a cozy evening at home.  Game time 6:00.   BYU game time 6:00.  The Jazz also played tonight.  We were bummed when we found out everything would happen at the same time.  We choose to watch the Cowboys and bounce around during breaks.  At halftime, all was well for each team.  We were in it.  A possible sweep for all of our boys.  Now we sit dumbfounded.  How did all 3 games slip away?  Cowboys, creamed.   BYU , disappointing. The Jazz, lost it in the end.  Now I am grateful our agony did not stretch on all day.  Not quite the evening we had planned :(.

Earlier this week I had a really amazing time shopping.  I carefully wrote out my list, checked it twice, making sure I wasn't naughty but nice, and headed to the grocery store!  I know the last thing most of you want to do is go grocery shopping but for me, this is sometimes one of the most exciting things I can do.  I am really bummed that our mail now comes after 5:00 p.m.  I used to gather my mail at lunchtime on Tuesday afternoons and sit and mull over the grocery ads as I ate my chicken salad crackers and savored my Diet Pepsi.  I would have the entire afternoon to ponder the things that I needed to get and even had time to run to Reams if there was something exciting.  Their ad runs from Tuesday to Monday while the other's run from Wednesday to Tuesday.  I have had to adjust a little since the mail comes so late but luckily my sister still gets her's early and she is good to call if something catches her eye.   After surveying the ad, I look through my "coupon ...

There have been signs of it all around in his bedroom, in his voice, in his hobbies, in his smell and in his attitude but it is now official. This sweet little baby boy has turned into a teenager! I know what you are thinking, "Russ and Jenny look way too young for that!" I know, I know but nonetheless, Douglas celebrated his 13th birthday today. Hard to believe. I offered to come have lunch with him yesterday at the school like I always have in the past and he graciously declined. Then I offered to bring it there and he could meet me in the parking lot. That would be a no! Then I had the best idea of all...a vending machine lunch. I gave him $5 only to have his favorite machine keep 2 of them with nothing in return and he brought me $2 in change. My great idea turned into quite a bummer! He has always loved surprises and wanted me to pick out his gifts on my own. I must say with the help of Russell we were able to please! A new catcher's mitt, a video game, some clothes ...

I am happy to announce that Mason rolled from front to back today!  He just needed a little public pressure I guess.  He managed to get himself over but no one really saw how he did it.  A minute later we were able to witness him in the act spurring on an eruption of cheers from his adoring fans.  He seemed pretty proud of himself or we looked really ridiculous!

Today we celebrate Mason's 6 mo. birthday. I know that is not an "official" occasion to mention but in babytime, it is quite a milestone. It is hard to understand unless you have been there what it feels like to yearn for a child. For years I had felt that our family was not complete but did not have the power to do anything about it. I spent many hours praying, pondering, going to the temple and hoping. I even tried to convince myself that the two wonderful boys I had were blessings enough. I just couldn't shake it. With losing our Lincoln and losing a baby at 4 1/2 months last summer it seemed I might just have to move on. How excited I was to find out that Mason was on his way! I was not a bit disappointed when we found out he was a boy. As fun as a girl would have been, how could I possibly be sad? There was always that thought in the back of my mind that I would never actually get him here safely. I had very guarded hope. It was so amazing to hold him...

I believe that all of us have decorations with stories to tell. As I pulled some of my favorites out today so many wonderful memories flooded my mind. My mom had one of these Avon Pomanders when we were kids. My grandma sold Avon so we had many of their collectables. It smelled so good and we loved getting it out every year. I don't know exactly how it took place but several years ago my brother, Dallas, went on a hunt to get all of us one of these. I know he ended up getting at least one of them from the DI. They are tattered and old and worn but still have the slightest scent from our childhood memories. I couldn't love it more. This is the plastic canvas sled my grandma made for me at least 15 years ago. She is too old to see well enough and her hands are too sore so she will never make another one. Simply priceless. A card that my aunt Dena painted for me the year I was married. I cherish this. She had 2 boys of her own so I was like her little girl. I mention...

December 2008 Dear Family and Friends, I always love this time of year so I can catch up with so many of you that we don't get the chance to see. 2008 was such an exciting year for our family! Russell is still working for Coldwell Banker running their training program and sells as well. It is a rough market to be in right now but a great time to buy. Give him a call if you are looking for an investment property! He is serving on our Stake High Council and is diligently studying Spanish so he can be more effective in his assignments with the Spanish Ward. In retrospect he really wishes he would have done that in High School but German seemed so much more exciting J . He is coaching the boys in Jr. Jazz. He also spent the past year coaching Douglas' baseball team but has stepped down in order to give Stockton a few years. He looks forward to helping with his team in the spring. I (Jenny) have taken on a whole new responsibility being the mother of our new little boy, Mas...