The Christmas Uglies

After all the door bell-ditching is done

(and this year we were caught several times over!),

the kids finally settled in for the "uglies"

(a.k.a. cookies not pretty enough

- meaning they're crumbly or cracked-

to go on the door bell ditch plate).

Let me tell you,

there is nothing tastier! 

{smile}

Painting + Death

We were able to help paint my mother-in-laws house,

which means the kids were left to their own devices

for long periods of time.

What did they find?

That death had struck even the smallest of creatures,

a caterpillar.

And so...

A funeral.

Note the dirty look Owen's giving me. 

Apparently it's not cool to take pictures at a funeral-

although in my defense some people ARE doing that now.

I'm just saying...

It was a very solemn affair.

And the caterpillar was certainly given

a funeral befitting of his...umm...status?

Personally,

I like the arrow. 

...

Great, job kids!

You can definitely be in charge of my funeral preparations,

but please,

no pictures... :)

Lending a Hand

This year Bella and I tackled the

Mormon's Helping Hands Project

at a local park.

Our task:

To locate, clear, and stake oak seedlings.

I also volunteered to take photos of the event

and loved my instructions:

"Avoid taking pictures of smiley people staring a the camera."

What?!?

But it's a bunch of Mormons!

My Bella

Happily NOT smiling.

There's the one and only oak seedling we found!

Seriously,

it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack...

or a frown admidst this crowd!

{ he-he}

Allergies aside,

it was a great day!

I LOVE spending time with my daughter,

and lunch afterwards is always a treat.

Thanks for a wonderful day, Isabella!

I love working beside you, sweetheart!

Love,

Mom

Hearts of Gold, But Real, You Know?

I can't even write this without crying.

With all the craziness of replacing our floors,

we never once considered asking family for help.

Call it pride, call it stupidity,

but we were excited and determined to take on this project

as a family and see it through to the end.

Like idiots,

from the beginning,

Samuel's brother, Joe, offered his help,

and we refused.

See,

the Joe Elmer Family is no less

pressed for time than we are.

Recently graduating from nursing school,

he's working the crazy hours that a nurse works,

while Jessica manages their home

and the caring of three very energetic boys.

They have TONS on their own to-do list,

and we know what it means for this family to

sacrifice still more time away from their dad.

In the end,

Joe came.

The whole family came.

They served us.

They loved us.

And we are so, so grateful.

...

We love you, guys!

We owe you big,

think kidney's, first child, and the like...

{ Wouldn't you like to take Bella home with you? 

She's a sweet girl... :) }

We know it's not about payback,

but seriously,

we're here for you too.

Love ALWAYS,

The Elmer Family

Samuel, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Iris, Owen, & Gabriel

Weeds, Work, & Love

Samuel and I participated in the state-wide,
"Mormon Helping Hands" service project
alongside tens of thousands of members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California. 

Weed-eaters in hands,
we took to a lengthy section of Roseville's biketrails
and cleared the over-growth. 

It was an invigorating experience,

and my favorite moment was hearing of how a local neighbor

 saw what we were doing and jumped in to help out. 

The spirit of this gospel is catching,

and I am grateful to be apart of this great work

and to share it with others.

After the project Samuel and I were starving! 

We headed to Togos for our favorite:  The Number 24. 

And laughed at the number of odd looks we garnered

for being covered from head to toe in remnants of wild brush!

Even though we talked very little during the project-
the noise from the weed-eaters made it virtually impossible
to hear anything!-
I felt close to my sweetheart.
 
It was definitely an experience that drew us closer together.

Service has a way of doing that.