Canada Trip 2012

We went  to Canada the week before Christmas. We flew and it was Lucy's first time on an airplane. She did great. She didn't get scared at the take off and was very well behaved during the layovers and flight. We arrived in Canada at 1am after leaving our house at 2pm. She was awake  for most of the trip.

We had a really good time in Canada. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Lucy behaved being away from home and around lots of people. She played so well with her cousins and I didn't have to worry about her misbehaving or getting into trouble. She really is a big girl now. She loved her cousin Noah who is just a few years older than her, and he loved her. I loved watching them play.

We got to decorate the Christmas tree and eat lots of yummy food.

 We had the chance to ice skate on both the dugout at the farm and on the rink in town.

We went sledding behind the truck which is a tradition at the Shugart farm. 

 We had a fake Christmas which allowed us to exchange presents and have a Christmas FHE.

Last time I was there  we also had an FHE and when it was my turn I cried like a baby and blubbered out something silly. I felt so dumb and constantly remind myself of the embarrassing experience. So this time I was determined not to cry. But once again as soon as it was my turn I cried, partially because of nerves. And once again, I mumbled something that didn't make sense because I didn't rehearse it in my head before it came around to me. I'm so dumb. But I loved hearing about everyone's perspective on the nativity and their favorite part of the week.

We got home on Christmas Eve in the late afternoon. Lucy was so tired that even manually opening her eyes couldn't wake her up. We all took a 3 hour nap when we got home. Woke up, ate some food, then slept again for another 10-12 hours.

I love Ben's family.  I was reading Jesus The Christ about the Millennium. In it, James E. Talmage describes the time by saying that "love shall be the dominant power of control." I loved that quote and still do. I am determined to make that a reality before the millennium by at least having that in my own home. I realized while being with Ben's family that they are exactly that. They were great examples of that very kind of love. They showed me how to do it, now I just need to apply it into my own life. They have so much love. They are always positive despite the circumstances. I didn't hear anyone complain the whole week (besides myself). They are so nice. They are constantly looking for ways to help one another and to uplift others. I am so grateful to know that a family like that is possible.


It was a wonderful week that went so fast. It felt like we had just arrived and we were already heading back home. The farm has  grown a little place in my heart.

Ward Party, Lucy's Dentist Visit, and Meeting Santa

 We had a ward Christmas party at the beginning of the month.

Lucy had her first real dentist appointment this month. They cleaned and checked her teeth. She did great. She loves the dentist and thinks she can rule the place just because a few people are nice to her. During my appointment she hung out with the nurses, helped cleaned trays, and got bracelets out of a token machine. I love our dentist office because they always babysit Lucy and I never have to worry about her.

After the dentist, we went to the library to meet Santa Claus. After we sang, he read us a story and let each of the kids sit on his lap. Lucy wasn't scared of him but she was a little shy. She asked him for sparkles. I love our librarians. They take such good care of us.

Thanksgiving

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving. I spent the morning online buying everything we have been waiting for Black Friday to buy. We bought a tablet, printer, camera and blu-ray player. Ben spent the morning playing football with friends.

We have been teaching Lucy about Thanksgiving. She knows that we eat turkey and pie. She hadn't tried either of those before and she was so excited! She loved them. She ate two slices of pie!  She also knows that we pray to say "Thank you" to Heavenly Father. At the dinner table she said her own little prayer about the things that she's thankful for. The list included Mom, Dad, friends, toys, Jesus, house, and food. She's cute.

After dinner we packed up to go to our friends' parent's house. We have best friends here in Grantsville that we spend all of our free time with. Probably three nights a week we all hang out. Ben and Dan are like brothers, and Brit and I are pretty close too. We slept there in West Valley so our husband's could get the Black Friday deals easier. The boys stayed up all night playing games and shopping. They came home with skull candy ear buds from one of the trips. The girls tried to sleep amongst the boys pulling their all-nighter. In the morning Brit and I left for City Creek Mall. We spent over three hours shopping at Forever 21 and H&M. We pretty much bought the whole store and asked our husbands for forgiveness instead of permission. We had so much fun!


Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Carving and Cookie Decorating

On the same day as the carnival we decorated pumpkin cookies. 

It was kind of tricky for Lucy but she tried.

Then she gave up and decided to eat the frosting.

After some encouragement she continued decorating. 

She was so happy with her result. 

After a bite, she went back to eating the frosting off of the knife. 

Then we carved Pumpkins! We decided Lucy could color her own pumpkin and help us carve.

Our family of pumpkins. 

Ben did the haunted house and I did the skull and crossbones. It was my first time using a carving kit.