Christmas Day and visiting Grandma Stephens

We had so much fun having Jeremy, Sarah, Eli, Steve and Heidi with us on Christmas morning. We slept in very late and opened gifts when Jeremy and Sarah arrived. We had a nice Christmas dinner and had a very relaxing day. The day after Christmas we went to Modesto to see Grandma Stephens. It was so good to see her. We had a wonderful day with her. We visited with her and sang and played the piano for her. She loved the music. We took her out to lunch and it was nice be able to spend the day with her.

Christmas Eve 2009

Clint and Bobbie sent us this beautiful floral arrangement for Christmas.

Christmas Eve dinner with the Conovers, Chateauverts and family. We were so happy to have Steve and Heidi home with us for Christmas! We missed our other family members.

Christmas 2009

Heidi got together with her friends and made gingerbread houses. It was so fun to hear the girls all home from college talking and having fun. I made four pies while they were making their gingerbread houses. It made the time go by so much faster and girls home from college are very entertaining.

Jenna, Kaylene, Heidi, Nicole, and Kelsey

On Christmas Eve we invited our good friends the Conovers From the bay area and the Chauteverts from our ward for dinner. We were so happy to have Heidi and Steve home for Christmas with us as well. Ken read some Christmas stories and we sang some carols. It was a very nice evening with friends and family. I love Christmas and singing the carols always brings the spirit of the season for me.

Christmas 2009

We had a fun Christmas singing party on December 2oth. Ken and I invited some people over from the ward to come and visit and sing. It was so nice to have Heidi home so she could help play the piano and sing. Ken made his delicious hot wassail and we had a fun time visiting with everyone.

Heidi, Tanner and Melanie visiting.

Ken serving some guests his hot wassail.

Singing Christmas carols and some of the Messiah music.

We were collaborating on which song to have some of our young women sing.

Snow in Loomis

When I awoke this morning I couldn't believe all the snow on the ground in Loomis! Wow I have never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful. By the time I got out to take pictures it was already starting to melt. It was so amazing to see all of the wetlands and our yard covered in a blanket of snow. It was so much fun to see. I felt like I was in Utah or Nevada. It was fun to experience snow in Loomis.

This is starting to be really fun!

I have to thank Amy and Sarah who have been encouraging me to start blogging more. I am so thankful to have such bright ambitious daughters who inspire me to do all these "cool" things. Well I didn't think I had anything exciting to blog about because all my children are out of the house. However, I have wonderful grandchildren and a husband I adore. Ken and I went to a work party tonight in downtown Sacramento at the Sutter Club. It was a celebration of the 25 years of his firm Perry-Smith and Co. He was very handsome in his tux and I got dressed up in a black dress. (not my color :) Unfortunately we were not able to take a picture together. I left the party a few minutes early and he is still not home.
Sarah told me I needed to keep practicing writing on this blog or I would forget how to do it. I was excited to figure out how to add Wendy and Mike. I realized they were not on it and that just wouldn't do! I love to write in my journal so I have decided this is kind of like that. I wanted to tell everyone who ever reads this blog that I love and cherish all my children and cute adorable grandchildren. I feel like I am the most blessed woman in the world to have such a wonderful husband and a great family. All of us have our trials and difficult things to bear but I am so thankful for all the blessings that the Lord has blessed us with.
As I get better at this I will add more pictures and start trying to be as creative as Amy, Wendy and Sarah. You are all my inspiration. It is fun to experiment with all of this especially when I am waiting for Ken to return home.

Bishop Astle at Young Women in Excellence 2009

I just got back from our Young Women in Excellence tonight. I have recently been called to be the Laurel Advisor in our ward. I was so impressed by the sweet spirit in the room and the great young women that we have. All the leaders decorated the room so beautifully and it was a great program. At the end they had asked my husband Bishop Astle to give the closing remarks. I was so impressed with his powerful spirit. The reason I wanted to post this on the blog however were the kind words he said about his four daughters Amy, Wendy, Sarah and Heidi. Ken is by nature a quiet man (probably because I talk too much :) and since he has been the Bishop I have seen the mantle of the calling manifest itself in so many ways.
He spoke about how he was raised in a very "boy" home and then in our home it was much more "girl" oriented. He spoke about his sweet daughters and how they were such accomplished young women. I could feel the love he had for each daughter and then he talked to all the young women about their worth in the eyes of the Lord. He spoke to them about how sometimes their self-esteem can be low when they compare themselves to others. He spoke about the love the Lord has for each one of them and the difficult years of youth. I was so touched by his words he spoke and the spirit was so strong. I am so grateful to be married to such a righteous man and one who honors his priesthood. I miss him when he is away so much but I am thankful to have him serving to the needs of the ward.