A Little Road Trip

There's nothing quite like running away for a day with some girlfriends is there? Yesterday I was lucky enough to do just that when four of us took a trip to Wales to see the taping of the TV show Britain's Got Talent. I must confess, I have never seen the show before, but when your friend has free tickets and offers a fun day out and an opportunity to see just how bright Simon Cowell's pearly whites are, who could refuse? Not me!  When James and I go to Wales we are usually driving straight past Cardiff to visit his family, so it was lovely for me to go and see the city.  The bay was beautiful, especially as the sun was setting:

I did get to see Mr Cowell's pearly whites (very bright) and I also discovered that Simon has 3 tube lights hidden into his side of the judges desk to give him better lighting....it topped all my assumptions about his vanity!  I have to say my favourite judge was David Walliams, he was hilarious and gave Simon a run for his money.  I enjoyed most of the acts that auditioned, there was some talent to be found in Cardiff after all.  I guess this means I'll have to watch the show when it airs now!

Hanging Out

I am currently killing time surfing the web on my phone in Mum's attic. I've thrown so many things down to the landing that there is no room for me to retreat down the ladder! It's fun finding old photos and junk, such memories! Mum and dad are downsizing so I get to do one of my favourite things: throwing away and organising!

Monday's Smile Lines

Rosie: 'Mummy, in the olden days when you were little, was there any electricity?'
Me: 'Of course, I'm not THAT old!'
Rosie: 'Well, did you have hair dryers?'

Unafraid

I don't really make specific new year resolutions, instead I usually assess the things I have achieved over the past year, where I am now and where I want to be.  For the last six weeks or so, I have had a line of the song Winter Wonderland constantly running through my head: 'To face unafraid the plans that we made.'  I have sung these words in my mind (much to my annoyance) for so long, but this week I finally realised why.  It is because I need to be unafraid.  This surprised me at first because I didn't think I was afraid of much, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised I was wrong.  Fear has been holding me back.

I am afraid people may get the wrong impression of me.
I am afraid to see myself in photos.
I am afraid I'm not a good enough mother or wife.
I am afraid of upsetting others.
I am afraid when I teach at church.
I am afraid to start selling the things I make.
I am afraid to fail.
I am afraid people think I'm unhealthy due to my weight.
I am afraid that what I say/think isn't interesting to others.
I am afraid of...

...oh, the list goes on.  The list needs to stop.  I can be brave for my children, my husband, by beliefs, my friends.  I need to be brave for me.  I know who I am, I know that I am loved.  I know that I can change. This is the year I shall 'face unafraid.'

Grandma Joyce

Joyce Haskell: 1931-2011

Today is the funeral of Grandma Joyce, she's been in my thoughts all day.  Joyce and Bruce are special grandparents to us, they adopted us as their grandchildren while on a trip to the UK when we were little.  In fact, I don't remember a time they weren't in our lives.  My dad is a foundling and was brought up in foster care so we have no relations from his side of the family.  Joyce and Bruce fulfilled the role of Grandparents and we love them for it.  The distance between our homes may have been far but there were phone calls and packages for birthdays, Christmas, and just about every other occasion worth celebrating, with the odd trip to the UK in between.  The last time I got to hug Joyce was back in 2004 when I was in Utah for Jay and Nathan's wedding, I'm so glad I got to see her again and chat face to face.  I am thrilled Joyce now gets to be with her beloved Bruce, but I'll miss her.

Joyce's obituary (Ventura County Star, December 30, 2011):

Joyce Lorraine Haskell (1931 -2011)

Joyce Haskell, born in 1931 in Omaha, Neb., returned to her Heavenly Father on Dec 21, 2011.  She is survived by her three children, Michael Haskell, Jenneth Mandeville and Teresa Clark, and adopted family, Olive and Francis Holland; 17 grandchildren and 30 plus great-grandchildren who were the joy of her life.  Her husband, Bruce E. Haskell, Jr., preceded her in death six years ago.  A resident of Thousand Oaks for over 40 years, Joyce will be remembered for her love of all things Scottish, prompted by her in-depth research of family genealogy.  She was an active member of Clan Donald and a contributor to the Culloden Battleground Memorial in Scotland; elected as Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.  A memorial service has been planned by the family for all those interested in celebrating Joyce's life.  It will be held at the LDS Church, 3645 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7.  She will be interred at Pierce Brothers Memorial Park.

Joyce had bagpipes at her funeral.  She rocked!

Tuesday's Smile Lines

Noah's front tooth has been wobbling its way through Christmas but wouldn't give up....until today!  He wrote a note for the tooth fairy:

It says: 'Dear tooth fairy my toot was so so wobly that it was hanging out so it fell out.  the end.  From Noah.'

Happy New Year!

Dear Jay,

Last night we spent New Year's Eve at Leah's house with family and the Cockram's.  Amy wore her rather funny Christmas gift from Ian:

Mum led us through the art and skill of darts...I hit the wall to the right of the board more times than I care to admit:

Jason, Jamie and James got down to some Michael Jackson Just Dance on the Wii.  It was comedy gold:

Ben managed to do an entire routine without moving anything but his arm.  He came second out of three!:

The girls rocked a routine:

And that is where my photo taking ends, I forgot to detail the board games and the over-tired children and the midnight singing...but know that we all missed you and wished we could celebrate with you.  See you soon!
Love Naomi xxx

Avoiding The Crazy

There is only so much time one can spend in the house between Christmas and New Year without going insane, so we took the children out for at least half an hour a day this week.  Today's destination was the beach.  Enjoy the explosion of photos from my phone:

Christmas

The 'don't get up too early' request was ignored of course, I eeked out an extra half hour of slumber but caved at 06:30.  We opened the stockings from Santa on our bed:

Well...the boys got too big and found spots on the floor!:

After a chocolate/sweets sugar rush we took the party downstairs, where Rosie won the 'Best Christmas Face' award:

This is how Noah spent most of Christmas:

Ethan is prepared....not sure what for:

After bacon and cream cheese bagels for breakfast we had a short church service which was a lovely break in the morning to remember why we celebrate.  After our huuuuuge Christmas lunch we visited with my parents and Skyped with Jay and her family (oh, I do miss them all, I can't wait to see them soon!).  I am so thankful for this one day of the year when all over the world families and friends come together (whether they be believers or not) to celebrate love.  For that is what the gift of our Saviour is all about.

Holy Night

Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the Christmas season (yes, I even prefer it to Christmas day) and this year was extra special as James wasn't working!  Hooray!  After pottering about the home all morning we took an afternoon walk to Haldon Forest:

We found some ready-made dens:

And had to explore each one:

Can you see the mischief on their faces?:

Fixing a hole:

The sunset arrived so beautifully:

As is tradition, we attended the evening carol service at church.  It was beautiful.  All my favourite hymns were sung, scripture passages were read, trumpets were played (heaven) and a 'Silent Night' that brought tears to my eyes.  We read the Christmas story from the bible at home with the children and then sent them off to bed with strict instructions to go to sleep quickly and 'please don't get up too early!'  Treats were of course left for Father Christmas and the reindeer:

James and I finished up this (very late) evening with festive films and present organising.  Merry Christmas to you all!