Our Year in Pictures!!

Christmas Candy

I've been making my Christmas candy the past few days. I really forgot over the past year how boring it is to sit and stir carmels over the hot stove, for an hour. I do however enjoy making it. I'm so glad for my mom's talents, and for teaching me how to be such a great cook. I remember at a young age my mom canning, but most of all making Christmas candy. She would sit on a bar stool and stir, and stir. It soon became a family tradition, when I got older, and we each had to take a 10 minute turn stirring. I also remember making mint balls, orange balls, and butter rum balls. They were all covered in chocolate. Us kids would sneak in the storage room, and pick at the bottoms until we found a mint! They are my favorite, and the only ones I make. I'm so greatful for my mom, my grandma, and great-grandma, and I'm sure many other grandmothers who passed these recipes down to one another. And I can't wait until I can pass them down to my children.(I also can't wait till they are old enough to stir them too :))

The Devil!

That's right this post is about the Devil a.k.a the treadmill. Oh, how I hate the thing! It seems as though my workout is never ending with this thing. I'm really trying to train hard for my marathon, but when its cold outside and I have to run on this monstrosity, I don't even what to go to the gym. It wouldn't be too bad, if the gym would invest in some T.V.'s to watch while I'm running away. When all you have to look at is the screen that is ticking down the seconds, and how far you've gone, it gets old fast. I tip my hat to Susie who ran just over ten miles the other day on it. Yea!!! I wish I had the will power to go that long. I can't wait for Christmas break cause then I will be able to find a baby sitter during the day, so I can run outside in the afternoon and rack up some mileage before the big day on January 13th. Why is it so much easier to run outside? It's also alot easier if I download "cris' music" so my Ipod. I guess that rock gets you pumping so you can keep going. I will be listening to some of my slow music, but once a rock song comes on, I feel like I can go longer. Weird huh. So wish me luck with the Devil, cause I'm going to need it!

Cookie Exchange Party

This is what my tupperware looked like before I went.
I made these really easy treats called Rolo Pretzel treats. I had to make 8 dozen.They turned out so yummy! All you do is take your cookie sheet and line it with wax paper. Then you line your pretzels up, and put a rolo or any kind of Hershey kiss on top the pretzel. You bake them at 200 for about 4 minutes. The white chocolate will melt faster, and the rolos might take longer than 4 minutes. Then you top it off with a m&m or any kind of nut. It's just the right amount of salt and sweet!
This is what my tupperware looked like after the party,

You can't really tell from the picture but I came home with sooooo many cookies! My kids and Cris were in heaven. It will take us weeks to eat all of these. I'll probably gain a few pounds.
When I got home from the party and taking the babysitter home, as I was getting the kids ready for bed, the doorbell rang. And of course as usual the kids went running, and opened the door. No one was there but their was a little gift of hot coco and peppermint candies. Someone is doing the 12 days of Christmas to us!! The kids thought it was so neat. They ran to the window to see of they could see who it was. Kaden said he thought it was Santa. Silly boy, so I had to explain the 12 days of Christmas to them. They can't wait for tomorrow night.

Christmas Programs

The kids had their School Christmas programs this past Tuesday. They were the cutest ones there. They did really good, and learned some really cute songs. I think that Santa needs to
bring me a new camera.(He'll have to wait till we get tax returns though) Mine is giving me problems every picture I took turned out grainy.

It's Snowing!!!

Yea! It's snowing!! The kids are so excited! It's been snowing off and on all day, but it's finally gotten cold enough to stick. The kids just had to go outside to play in it. There isn't much yet, but we hope they wake up to lots in the morning.Cris and I might have to build them a snowman before they get home from school, cause it may not last long enough for them to build one when they get home. Here are some pictures of them having fun in what little snow we have so far.
Jocelyn and Cole looking out the window at the snow falling

We love the snow!!

Kennedy trying to catch some flakes on her tongue

Kaden eating a snow ball he made.(yuck)

Cole wasn't to sure about it, he was very concerned

Jocelyn eating some snow too

I was suppose to drive to Flagstaff today for my surgical consult for my hernia, but I chickened out. Cris was at work, and I didn't want to drive in the snow. Arizonans don't know how to drive in the snow. There are always alot of wrecks and I didn't want to be a part of one.(after living here for 7 years, I'm probably just as bad) The kids are hoping school will be closed. Ha, Ha, Ha, they wish. Although they do set aside two snow days a year just in case. I thing that pigs will fly when they close for snow here. They always end up taking the snow days in the spring because they never used them. Funny Huh.

Windblow

There are times when I feel like we live in Windblow, not Winslow! I really, really despise the wind. On Friday we had 60mph wind gusts. (only 10mph away from hurricane force winds) I had this feeling all morning to keep checking to make sure or trampoline was still in the yard. I looked you the kitchen several times, and it was fine. So I put the feeling in the back of my mind. When I went to lay Cole down for his nap I heard a squeaking sound. I rushed to the back door. To my avail there was no trampoline in my sites. I ran into the yard and found it on it's side halfway on top of my house. YIKES!! This isn't the first time this has happened. It's happened three times now. The first time Cris and I decided to take a afternoon nap while the older kids were at school, and the younger ones where napping. We heard a big crash, and a minute later our neighbor was knocking at our door. The wind had picked it up, threw it through our fence, and into the street. Luckily there were two men preventing it from going any farther. (I even called the insurance company to see if they would replace or build a new fence. But since it is wood, and we don't know when it was built it was to much of a hassle to claim it. We live on a corner with two city lots, and that is one of the main reasons we bought the house.. We really want to build a new fence but it will cost us and arm and a leg. Does anyone have one to spare? We will have to wait till we have the funds until then we have a ugly old wood fence.)Any way back to Friday. Cris was at work so I called him on my cell, and told him, "I'm holding the trampoline down can you please call someone else to help me move it." So he called a couple of friends and they rushed right over to help. Meanwhile I was outside holding down the thing with all my 120 pound might. I thought I might blow away with it. Poor Jocelyn was in the house scared out of her mind because I kept telling her to stay in, and Cole was screaming in his bed. Randy and Burr came and helped move it, and tie it down to the fence in the corner of our yard. It is bent out of shape and in need of repair again. Maybe the "cage" (safety net) is causing it to be picked up by the wind. But at least no one was hurt, and it didn't go through the fence again. So from now on, this is the Moss Family, and we live in Windblow Arizona.

Santa

Our Ward party was last night and the kids got their pictures taken with Santa. Cole wouldn't go near him without screaming so we all jumped in the picture with him. He still wasn't too happy. Don't ya just love Santa's beard. Both Kaden ans Kennedy kept saying that it wasn't the real Santa because his beard was fake. They had so much fun. They also did a live nativity with a sheep and cow. Cole thought that it was great and kept barking at the animals, and Jocelyn was constantly petting them.

On another note I cut all my hair off. I'm getting used to it and like it but it's a big change! I tried loading the individual pictures of the kids but its having problems. It's taking forever and I have no patience, so maybe later I will post them.

Winkle

Winkle has arrived from the North Pole!! The kids were so excited to see him again this year. They kept asking if and when he was going to appear. Winkle is our magical Elf who comes every year around December 1st. He comes every day and hides somewhere new. Then at night he goes back to the North Pole to report to Santa if the kids have been bad or good. He will also bring small gifts every once and a while. They arn't suppose to touch him either, or he will go away. This helps keep the kids be good thoughout the holidays. They have so much fun looking around the house for him every morning. The first day he comes he brings the kids their Christmas jammies. And a small note that goes like this,

Hello Moss Family,

My name is Winkle

And I'm here to say

Santa sent me

So be good today!

(this is the poem Cris sister made up Then I added this part)

Here are some jammies

Santa sent with me

So you can be warn

Sitting by the Christmas tree.

The past couple of years we haven't gone with the holiday theme, instead they just get a nice pair of fun jammies. This year Kennedy got Bobbly Jack, Kaden got Spiderman, Jocelyn got Princess, and Cole got ones with a Dinosaur. Cris' sister has done this with their kids for many years now and that is where I got the idea.