Chloe's Piano Recital

Chloe did such a great job at her first recital and Stanton was a really great duet partner.  During her second song (We Three Kings), she started off with a mistake and couldn't get past it.  Stanton gently whispered to her, "Let's take a breath and start over."  They did just that and the second time through, she played it perfectly!

Unfortunately, I don't have any video of the second piece and the my filming of the first piece, as you'll see when I get the video on here, was laughable.  The kids were HORRIBLE.  They were just fine until Stanton & Chloe went up to play and then they were evil little monsters.  I'm not even exaggerating, either.  Lily and Brigham started fighting over the movie on the iPhone and Cannon started crying.  What?  And I didn't help matters.  I was in one of those "stress" situations and I let it bring out the worst in me.  I got Cannon out (Thank you, Melanie C!!!!) and went back to Lil and Brig.  I was whisper-yelling, "Shut your mouth.  NOW!  Your sister is playing the piano.  Shut. Your. Mouth."  And guess where we were sitting because we were flying in just in the nick of time?  Yep, the front row.  It was a lovely experience.  *snort*

The video of her performance goes
HERE,
 once I get it from the camera to the computer to here.

Chloe and Stanton really did a fantastic job, though.  And it was fun for Chloe to hear the older kids play their songs.  I think both her performance and theirs really gave her motivation to keep up with piano.

One other thing I wanted to remember was how nervous Chloe was.  She kept looking over at me while the other students were playing and shaking her head with puppy dog eyes.  "I can't do it, Mom.  I can't go up there.  I'll mess up.  What if I forget my songs?"  It was so fascinating to see her nervousness.  She got up and performed her pieces and when the recital was all over, I asked her if she stopped being nervous once she got up there.  She said, "No, I stopped being nervous as soon as I was finished."  She did amazingly well for being so nervous and for being her first ever recital.  Amazing.  We were really proud of her.

They're Back -- And Now It's For Christmas!!

The Kesler fam made a new video, just in time for Christmas!  Woot!

A Lovely Thought During this Season

In preparation for our Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program, I found this lovely piece about the mother of Jesus.
Being Like Mary

Thanks to blogger Karen Edmiston for the inspiring insights.

YaHoo For Pickleville!!!!!!!!

We are great Pickleville Playhouse fans around here.  Stanton and I try to get over to Bear Lake every summer to see the melodrama and we've started taking the kids to the Christmas show they have here in town every year (this year's was "Santa's Elves:  A North Pole Musical").  We took just the girls last year, but the girls begged us to make sure Brigham got to come this time.  Judy and Dave put Cannon to bed at their house.  It was a blast to have a night with the 3 olders.



We met our friends, Dave & Erica Low, and their boys Isaac, Dawson, and Henry.  They left their little baby G home, too.  Aren't these kids cute??!!!

Before the show, the kids had a chance to have a chat with Santa Claus.  Kids these days are too darn smart and the girls especially are so savvy.  They notice that Santa looks different every time they see him and yet still believe with all their hearts.  Standing in line, they asked me if he was the *real* Santa Claus or one of his helpers.  When they noticed his beard was real, they were hopeful he was the real McCoy, or McKringle as it were.  They each had an engaging chat with him and he was delightful.  We were all pretty sure he was the real deal!  I love the interest he is paying each of the children and the connection each of them look to be feeling.  I just love Santa Claus.  He is pure magic.

We got seats on the second row, but Dave & Erica generously let the girls take their 2 front row seats so they could really enjoy every second.  D & E sat by us, as well as Brig, and the big kids all took front and center.  It was magical!!!  (Notice Chloe with her book.  She's such an enigma sometimes.  I loved that she wanted to bring her book along and that she actually read it waiting for the show to start and during intermission).

During the show, the kids got the royal treatment.  The cast members made crazy eye contact with them, sang to them, and even interviewed Chloe as part of the show.  She thought it was really funny that Buster the Elf asked her how many Facebook friends she had.  Whenever she tells the story (which is frequently), she gets the giggles and says, "He asked me how many Facebook friends I have, but I'm a little kid.  Kids don't have Facebook!"  All the attention made the girls feel so special and the show just that much more delightful.

I snapped these photos of the cast while they were chatting with people after the show.  The five of them did the entire show, with just a little (crucial and adorable) help from Lexie, a darling 10 year old girl, and Santa himself.
These 5 folks are so talented.  First of all, to be able to physically endure a production of that magnitude with virtually no rest, to sing and dance and have great comedic timing consistently -- it's remarkable.  Their voices were great, the choreography and dancing were fantastic, and the humor was my favorite kind -- self-deprecating, clever, and clean.  If it's possible, this cast was even better than last year's.
TJ, who is the elf on the bottom right, is also the writer of these productions ( as well as the summer melodrama).  He is crazy mad talented and the fact that the jokes are *his* makes his delivery even more hilarious.


What more can I say about the show?  It perfectly fit the description of the type of entertainment we should be seeking out for our families.  We loved it.
If you live anywhere near Cache Valley (and I mean even Idaho and the Salt Lake area), consider getting tickets to this show.  Your kids will love it and you will, too.  They play from the 3rd to the 23rd and the theatre they perform in is intimate, so there are no bad seats.  To get tickets, you can visit THEIR WEBSITE.

The kids have been quoting lines from the show all week and just can't stop talking about it.  We can't, either.  We just loved it.

I had to snap this picture of the back side of the sign walking back to the car.  He he!  I think we'll pass this time...

Thanks Davis family!!!  We love Pickleville!

Dressing Up

The kids don't have time to dress up as much lately -- particularly the girls.  It was fun to see them get dress-ups on while we were enjoying the Thanksgiving break.  Girls, all 3 of them.  He he.  Cannon makes a cute girl, doesn't he?  That hair.

Aaaaaaand, He's Forgiven.

How could I stay frustrated with this child?  This get up is his own doing and he was singing Jingle Bells at the top of his voice in the van.  Had to snap a picture of his cuteness.  I love that child.

Decking Our Halls

...and turning us grey.

We spent some of Saturday decorating our house for Christmas.  It hasn't been as lovely an experience this year and still isn't done.  Here's some of the evidence of the decorating 'joy.'

I actually like the kids' decorations.  That's sort of fun and festive and little kid magical.  What I don't love is the lack of lights.  Seriously.  We've had this tree for only 3 years and it was not cheap.  1/3 of the lights are out.  The section at the top was out; the section covered by the hats was out, and another large section on the other side was out.  Stanton got really fed up by the whole situation and decided he was going to remove all the lights from the tree.  Yes, 4, 500 lights.  Each one individually clipped to the branch.  We considered taking the tree back, but we know it's just going to happen again, so we worked together (Stanton did most of the work) and got all the lights off.  Tonight we finally got new lights strung.  The kids begged for colored lights, which we were happy to make happen.  I also bought a star for the top of the tree this year.  The days of a pretty decorated tree with white lights and ribbons is behind me -- it's all about the kids now....and I love it.  Christmas is about the kids anyway.

Anyway, while we were decorating on Friday, Cannon kept himself busy.  Gads.  That kid is killing me lately.  He's as cute as ever, but holy cow, he is a mess making machine.  I feel like I'm following him around every second cleaning something up or washing his hands (and mouth) after finding him with the plunger handle in his mouth.  
Here he is, entertaining himself while we get the decorations up.

He emptied almost an entire can of hot cocoa and ate the rest of two pans of Rice Krispy treats.  I about lost it with him, but somehow kept my cool and vacuumed up the mess, gave him a sink bath, and got his clothes in the laundry.  The plus side was that the vacuum smelled chocolaty for a good little while after. 

Thank the heavens above, we had plans for a dinner date with the Westfalls that evening.  I needed a break from the frustrating decorations (the tree wasn't the only thing whose lights were dead) and mega disaster baby.

The house is sort of coming together, although I still feel like we're sort of living in chaos.  I'll get a picture of the tree once it's decorated.  I'm sounding like such a Debbie Downer right now, but I think it's because I'm tired and hormonal.  Bleh. 
The house is looking pretty nice, I just need to break out of my funk and finish the last little things so I can get all the boxes out of the house and move on to organizing and wrapping presents.

Oh, man, I need to go to bed.

Tight Spots

The boys have gotten themselves into some laughable predicaments lately.  Ha ha!

In both cases they were very distressed and not at all impressed that I grabbed the camera instead of helping them.


Also, this annoys me:

And this little person is a poser lately.  Isn't she cute?

Busy Practicing

Stanton and Chloe are doing 2 duets for her piano recital coming up -- Away in a Manger and We Three Kings. 
They've been working hard to get it perfect and I had to snap a picture of them practicing.  Two people I really love.

Thanksgiving in Promontory

A huge thanks to my Aunt Christie and Uncle Scott for hosting our huge family for Thanksgiving.  Despite missing some of the cousins and my mom and dad and sister Cindy and her family (and Matt & Sara, too), we had a great big group and a lot of fun.  I hardly took any pictures because we were having such a great time. 
Highlights were the food, as is the case at ANY Rose gathering, Wii Just Dance (especially watching Janet and 'B' work it), the quilt for Primary Children's, and the great visiting with my wonderful family.  Stanton's highlights were, well, 2 great naps.  :)  (and all the other stuff, of course)

Janet and B, kicking the young'uns boot-ays!

 The girls LOVED Just Dance and were really good at it.  It was terrific because even when they didn't have remotes, they had fun just dancing along.  I want to get a Wii again just for that one fun game.

 Beautiful Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandma is not doing as well lately and while it's sad to see the Grandma I've known and loved for 30+ years fading away, she is still so fun and good natured and interested in the kids.  I just love her.  And Grandpa, what an amazing man --he loves Grandma so much and takes incredible care of her.  I'm really lucky to have them both.

Cutey little Drake.  He looks so much like Robert.  Lindsay, Rob, Whitney, and Hunter, too.  I have such great cousins.

Thanks so much, Christie and Scott.  Love you guys.

Visiting Marion

We went to see our awesome neighbor and friend, Marion Hyde at Sunshine Terrace Rehab Center.  He just had his hip replaced. 
Anyway, we took the kids there the Sunday before Thanksgiving and had a fun time.  The kids had a great time and we loved seeing Marion.  He's been such a terrific neighbor and we love him.


I love that picture of Chloe and Cannon holding hands walking in.  Dar.ling.

These were all taken by the kids.  After a while, they needed some extracurricular entertainment to keep them from tearing the place apart.

Park City with Mom and Sisters

We had a great time in Park City in October.  I love my mom and sisters so much. 

Some of my highlights were:
*Jillian's Yoga Meltdown with all 4 of us (he he!!  Mom was a rock star!!)
*Staying up late talking.
*Watching the new BBC Emma with Johnny Lee Miller and some girl. (Romala Garai, I know).
*Eating out.
*Laughing like crazy (and how our laughs become more identical the longer we're together).
*Kung Fu Panda references (I was referred to as both the Crane and Po -- explain that!)
*Visiting with my Aunt Nancy (who gave us the great condo we stayed in for just the $50 cleaning fee).  She is so fantastic and it was great to have some time to visit with her.
*The gorgeous scenery in Park City.
*And shopping at the Outlets -- of course!

Elle's Wedding!

On our way out of town for the cruise, we had the privilege of attending the wedding reception of my dear college roommate, Lauren Dyer.  Not Dyer anymore, but that's who she'll always be to me.  Well, she'll always be Elle to me, but I digress.
She was a capital G Gorgeous bride and she and Preston were just beaming with joy.  What a treat to see her a decade later.

And BLAH!!!!  I can't find the picture we took!  I swear I downloaded it.  It's erased from my camera and nowhere to be found on iPhoto.  Grrrr....
Well, Lauren was beautiful.  Love you, Elle.  Congratulations!

Finishing Up the Gratitude List

I got behind after Thanksgiving and didn't ever finish my thankful list.  A few things.

*I'm very, very thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I sometimes ponder why I know what I know and how I possibly got so lucky.  I'm truly grateful. 

*Our perfect home.  It's so great for our family.  Not so small that we're bursting at the seams, not so big that it's a pain to clean.

*The country we live in.  I am grateful to be part of a world that has become so small.  To travel to other lands and enjoy the unique character of each place.  And I'm grateful to be a citizen of the United States of America.  I love the diversity of our country, both geographically and culturally.  I appreciate that my vote is counted and matters.  I appreciate that I can raise my children the way I choose.  I realize none of these things are unique to the USA, but this is my home and I'm grateful to live here.

*Marriage.  I am thankful that Stanton and I chose to be married and to be married in the temple.  I am thankful that we valued the same lifestyle and institution.  It is real and important and I'm so thankful to be married to Stanton for more than this life, but after this life, as well. 

*My sisters and brother and their spouses.  Also Stanton's brother and sisters and their spouses.  We got really lucky in the sibling and in-law department.  All excellent people that I would choose to be friends with, even without the family connection.

*The health of my children.  Here we are a year and a half after Brigham's surgery.  I can hardly believe how different our life is.  We have nary a second thought about his heart or his health.  He is normal and healthy and we are so thankful to be done with that chapter of his life.  I realize that health is a fleeting thing and that at any moment we could receive devastating news about any of our children, so I am so very thankful for right now and that right now, they are healthy.

*There is so much to be thankful for. 

Thank You, Dear Friend!!!

My dear friend, TaLaisa, who has been my friend since college and has been my friend through a lot of ups and downs (not between us, just during us) is amazing.  For many, many, many reasons. 

I just wanted to share one today.  She is so thoughtful.  One of those people who just remembers and does and thinks of others and actually acts on the thoughts she has.  I admire her so much.

Yesterday she and her boys came up for a dentist appointment and she brought this absolutely stunning gift for me.  The pictures don't even begin to do it justice, but I had to share. 

Tay, thank you.  For the necklace, of course, but for the thought behind it and the person you are.  Thanks for being my friend in spite of all the crud you know about me.  I love you.

TaLaisa makes absolutely gorgeous jewelry from incredible stones and materials.  I love nearly everything she makes, but she knew that this piece was actually my very favorite of anything she's ever made.  It's so unique, chunky, matches everything, and the details are to die for.  These photos don't come close to showcasing them.  Oh, and Brigham especially likes the "earth" beads (the turquoise ones that look like globes in his eyes.
Her Facebook page, TaLaisa's Bead Drawer, is HERE.  Her blog is HERE.  Her Etsy shop is HERE.  And her personal blog is HERE.