A Christmas Surprise

Christmas is such a fun time to spoil people with gifts, but it can be really easy to go overboard.  I know my kids don't really need any more toys or electronics, but what else do you get them?  It's what they like.  I really felt strongly this year that I did not want to go that route.  I didn't want to invest money into items that would be played with a few times and then forgotten.  So this year Spencer and I did something a little bit different.  We decided to give the kids an early Christmas present and take them to the Great Wolf Lodge.  Check-in would be Friday, December 23rd and we would come home on Saturday, Christmas Eve, in time for family celebrations.  Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought this sounded like a good idea because a few of our friends jumped in on it too.  The only question that lingered as we got closer to the date was how to tell the boys.  I think I came up with a pretty fun idea.  I found a picture on my computer from a previous visit to the water park.  I inserted text on the photo and then printed it on 8X10 photo paper.  I glued 2 extra sheets of card stock to the back for thickness and then drew puzzle pieces on the card stock side.  I then carefully cut out all of the pieces to create a puzzle the kids could put together, revealing their gift.

On the morning of the 23rd, we gathered the boys around the kitchen table and told them that we would like to give them an early present.  I handed over all of the puzzle pieces and they proceeded to put it together.  When they finally got it assembled they repeated with excitement that they were going to the Great Wolf Lodge.  Austin asked "When?", to which we relied, "Right Now!"  They ran up the stairs and packed their bags in a hurry.  We arrived around 1:30 p.m. and immediately headed to the water park.  That evening our entire group went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and then hit the arcade afterwords.  The water park opened up at 9:00 a.m.the following morning and we were among the first ones to enter. We stayed and played until 1:00 p.m. and then made our journey home so we could officially get our Christmas festivities started.

Ryan & Misti Ridgeway

Mike & Amanda Chan

Brian & Rebecca Chan

Years of Memories

This year for Spencer's birthday I wanted to do something different, and something a little extra special.  I came across this link on pinterest  (http://nothingbutbonfires.com/2011/06/sixty-years-memories) that sparked an idea I thought I could pull off.  It involved acquiring lots of different memories from people who have known Spencer throughout different stages of his life.  I called this "Years of Memories".  I sent the following message via email to several of Spencer's closest friends and family members:

Hello Everyone!

I have a big favor to ask of you. Spencer will be turning 35 this month, and to celebrate his birthday I’d like to put together a little surprise for him. I am trying to create a “Years of Memories” present by filling several envelopes with a memory his friends and family have of him.

And this is where you come in!

If you have a spare moment in the next few days, I would be so grateful if you’d jot down a favorite memory you have of Spencer. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy—you can mention anything you’d like, although, the more nostalgic the better! You may email me back your response and I can simply print the note/letter and place it in an envelope. Or, if you would prefer to hand write it you may mail it to the address below.

Thank you so, so, so much for participating -- I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and I do appreciate you taking a few minutes to do this; it will be so worth it when he reads all the memories people have of him! (Please don't forget to keep it a surprise until then, though!)

Again, thank you so much!

It was a lot of fun getting responses back to this request.  So many of the stories that came in about Spencer brought back a ton of memories I have of him as well.  As I received the letters I would print them off and place them into their own envelope, all identical.  I decided last minute to write the names of each author on the front of the envelope, and I am glad I did because Spencer chose to save some of the letters for last.  Once all of the letters were received, I wrapped the entire stack in ribbon and created a little card which explained everything. 

I was very excited to give this present to Spencer.  It just so happened that on his birthday we had a long drive ahead of us.  Just before we left I told him that I would like to drive because he had a present to open.  I then handed him the stack and he looked a little taken back.  The first thing he did was flip through the stack and read the names of people who shared a memory.  I could tell he was excited to read the stories people have of him.  One by one I watched him work his way through.  When all was said and done he thanked me and told me what a cool gift it was to receive.  I can't take credit for all of it though.  This would not have been pulled off if so many wonderful people had not participated.  So thanks goes out to anyone who was involved in this surprise for Spencer!  I love you Spencer, and happy birthday!!

Flowering Pots

I was feeling a little crafty this Christmas season and decided to make some "Flowering Pots" that the boys could give to their teacher's.  I was able to get all of the items I needed at Walmart and the best part was everything was so inexpensive!  Each gift cost me less than $2.00 to make.  In the Christmas section at Walmart I found these super cute, miniature size buckets.  I bought a brick of floral foam and cut it down to fit the entire inside of the bucket.  Using a hot glue gun, I secured the foam to the bottom and then glued enough peat moss down to hide the foam.  Each bucket took about 18 tootsie pops to fill.  After everything was done, I created a little card saying, "Merry Christmas", glued it to a skewer stick and stuck it in the middle.  Who knows if the teacher's liked them, but they sure looked cute when all was said and done!  :-)

I Believe

  "No one can measure the effect of an unselfish act of kindness.  By small, simple

things great things do indeed come to pass.  Of course, gifts given and gifts received

make Christmas special.  For many children Christmas Eve is a very long night as they

look forward with eager anticipation to the gifts Santa brings, which is why children love

Santa Claus.  Let me share what someone once said about Santa Claus:  First of all, he's a

joyous individual ... Next, Santa Claus is interested in making others happy.  He increases

the happy moments in the life of everyone he meets.  He loves his work; he gets fun out of

his job.  He is childlike, simple, humble, sincere and forgiving.  Finally, he is a giver. His

philosophy is to give himself away in service.  He is a friend to everyone.  He smiles. 

Perhaps you and I could attain greater happiness if we emulated Santa Claus a little

more, for his way is the way of the Infant Jesus."

President James E. Faust

(First Presidency Christmas Devotional, 1998)