Ward Christmas Party

The Ward Christmas Party was a success this year.  They had delicious waffles and bacon which the boys devoured.

My favorite part was that they had different service stations that allowed for everyone, including little kids, to do some service.  The kids wiped down all the toys in the nursery, decorated cookies for friends, and wrote Christmas cards for the missionaries from our ward.  Brian also donated most of his money to the sub-for-Santa project.  He was so excited to have the opportunity to serve others!  He's such an example to me!

Sami Claus Party

My parent's annual Sami Claus Party, celebrating the Swiss-German Sami Claus day, was of course a big hit with the boys again this year! 

The kids stood on the porch singing songs as they waited for him to walk all the way from Switzerland!

Sami Claus told Timmy that he was doing a good job using the toilet and that he needs to work on learning how to whisper at church.  Timmy was so excited to get a stocking full of toys and goodies after agreeing to use a quiet voice in Sacrament Meeting.

Sami Claus told Brian that he has been so good at doing his homework and reading, but that he needs to remember not to whine when it is bedtime.  Several night since then Brian mentioned he was not going to whine at night because Sami Claus told him not to.

 How did he know that pandas are the hot ticket item at our house?  Both Brian and Timmy got several each to add to their panda collection!

I love the Sami Claus party.  It brings back memories of the parties we had when I was little with all my Cannon cousins!  Thank you Mom and Dad and Sami Claus!

Snow, Snow, Snow

With the exception of a few weeks of bitter cold and filthy air outside, the outdoor time this month for the boys has been a blast.  They love the snow!

Getting them each their own snow shovels last year has become one of my favorite purchases for them. They don't actually help remove that much snow from the driveway, but they sure love to dig through the piles making holes and walkways, and rooms, and Timmy was even making what he called "drawers" the other day.

I gladly welcome the snow storms!  Each one brings clean air, beauty all around and so much fun for the kids!

Brian - Student of the Month

Brian was chosen as Student of the Month for November from his class at school.  He was so excited!  He got to eat pizza and donuts with the school Principal, and his picture is hung in the hallway with a little paragraph his teacher wrote about him.

Thanksgiving

 This year we talked a lot about being thankful in Primary and in our November Family Home Evenings. I like listening to the boys name things they are thankful for.  My favorite was when Timmy was at preschool, on a day that I happened to be helping, and his teacher had each child name something they are thankful for and wrote it down on the turkeys each child made.  When he was asked what he was thankful for, Timmy said, "Ummm, I'm thankful for God."  It was a melt my heart moment.  I too am thankful for God and all that he has given us and I'm grateful I have the opportunity to teach Brian and Timmy about Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Gospel.  We are so blessed in so many ways!

Just before Thanksgiving, Mark found a great deal (probably because not very many people are buying bikes right now), on a beautiful Cannondale Synapse road bike for me.  I have never owned a road bike, but I've been thinking it might be a good hobby/skill to learn.  I am so lucky to have Mark who is willing to find the best bike for me, to get me all set up with it, to help me learn how to ride it, and to fix things on it and improve it. He could definitely own his own bike shop. I love it!  I am a total rookie when it comes to road biking and like any new physical skill for me it will probably take me a long time to figure it out, if I ever really do.  But, I really really enjoy riding this thing.  It is so comfortable, and smooth, and fast, and way more fun than running.  I seriously cannot wipe the smile from my face when I am riding it.  Having the right bike really does make a difference in the enjoyment of a bike ride!  I could go on and on about how happy I am with my early Christmas present!  I was not expecting to love it so much!

I took it out on the road for the first time early on Thanksgiving morning.  I went by myself early while Mark watched the kids.  I just did a nine mile familiar route to test it out. We had planned on a family bike ride on the Jordan River Parkway with some of Mark's family Thanksgiving morning, but Brian was having a hard time the night before listening and going to bed and after lots of warnings we decided he needed to stay home from the family ride.  So I went on my own ride first thing in the morning and then I stayed home with Brian while Mark took Timmy to the Jordan River Parkway for the Hsiao bike ride. It did really help Brian to think deeply about pushing our buttons, and it gave me extra time to make the dinner rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.


After the bike ride, the boys had a nice little nap, and then we headed over to Mark's parent's for the Thanksgiving feast and a sleepover! We loved having great weather to burn off some energy (and calories) outside.

 Don't these cousins look so excited for Thanksgiving?

The food was delicious. . .

 and the company even better!

After dinner we had a few epic Ping-Pong battles.  Watching Mark and Jake play each other is always entertaining and difficult to capture in pictures because they and the ball move so fast!

I love how far away from the table they get while playing each other.  They make Ping-Pong look so cool and I would pick watching them play it over watching football on Thanksgiving every year!

The next generation of Hsiao Ping-Pong stars is up and coming!  Watching Brian and his cousin play each other was a very sweet Thanksgiving moment. We also played some rounds of pool, seen in the background.


The kids built apple turkeys and drew pictures together. The whole day was a fun family time for us.

We stayed overnight and enjoyed talking with Mark's parents during the calm before the adults went to sleep.  The next morning for me was one of the best times I had this Thanksgiving holiday.  Mark's parents watched Brian and Timmy, while Mark and I went on the perfect bike ride together.  Mark gave me tips on biking with other riders and demonstrated how to ride safely in traffic.  He pushed me hard, which is what I needed and we ended up riding over twelve miles in under an hour.  For Mark that wasn't fast or long at all, but for me it was perfect for my second time out on my bike.  It was so fun and I am glad I got a really good ride in with him before the snow came!  After that we went home and Mark finished selling the Rialta RV while the kids played in the backyard one of the last times without it covered in snow.

 To celebrate the final sale of the RV and a fabulous holiday, we went to Outback where the boys consumed unbelievable amounts of bread and cheese fries and Mark and I had our favorite steaks.  And that sums up our delightful Thanksgiving holiday!