A post from Rob

http://www.robisonwells.com/2012/12/how-close-are-we-to-more-killings/Rob wrote this last night.  He let me read it and asked what I thought about it before he decided to post.  This is a hard for him to discuss but I am glad that he does. 

Conversation with Sam

 My 7 year old Sam worries about everything.  This was our conversation while I was making dinner.

Sam:  I am really excited about Christmas.

Me:  Me too.

Sam:  But I don't know which list I am on.

Me:  Definitely the Nice list.

Sam:  How do you know?

Me:  I have an in with Santa.

Sam:  You know him!?

Me: Yep.

Sam:  Do you talk to him a lot?

Me:  No

Sam:  How long ago did you talk to him?

Me:  Not that long ago.  You are definitely on the Nice list honey.  Don't worry so much.  

Sam:  What will happen if I worry too much?




In other news I made a wreath.  I got the instructions online.

Here it is.

Here is the link to the youtube instructions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnfjBxNIfcY

The Birds, Choir, and a permanent tiger.

I looked out my front window one morning to see this

They were all over the street and my neighbor's lawn too but when I opened the door to take a picture they flew away.  

Thank you Alfred Hitchcock for making life a little bit eerier.

Holly had three Choir concerts this week.  It felt strange to be at my own child's concert.  It wasn't that long ago that I was attending my nieces concerts and performances.  Speaking of nieces

Brittannie and Mary got their mission calls this last week.  Lyon, France and Barcelona, Spain respectively.  

We are so excited and excited for their brother Jacob who will be sending his papers in in the spring.  Go team Floisand!

 Here are pictures from Holly's last two performances.  She had a speaking part that she got to write herself.

She did great and had a lot of fun.     

Last night after the kids were in bed and all was quiet Rob and I watched a special on PBS about the Terracotta Warriors.  It was really interesting but after about 10 minutes Holly gasped loudly from upstairs and then Max said "I wanted to be a tiger".  This is what I found. 

                                                                Permanent marker. . . .

 I tried to be really solemn about taking pictures but really I couldn't not have pictures to show his girlfriends.  After a long really hard scrub in the tub the marks on his face are mostly faded while the marks on his arms and legs will probably be there for a few more baths.

The View and other happenings

This was the view this morning. 

 The Valley was covered in a blanket of fog.  I left the houses in the shot for perspective. 

 The Sunrise. 

Holly had her first choir Christmas performance.  It was the North Ogden tree lighting ceremony.  There is a little duck pond and park next to Lee's (corner grocery).  The city decorates this and sets up a little house for Santa to visit the kids.  Holly's choir performed three songs and then Santa and Mrs. Clause rode up on a firetruck.  They chose 5 kids (one from every elementary school) and they helped flip the switch to light up the park.  

These are pictures that Rob took of the Spiral Jetty (an earthwork sculpture constructed in April, 1970 that is considered to be the central work of American sculptor Robert Smithson  (Wikipedia)).  The Great Salt Lake fluctuates enough that sometimes you can see this sculpture and sometimes it is submerged.  I love the look of the water against the sky.  

These are some pictures of the kids playing that I took just for practice.  

These are pictures that I took after a big snow storm in November.  We are all green and brown again but for a few days we were white.