Finally We Had Enough Snow...

Saturday AM we awoke to about 8 inches of fresh powder.  After last winter's drought, I decided we would not pass up the opportunity to be out in it. So, after a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, we loaded up the dudes and headed to the local sledding hill at about 9:30, hoping to beat the crowd. We lucked out. 

A few years ago we graduated to the "big" sledding hill (the older kids could no longer be entertained on the beginner hill we used to visit). And, true to that classic observation about younger siblings picking things up more quickly than their older counterparts, the little brothers have not missed a beat. They jump in with gusto.

There's no better way to spend a Saturday before Christmas.

The whole bunch before we dove in. (Noble was just about to get busted for putting that snow down Tillman's coat......which put a brief damper on the fun.    ...he he he... ) 

The boys of winter

Grace giving Abner a push on the swings at the top of the hill.

Happy (snotty) camper.

The Hoffman's joined us just before we left. The more the merrier! 

Noble tearing it up.

Jess and Sully traveling at about mach 1 down the hill. Sully LOVED every minute of sledding!

Hiking up

Tillman getting ready for his run.

Abner was such a good sport. YeeHaw!!!

Noble, the awesome big brother, giving Sully a lift on the way back up.

This just about sums up the morning. Yay for winter!

Christmas in Paradise

After months of prep, all the stars aligned for a really amazing evening for the Country Crossing 8th Ward. The event exceeded all our expectations for attendance. Last year we set up enough tables for about 250, and didn't fill them all. So, this year we set up enough for just about 225 people. We literally didn't have enough seats for everyone who came. That was a first. Our ward is on the small side, but I am pretty sure we had close to 300 people there. Lots of people from the neighborhood. So much fun.

Our Tiki totem entryway

The "Santa Room" - with candy leis for the children

A highlight of the festivities: the Tiki Hut Juice bar, where the YW served up delicious umbrella bedecked slushies.

The stage ready for the entertainment.

There was a lot of Polynesian dancing, and hula hooping (Mike got to show off his skillz). The food was AWESOME (almost all of it was eaten up). Everyone laughed a lot, so, think it was a success. I am sorry I don't have any pictures from the actual party. It was too crazy.

And the best news of all? We are NOT in charge next year!

A Whole Lotta Drama

I am trying to keep up with the blog. Not very effectively. 

In the past month we've had kids in two different theatrical performances.

Grace's 5th grade class put on A Midsummer Nights Dream. She played Snug and a very convincing lion. Unfortunately (and par for the course with me), I left my camera at home that day. You'll have to take my word for it. She was awesome!

Jessie's after-school theater group put on their performances the last week in November. It was a musical tribute to the silent film era: "When 'Silents" Was Golden". She played Mary Pickford ("America's Sweetheart", as she had a habit of reminding us). Mike and I attended the opening night performance, along with my mom, my niece, and Mike's dad. Other than some technical difficulties with the lighting board, it was fantastic. Mike and I couldn't make it to the second performance, but the word on the street is that it was even better! Mike's parents, my brother and his family, and a bunch of Jessie's friends were there to represent that night. Jess did a great job. 

That girl likes to perform. I really don't know where she gets it.

Here she is, opening night, doing her "damsel in distress" on the railroad tracks scene:

MVI 6088 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

A clip of the finale, just as my battery was dying:

MVI 6092 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

In other dramatic news...

I have been helping to plan the ward Christmas party (again) this year. This kind of thing makes me stressed. I was not born with a gift for party planning. But with a lot of qualified help I am hoping that it will come together again this year. With all that goes into these things, I almost feel like we should be working for Disneyland or something, ...creating elaborate worlds.   

The theme this year is "Christmas in Paradise" aka: a luau. 

Imagine: A grass tiki hut juice bar (picture little umbrella drinks while people arrive and mingle), deluxe luau food (thanks to Kris Kemp and crew), live ukulele music, Santa in a Hawaiian shirt & Bermudas, handing out candy leis to all the good little girls and boys, various Polynesian dances from the YM, the YW and the Primary, and a reverent video presentation about the birth of Christ from the point of view of those in the New World, to round out the evening. In my basement I have cardboard tiki totem poles, spears & surfboards. We have inflatable flamingos (not Polynesian, but whatever...),  fishing nets, pool noodle palm trees, giant tissue paper flowers, and even Polynesian nativity sets (don't ask)....etc.

This all goes down tomorrow. I will let you know how the evening of magic turns out.    

Break a leg!

Checking In

Here's a little glimpse of life for us since last I surfaced. Life moves pretty fast around here.

After their glorious victory, Noble and his team got to visit a local sports radio station, where they were interviewed about their killer season. A few days later we all had a fantastic time at his team banquet. 

The coach initially handed out these little trophies (as a joke)...

...and then brought out the goods...these nearly life-sized trophies for the champions.

trophy from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

 Afterward, with some of his football spoils.

And with that, the season was officially OVER. We've come a long way. What a pleasure it was.

Thanksgiving (this year it was "Hanksgiving" again -  coinciding with my nephew's birthday.)

We gathered at our house again this year. And started a new tradition. My mom comes up with the coolest stunts. She read the story of the "Discontented Pumpkin" (everyone kept misspeaking, calling it the "dis-CONNECTED pumpkin" ha ha) about a pumpkin with a bad attitude that meets a bad end.

We re-enacted the conclusion of the story:


the discontented pumpkin drop from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

Mom gathered (and cleaned) the remnants to make into pumpkin pie filling, for next Thanksgiving. Ha ha ha. Not sure if the kids grasped the intended lesson from this dramatization, but it was super fun. Let's do it again next year. Smashing pumpkins. (Digression, just because this quote came up repeatedly over the holiday:  "Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins. Homer Simpson, Smiling politely." -one of the best lines in TV history. From the Lallapalooza episode of The Simpson's.)

What else?
Noble's Court of Honor. (Receiving his First Class)

Christmas prep. 

The last few years Mike has given in and let us get our tree as soon as Thanksgiving was over. We've had pretty good luck with the trees staying fresh. This year may be our last with a REAL tree. (I know. Sacrilege.) It is just so hard to justify shelling out $50-$80 a year. So I was determined to get the kind of tree I wanted this year (usually I defer to the majority on stuff like this)...just in case I never get the chance again. Years ago Mike's Dad converted me to the open / candlestick variety of Noble Fir. I think some people think they look like Charlie Brown trees. I think they are lovely, with their natural, unshaven branches. They look real. We found a perfect, not-too-fat 8 footer. It's my favorite ever.

This year I picked up this advent calendar at IKEA and filled it with treats and good deeds for the kids to do for each day. We'll see how it works out. 

I love the way it looks on the landing shelf.

One more random snap shot. We came home from shopping on Saturday to find this note posted in the butter. Rather than just throw it out, Grace devised this method to warn us all of the danger. Ha ha ha.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

A Vote for No Change, Followed by A Change in the Weather, and the Making of Champions

**Disclaimer - before you start reading - this is a mega-post, and all over the map. But it's good stuff!**

Mike worked hard this past Election Day as a poll manager. Ahead of the election he had several training sessions, spent hours prepping the voting roles, and set-up the night before. On election day he was at the poling place from 6 AM until 9 PM.   Everyone should have the experience of working an election. It is such a fundamental and important way of serving in a free society where we all have a moral duty to help carry the load of governance, helping people to exercise their agency.  We take so much for granted.

The night before Election Day. More prep work.

 Speaking of Election Day...I know I am not the only one who found it hard to sleep Tuesday night. The presidential election was a big disappointment for approximately half of the country (at least among those who bothered to vote), myself included. Not the kind of disappointment that goes away the next day. The kind that fills you with foreboding. Life goes on...but down a path I hoped it wouldn't go. Still, I am an optimist. I believe all things work together for the (eventual) best. So, onward (not so much "Forward") - remembering to pray for our leaders.

Bringing us to Thursday...when the weather looked like this...

70-ish degrees. One last mowing.

Only to wake up Friday to this...

30-ish degrees. The first snowmen of the season.

And then on to Saturday, which looked like this...

Holy smokes, what a day! Noble's team played their championship game in whiteout conditions with over a foot of fresh snow on the ground.  

I am telling you, this was the best day of football ever! 

Sidelines lined with huddled die-hard fans trying to stay warm, dads working to shovel the yard lines before the game just so the players and refs would know where they were (Mike was soaked with sweat after that), hot chocolate,  players slogging through deep snow every play (sometimes the snow did the tackling), fumbles, face-masks packed with snow after a tackle, warming the game ball over propane heaters to try to keep it flexible, cold feet, and a championship shut-out to show for it at the end of the 4th. 

Bingham - 19.  Bountiful -0.

Chillin' on the sidelines. (Beth was awesome! 8 months pregnant - in a snow storm...to watch a football game. Love her.)

Noble on a tackle.

White-washing.

Noble - gunner on kick-off team.

Super fans - Cousin Hal and Grandma Sullivan. Casey and Helen and their posse were troopers!

Celebrating another touchdown.

Noble in pursuit.

Post game with Coach.

More dedicated fans - some from out of town. Thanks to everybody who came! We had a blast!

CHAMPIONS

Brothers

Time to bring it down...

***Now, I know when we started down this road I was hesitant about football. I worried, and wondered about the wisdom of Noble's choice. In retrospect, would we do this football thing again? Was it worth it to let Noble fulfill this dream? Absolutely. Everything about this season and this experience was meant to be. Amazing things happen when you let kids choose and grow. I am just glad I was along for the ride. (It has been So much FUN!)

Thank you, Noble. You are a champion.