Shopping nearly done!

Hello Everyone,

This has been a pretty good few days. Yesterday some people from our ward (the Bruderers) came over and installed hand rails around our bathtub. They did SUCH a good job, and it is something Ben and I surely could not have done ourselves. He's going to come and put another railing up the stairs, too, but he wanted to match the stain, first. I just can't believe all the things our ward has done for us.

And we've had a little "pixie" leaving us 12 days of Christmas treats. Tonight we got "4 calling birds," which were 4 toy cell phones. So cute! The boys have had fun seeing what comes each night.

Last night Ben and I got a babysitter (first time we've gone out by ourselves in... about 9 months I think??), and went Christmas shopping. I had done a good part of it during the week, but we needed to go out together to look at a few things. I am VERY excited about Christmas morning around here. I think our kids will be very happy. But I'm not telling what we're getting, you'll have to wait till Christmas!

The boys have been pretty funny about what they want for Christmas. Friday Joseph told me he wants a puppy and a computer and a phone (um, yeah, I'm really buying my 6-year-old a cell phone!). Brigham wants a kitten (of course, he's been asking for that one for 6 months now), and a race car track. And Mosey? When I have asked him what he wants, he just says, "A glow-in-the-dark thing." So, does anyone know where the "glow-in-the-dark-thing" aisle is at Walmart? I couldn't find it!

As most of you know, we don't do Santa Claus at our house. Not really my choice, but that's how it has ended up. A combination of a husband who doesn't think it is a good idea to baldly lie to our children (I know, I know, bizarre, isn't it :-) ?) and very curious, very literal, very persistent children. But Brigham still *wants* to believe, I can tell. He has been writing stories about Santa and his elves, and we have this Santa advent calendar with little drawers with ornaments that you take out each day. Tonight he went up to the Santa, kissed him, and said, "Thank you Santa for bringing us presents!" Awwww, sweet, isn't he? I do still wish we did Santa at our house, there is such a short time in a child's life when they can believe in magic.

There is a good side to not doing Santa, though. Joseph wrote and illustrated a story this last week called "The Christmas Tree." It reads: "Once upon a time there was a pine tree. It got cut down. Then there was a very important birthday in Bethlehem. They brought the pine tree to Bethlehem and they put on ornaments and a star on top of it. Then they made up the celebration called Christmas and they celebrated it every 25th of December. The End." So, obviously at least Joseph is cognizant of the fact that Christmas is about Jesus's birthday. Although even with that, his literalist streak comes out. He likes to tell us, frequently, that Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas day, but that he was really born on April 6. So I asked him if maybe he'd rather wait until April 6 to open his Christmas presents, but NO, he is still willing to celebrate Christmas in December. LOL!

Today at Church Mosey had a break-through with his drawing skills. As smart a boy as he is verbally, and with reading and math, his representational skills have always been a bit... lacking. I get a chuckle out of seeing his artwork from preschool up on the wall alongside of the other 3-year-olds' artwork. He has enjoyed the "scribbling" stage of artwork very much, and has had no desire to move on to actual representational drawing. But today at Church, he drew a picture of the TV room upstairs, complete with TV, carpet, bookshelves, and people watching the TV. Granted, I'd have no idea that is what the picture was without him translating it for me, but once he pointed out the elements, I could actually sort of see what he was drawing! Wow! I was thinking to myself that I'd have to be sure to save this picture for his scrapbook, when the scribbling urge came over him again and now it is a picture of the TV room pretty much completely obscured by scribbling... Oh well, at least I can record for posterity (since I know his posterity will be totally fascinated by this particular bit of trivia) that on December 16, 2007, Moses Turner made his first representational drawing.

Speaking of drawing, I'm a little frustrated. I've been working with this woman on a drawing she wanted done of her son, to give to her husband. She sent me a photo and told me she wanted pretty much exactly what was in the photo. So I've been working on it the past few weeks, wanting to get it done and sent off before Christmas. I finally finished this weekend, and sent her a picture of it to get the go-ahead (I hoped) to send it off to her. Well, she decided she wants her husband's hand out of the picture, as well as her daughter's face out of the background, and "even though I know he is all wrapped up in a hoodie," she wants his body "more distinct." But the good thing is, at least I got the face "exactly right!" The problem is, I can't make all those changes without starting completely over again. Sigh... I don't disagree with the changes she wants made, in fact I think her husband's hand is quite distracting, and the hoodie a bit too all-consuming. I do kind of like her daughter's face in the background, though. But then why did she want me to use that particular photo?? Oh well. Every time I do one of these drawings, I tell myself I'm not going to do it again because it always ends up being such a hassle and taking me usually 2-3 times longer than it should. It's a good thing I generally enjoy the process. I did tell her I am not going to be able to work on it until after Christmas.

Ok, that's it for tonight. Here begins my week of nervousness as I await word from the cancer center in Washington on whether they want me to come in to be screened for the study. They have all my records and I should hear back from them mid-to-late this week. Hoop #1. We'll see if I get through it.