Celeste Fister

     

This is Celeste Fister.  We knew her and her family back in Georgia.  Since then her family has split up and a lot of trials have come her way.  But she had the desire to serve a mission.  I love when people come out here from our Georgia home because I get to play host and show them around the rich, amazing church history sites here.  It was a snowy, wet day, but I pick her up from the airport and head straight to Salt Lake City.

We toured the visitor centers, tabernacle, and my brother toured us around the Church Office Building that he works in...

   

view from the church office building


Then we toured the Conference Center.  I hadn't done a full tour before and the building, paintings and architecture is awesome.

I liked this painting, I had never seen it before.

       

Next morning, before reporting to the MTC, we did a session at the Timpanogos Temple.  It was one of the older films, so it was kind of neat to see it again.

Finally, after a tour of BYU campus, I dropped her off at the MTC.  This will be my second person I have had the privilege to drop off and I feel the closeness a mother would have sending her own child off.  I'm proud of her choosing to serve her Lord.  Thank you Celeste for giving me the opportunity.  Best of luck on you mission. 

Wall Decor

Finally!  I got these up.  This wasn't easy and took a little creativity with a ladder and a few random things around the house, along with help from the kids.  Kendall Rudd, our college friend took these pictures back in August and for Christmas we printed them out on canvas.  Not much dresses our walls, but these are well worth it.

Book It Challenge

This little guy has been a reading machine in 2nd grade.  He has a few book it certificates but we are just now getting to it.  He was so proud of himself, and so am I.  Free personal pan pizzas are always nice to enjoy.  Over the next few months he earns more and have exchanged them in, and with his sweetness has shared with siblings.  I love his giving heart.

Sharing

They are getting along, but still young in their friendship...

...but she has learned new tricks to keep her distance.

Had to share that Jarom has learned his mad skills from Troy, his Uncle.  He's pretty good at it.  I just resort to rearranging stickers...

Christmas Morning

I didn't take too many pictures of Christmas morning.  It's not about what everyone got, but about what the day is about.  I'm so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the only stable thing in my life that keeps me on the straight and narrow.  Many things in my life have shifted and proven to not be secure, but my God will always be the same yesterday, today and forever.  His Son is the reason for this season, and I give my life to Him, just as He has given it to me.  His example, and his sacrifice will always be what keeps me striving to be my best.

On top of the excitement of Christmas morning, it also meant a thick, white Christmas.  It was coming down pretty good.  I measure it at 7 inches, but the snow drifts were up to a foot in several places.  This was wet snow, and very difficult to shovel.  Took Jarom and I quite sometime to clear the driveway.  But the crisp, fresh air in this beautiful world in the quiet of the morning is so refreshing.

My family all donated to a gift idea for my parents.  Alice had gotten this idea from Elder Oaks, I think.  It's a map with all those who have served missions, including themselves.  This meant Jake Adams and Brooke and Riley Palmer.  Pretty soon that map will be overflowing with how the earth is filled with the gospel.

ok the trend right now are hoover boards.  This was Tarin's main gift.  She was excited and brought it over to the Wardwell's that afternoon.

Little did she know that the gyro board would have problems (like hundreds of others) and we'd send it in and wouldn't get it back until about April, with updates from a recall.  Christmas in April...

Live and learn, live and learn...

It was a great holiday.  Love my family.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas from the Wardwell's

new pjs and a Brady

Raegan and Ammon were so cute to put this together for Santa Clause.  Ammon is still on the fence if he still exists, but Raegan just wants to believe even though she knows the reality of it.

          

 

Ginger Bread Houses

Just a few of the cousins together

Gma and Gpa Wardwell had their Christmas dinner at the church, to accommodate all the things they wanted to do.  First dinner, then create gingerbread houses then a game.









GingerBread Creations:

    

Games:

     

I Love Flowers

I know I can't get flowers all the time, but when I do, I love it.  Thank you Trent.

MX Celebration

Part of the Christmas celebration, dad's work wanted to give back to the community.  They were given specific families or people with certain needs.  Each work family was given these specifications and a gift card to go out and shop for these people.  It gave MX employees and their families the sense of giving from donations and fulfill needs.  I decided after the lunch provided to head home and take care of the puppy, while dad fulfilled the shopping needs.  Rian had to work, so Jarom, Tarin and Raegan helped dad out.  

Afterwards, they stopped by 5 guys for shakes to visit Rian.

Later that night MX had a Christmas dinner where we turned in all the donations.  

Jarom and Rian had a Gma and Gpa sleep over because their cousins Denham and Brenin were in town. 

MX and Star Wa

Dad's work sponsored a movie night at the Thanksgiving Point MegaPlex Theater.  Disney had bought the rights of Star Wars and continued the saga.  This was the first movie to come out, and...Disney did a great job.  Anyway, free movie, free treats = fun night.  Since we just got a new puppy, Trent took one for the team and stayed home to manage his house training.  So with the extra ticket, Tarin invited Cadence, our neighbor.

Home Sweet Home

This was the day we had all been waiting for.  Brady was now old enough (12 weeks) to come home.  The kids were expecting Christmas Day, since that was the original plan.  But the breeder needed him gone sooner, so we thought we'd surprise the kids.  We were bringing home a baby boy, the newest member of the family.  We hoped he'd adapt to his new surrounding and grow up with us.

After all the excitement, he was pretty worn out.  Being a baby, he will still need a lot of sleep.  He tried out his new Kennel and snuggled up.  It will be a change for him, being use to sleeping with his puppy siblings and other german shepherd puppies that he'd snuggle up with every night.

Now the task of house training him.  This takes a lot of training.  I have a neighbor who trains dogs and she has helped us out with understanding our dog, his behaviors and what to really expect.  We had to keep him close and start the routine, toilet-play-kennel.  Repeat every 20 or so minutes.  After two weeks move it up to 30 minutes, and so on.  He slept really well at night, and learned really fast.  He's a smart boy.


           

Then...there was Leona, our other family member.  Brady was excited to meet her.  She...had concerns for this new change.  But these two would soon 'tolerate' each other.  He's still a dog, who loves to torment cats, and he's a puppy with a lot of energy.  So Leona, being an older cat, learned her hiding places quick and...even learned to tease the little guy while he was in his kennel