DECEMBER...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Rose made herself a house for some merry pre-Christmas Play.

A Christmas Eve 'Harry Potter' party.  (Which Sam slept through). 

Sam's Elmo Slippers

That's applesauce in Rose's mouth.

Rose on Christmas Eve -- a little excited!

First snowball fight 

Cleaning the yard

Jumping in Manila

More jumping

Even more jumping

The kids hole in the ground at 2/3 occupancy capacity

Filling the hole

Christmas Tree!

Matthew's first piano performance

Matthew with his teacher Amy Gabbitas

Recent Family Portraits

The "Tree" - see this weeks letter for full details.

Here are a few pictures from our house at Thanksgiving. We had a delightful time with those family close enough to get here. On Friday we took one of our favorite hikes even though the winds or Wyoming were competing with the winds of Utah and the temperatures were not high. The sun was out though and the children do not even seem to notice cold or wind. Even the youngest were determined to make it one their own. Another favorite past time is the digging of holes to China in the back yard. This years was a doozy, large enough to hold six children at once. It certainly keeps children occupied and again they don't seem to even notice the cold.

Poetry Hour

From the Year of Poetry project of 2008 

Poem 279

Biological processes

wrap a tight-loose frame

around an entity formed in forges

far from what we are,

yet not so far.

These processes bind and build

and re-create the mold

and maker,

the master craftsman.

Poem 280

In our inner self we find

no star to shine

that could rid us of darkening doubt

until we reach so far inside

that we grasp 

that which is without

and draw it in

to cleanse us.

Poem 286

All color shines in white

Purity isn't just absence of sin.

It is the presence of all wholesome things.

All color, all beauty, all music

capped with truth

shod with valor

and wrapped in peace.