PHEW!

What can I say?  Twas the season…and when the day comes and goes, so does my energy level.  The ride on the shuttle up North took an hour longer…stupid road crews filling pot holes held up traffic for a solid hour.  Oh well, I made it to SLC (Midvale) and to the kids by 9:30ish Thursday night.  The “Little Rascals” were all soundly asleep.

Mike and Camille had last minute shopping to do on Friday so we watched the “Little Rascals”.

Camille of course made sure there was plenty to eat, all the time.  I didn’t do a thing…again.  Just played with the kids.

The beds…oh the BEDS.  They turned out soooo darn cute.  Bob and Mike put them together on Thursday so that Friday morning the kids could be surprised and sleep in them on Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a little detail work to be done around the edges…..I think these turned out sooo darn cute!

 

Lauren didn’t waste a minute climbing into the bunk…she decided she wanted the bed on top…

 

 

 

 

What little girl wouldn’t just absolutely be thrilled to have a dream cottage in their bedroom!

Lauren immediately wanted to fill the shelves with “stuff”.  The bottom where the bed could go…will be used for play area…she already has bumped her head…but they learn to duck once they do it a few times LOL.

 

 

There are a few touch ups to do….but that will come once Christmas excitement is over…

 

Owen and Ryan were very excited to see their Bunk House…so darn cute…

 

 

Owen claimed the top bunk and that is ok with Ryan…he isn’t much of a climber anyway, the next day they decided to moved the bunk to the other wall…to open up the window…Owen loves his new bunk house…

 

Christmas Day it didn’t take long to stash his goods up on the top bunk..and fill the shelves will all his cowboy stuff.  I am waiting for the house to be adorned with his bull horns…Ryan is ok with whatever, he is more into the Wii than into a bunk bed LOL

 

 

 

Oh except maybe dropping toys out of the window of the top bunk, that is always exciting to see how or who it will land on LOL

 

 

Even the inside of the top bunk left nothing out, it is beautifully made!  This is the “empty” bunk..Owen hadn’t stashed his “stuff” yet…

 

 

It didn’t take long to figure out that even little feet could make me smile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of smiles ….

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve the children opened presents from each other..Lauren loved her purple horse…

Owen was excited for Lauren

Hugs were plentiful and spontaneous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They really love each other and honestly it is fun to see how much!  Brothers can be the best of friends…

Christmas morning was insane….there was a remote controlled monkey on Ryan’s shoulder (Ryan loves anything that is remote controlled and he can mimic, or better yet will talk back to him by command… along with a giant “big foot” that he memorized the commands within an hour or less.

This child is amazing…

 

 

 

 

 

There was plenty of excitement, I was a bit overwhelmed….I didn’t know what I wanted to play with…

 

 

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There was coloring to do….babies to be fed and cowboy belt buckles to be worn proudly!

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silly games to be played (what a good sport)(put dark candy wrapper on the top of your teeth to make it look like you have no teeth) I about laughed myself to death..EGGS to be gathered…lips to be glistened with sparkly gloss…in 5 different flavors of course on top of each other..

 

Bunnies to be taken care of and baby bunnies to find hidden in holes, chickens to be fed….work doesn’t stop just because it is Christmas on a farm…

Goodbyes are never easy to say to the “Little Rascals”.  But we needed to get home so that we could hand out more presents to the other Higgins clan…and I could get ready to go to work on Monday…I was not very excited about that at all.

 

 

 

Kinlee loved playing with the paper…

 

 

 

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Koltyn and Kyler had a wonderful Christmas just like all the other children.  Being a grandmother of 8 is a blessing…and a curse at Christmas, so we have made things simple….I know why my mother just handed out checks!  There were 14 of us with our spouses and 23 grandchildren!   Where have the days gone of grandmas giving out PJ’s?  I like that idea….I think I better bring that one up for next year……

Well another year gone……….I look forward to 2011….new adventures with my sweetheart….better health….NO SURPRISES and I AM NOT GIVING ANOTHER DOCTOR ANOTHER PENNY!

I hope and pray that is……….

on that note….PHEW sure am happy this one is over…..

HAPPY NEWER YEAR EVERYONE!

Countdown!

ok ok here I am again, and it is just 2 days before Christmas.  Incredible isn’t it?  That I am posting another one?  Well that is what happens when I am totally bored out of my mind at work!  Good thing the boss doesn’t read this!  I just wanted to post what my Mr. Higgins(es) have been doing.  You know… the “Little Rascals” up North in Erda where I am headed this afternoon on a Shuttle.  Never done this before and I know it will be full.  The Shuttle I mean.  Full of people I don’t know.  A 5 hour drive.  I hope I don’t get stuck in the very back…I am afraid to eat anything.   I have never sat in the back of a vehicle for a long time…hope it is comfortable.  I wonder it they thought I was weird if I started taking pictures LOL.  Anyway, my son Mike e-mailed me these pictures last week

 

A cute bed with a loft on top for Lauren to put her toys and princess “stuff”

 

 

 

 

A bunk bed for Owen and Ryan, pretty cute huh

so Mike sad, “hey dad can you come up a week early and let’s make these beds for the kids for Christmas…

So Huh-honey went up last Saturday.  Mike went to the furniture store and indiscreetly took measurements and with the photo he had, within hours this is what they came up with…  I am telling you that husband and son of mine are incredible!  Owen wanted to be a part of the making of whatever they were doing in the garage.  Now this was suppose to be a secret.  Owen could help measure and do things that little guys can do…but had no idea what the end result would be.  When Bob and Mike needed to put it all together to see if it was going to work Owen was very upset because he had to go in the house.  I am talking VERY UPSET.  He just wants to be in the garage with dad and papa…doing…whatever they are doing.  Then the next day he overheard Mike telling a friend that the beds were coming along…so Owen told Camille my DIL that he knew dad’s secret but please don’t tell dad that he knows he doesn’t want dad to be sad that he knows the secret…Owen is playing along know…and Mike knows…..LOL

So the next day after un assembling the bed which will be painted and other finish work added…Owen was in his element once again.

They gave him a real drill and put him to work…

And part of making a lot of dust and mess you have to clean up too.  Ryan is the one all bundled up and Owen is the one with gloves on and no coat.  Papa and Dad were  not wearing coats so Owen didn’t need to wear one either. The pieces are a puzzle right now.  That’s all…a giant puzzle. The kids even got to help paint the puzzle…

 

 

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While Camille (she is amazing!) got into the router-ing part of the finish work…

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Yes this is my DIL…there isn’t anything this young lady won’t do or try…and she is good at it…then the night before last she had another brain storm……to add a few more embellishments to Lauren’s bed….Bob doesn’t look too thrilled in this picture and Mike looks real thrilled LOL but believe me…Bob was happy with the results…thank goodness it is done…

This is a picture that needs to be framed to remind Bob how much fun he was having LOL.  I love you honey and I know the kids really appreciate your hard work!  It is going to be amazing when they are all done and put together….

The count down begins!  And I will be there tonight to rub your feet and sore back….. (kiss, kiss)!

Thank you Mikie for putting me on the shuttle……(I think)! I can’t wait to spend Christmas with your little family again!

I am missing these 2 girls really badly this Christmas….

Madison and Brooklyn and of course their mommy Natalie (which I don’t have a picture of except an old one)

 

 

 

And I will be home on Sunday to see these cuties

 

Our sweet Kinlee who loves to rip off ornaments from Oma’s tree and try and eat them

 

 

 

Don’t you just LOVE those cheeks!

 

 

Kolytn, our little stinker who is so much like his daddy….OH BOY did that kid  (Brad) keep me on my toes… and I say “what goes around, comes around”

 

Kyler our little man…who is growing so fast into all of his almost 8 years!

Where does the time go?

I will be looking forward to the New Year and all that it may bring.  All the happiness these sweet children bring into my life…I am so blessed. 

 

 

 

 

I need to keep this guy healthy so we can continue to enjoy all of the above….

 

 

 

PS I am so glad I am off all those steroids….my poor triple chin and chunky face has not made for pretty pictures….slowly getting back to double chin instead of triple!  of which a turtle neck doesn’t even hide it!  LOL

OK..this is my last post until after Christmas…have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The desert can be wet….

It hasn’t stopped raining for 4 days now.  On the way home from work last night I stopped and took some pictures of the Virgin River, which on a daily basis is just a tiny little stream…but not anymore.

this has become news worthy in this town and also across the state of Utah…

 

 

 

large, very large branches and trees flow down the Virgin River

 

 

the bike and walking trail is closed because it is covered by the river now

 

 

the deer that usually live in the brush will have to find another home, probably in someone’s yard…

 

The rain did not stop….so I skipped out of work and took some more pictures of the Virgin River from another point.  The water is coming from Zions National Park.  5 years ago 13 homes were lost along the bank of the river… Millions of dollars was spent supporting the banks with lava rock which is holding it together….for now….there is usually just a teeny tiny stream in here.  But not today…and it hasn’t peaked yet.

there is a lot of debris floating along…

 

 

 

 

A helicopter overhead is taking pictures of a bridge that crumbled into the flow…

 

 

 

 

THIS WATER IS VERY POWERFUL….I hope and pray that people are smart enough to stay far away…

It hasn’t yet peaked to the top of this bridge, if it does I will have to find another way home…

I will go back to this spot after work to see if there is a park left on the other side of the river…

Coming to work this morning, even this critter….stopped traffic, I thought it looked like a HUGE RAT, so I called it a river rat….I have NO idea what it was…but no one wanted to run it over…it was UGLY.

where the river is flowing…use to be a golf course.  The city decided this would be a GREAT place to build an entrance onto the I-15 freeway.  The city has been working on this entrance for 6 months now and it was to open in January.  YA THINK they may  have to change their mind now and just BAG the new freeway entrance?  DUH.  I wonder how much the city engineers got paid for thinking this one up?  In the path of the RIVER????

On a brighter note.  I thought I would end this post with a more uplifting image and verse that I wrote several years ago.  I posted this last year but it is worth reading once again. 

(2004) I woke up in the middle of the night. A melody kept going over and over in my head. I am not musical. I don’t play an instrument, I can’t read music, but a melody kept playing in my head. I tried to ignore it. I tried to sleep, but it wouldn’t stop. I remember looking at my clock illuminating in the dark, it was after 3 am. I closed my eyes and tried to stop the music. Then lyrics came to my mind. Over and over again, lyrics kept coming to my mind. It wouldn’t stop. OK, ENOUGH I said. I will get up and go to my computer. Ever so quietly, not to wake my Huhoney I crept into the office, and opened up a new screen. I was so tired and I didn’t think to grab my glasses. It didn’t matter, the words were coming so quickly now that I couldn’t stop typing. The music kept on and on and on. The words just spilled from me. I closed my eyes while I was typing because the screen was so bright. That’s ok, I can type very quickly and I don’t need to see what I am typing. I was done. I sighed a huge sigh. I will look at it in the morning I thought to myself. I left my desk and went to my bed, it was after 4 am. I laid my head on my pillow and slept a dreamless sleep. When I awoke in the morning I jumped out of bed and RAN to my computer….to see what I had written. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I began to cry. What had I done? I was typing to frantically last night my fingers were one key over to the left. Yes, every word was a total scramble. There was nothing to my words smf o vpi;frmy frvogrt smuyjomh. This is what every line looked like. Huhoney came to me and asked what had happened and I told him of my night. “Don’t worry” he said, “you will remember, I know you will remember, the spirit will let you remember”. He hugged me. I was so sad. I couldn’t stop thinking, I didn’t want to do anything until I had remembered. Then I prayed. Yep, I prayed. I am not a renowned poet or anything but this was special, the melody was special and I knew I needed to write it down. Even if it is just for myself and my children. Late in the same evening after the day’s events, it all came back to me. This is what I wrote. I wish I could sing you the melody, it is so pretty. But I can’t. I don’t know how to sing! lol

Sleep; sleep my angel, our Prince of Peace,

The son of God, please don’t you cry;

Sleep; sleep my baby sang Mary’s lullaby

A cloudless night, the stars shone bright

A warm wind blew throughout the manger

The beautiful voice of a mother’s song

The son of God born in a stable

A cry rang out so soft and gentle

A mother’s kiss and this babe lay still

As she cradled the infant Christ child

She so sweetly sang this verse

Sleep; sleep my angel, our Prince of Peace,

The son of God, please don’t you cry;

Sleep; sleep my baby, begotten son,

The chosen one, to reign on high

The night was endless dark but bright

As stars glistened through out the night

And one alone shone over head

To lead the way to a manger bed

Mary held her infant son

As tears of joy washed her face so pure

And Joseph smiled as he watched them both

So sweet a sound her voice was heard

Sleep; sleep my angel, our Prince of Peace,

The son of God, please don’t you cry;

Sleep, sleep my baby, sang Mary’s lullaby

All those who came and knelt in awe,

Knew that they saw the son of God;

And though the heavens praised his birth,

Just one voice whispered in the night

So gentle a sound, so soft, so light

Her lullaby touched all who heard

God’s promise had come to earth

Sleep; sleep my angel, our Prince of Peace,

The son of God, please don’t you cry;

Sleep; sleep my baby, King of Kings

Our Lord and Savoir, the chosen one.

12/14/2004 Linda Higgins

Copyright©

Merry Christmas all my Village Friends…and a Happy, Joyful and SAFE New Year.  I will be up North visiting the “little rascals” this Christmas.  I may find time to post more pics of the flood if I get any new ones….

hugs and smiles across the miles

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t wait to celebrate a New Year with all of you!