Holly, Jolly Christmas!

Since I consider this my 'journal' I suppose I ought to write down how Christmas went. Typical of my life, nothing went according to plan. I suppose I ought to be used to that now, but I still try to have a loose plan and get a bit flustrated when my plan is overridden.

December was an incredibly hectic month for me personally. Between all the kids activities for school and music, I was also in the midst of making changes and plans for our ward Primary for next year. This is my first change of year as Primary President and I'm sure I'm complicating it more than it needs to be, but it feels like the right time to make some changes. I then also threw in on top of all that a Primary Quarterly Activity, since we hadn't done one yet as a presidency and dental checkups in my hometown!

We muddled through all the school and music and Primary stuff and headed off to the sunny south! Yeah, right! We had a big storm the day we were at the dentist and headed home on iffy roads the next day. As we drove north, things seemed to get better, until we hit that lovely road between Green River and Price. It's 60 miles of nothing...sagebrush doesn't even grow there. As we were driving I started hearing this very loud, whining sound over the radio. I wondered if it was our car and turned off the radio. It was very loud and as I started to slow, so did the whining sound. Oh, GREAT!! I pulled over and tried to call my husband,(thanks to my dad for sending me off with his cell phone as mine was not functional) and couldn't get hold of him. I then called my sister in Price and asked her to try to call my hubby and give him Dad's cell phone number. I thought maybe he wasn't answering because he didn't recognize the number. He finally called me back and we set a plan in motion for him to come get me, the kids and the car.

I'm so thankful that my sister lived so close, we were a half hour from her, so she sent her son to pick us up and take us to her house. They also arranged for a friend to go out with a towtruck to retrieve my car. Hubby finally located an auto trailer and, thanks to his BIL, a vehicle to pull it and carry all of us. He made it there pretty late and we decided not to chance the icy roads through the canyon and so we stayed over and drove home on the 24th.

Needless to say, that changed a few of our plans. I didn't have a chance to finish all the shopping, but the kids were really understanding and didn't complain. We spent a quiet Christmas day at home with our kids. Hubby's parent's showed up at 8:30 in the morning and it was their knock that woke us up! We stayed in our p.j.'s all day and ate way too much junk and played with new games, puzzles and toys, but the highlight of the day was getting to talk to our missionary son.
He called at about 1 p.m. and we got 40 minutes to hear his voice. He didn't have much to say. We had put the phone on speaker and I think he was actually overwhelmed at the noise and chaos of our home. He must have forgotten how crazy it can get. I am so thankful that he is being watched over and taken care of. He has had many interesting experiences that have helped his own testimony grow. I'm so pleased at the efforts he makes each day to share the beautiful message of the gospel of Christ. I know it's not easy to wake up each day and go out to talk to people who don't really want to talk to you, but he does it and we 'see' the changes and blessings that it is bringing to his life.

Looking back at this Christmas season, I feel so blessed that as crazy as things were we were still blessed beyond measure. "Things" lost alot of their appeal as we saw so many people exhibit the true spirit of Christmas to help us out. We may not be able to repay all who helped us, but we can 'pay it forward' and seek to serve and help bless the lives of others as we see and become aware of needs. That's the true spirit of Christmas, and it's good all year long!

My Modern Medical Miracle

Yesterday was the day for my friendly, 28 week rhogam shot. If you know much about me, you know I don't like, REALLY DON'T LIKE, needles. Unless I'm sewing, then that's a whole 'nother story. But I have to tell you that Rhogam is my friend. And because I love it and am so thankful for it, I am willing to put up with a needle to get it.

If you don't know what Rhogam is, it helps any woman with Rh- blood not build up antibodies to +blood that the baby she is carrying may have. Because I have O- blood and married a man with B+ blood we have an incompatibility there. If the baby we conceive should have +blood, my body would see that as an invasion and start making antibodies to fight it off. Then, any following children would be attacked by my antibodies and need to have transfusions and there is the possibility of fetal death. It's not a nice thing, and until the last few decades, there was no way to stop it. Then some smart person developed Rhogam, which prevents those antibodies from being made. It's a medical miracle and because of it I have the large family that I have.

When I got to the lab yesterday, they couldn't find my injection. I was dreading the thought of having to have the blood drawn again and the wait to have the injection, but thankfully, they were able to locate it in a different part of the hospital. Whew!!

Now, considering that you get to have one of these at 28 weeks with every pregnancy, after every birth of a +blood-type child and after every miscarriage....you can calculate that I've had a few of these. I have a stack of cards in my purse that tells the tale.

But.....every last needle stick is worth it! My undying gratitude goes out to whoever it was that figured out what the problem was and how to fix it. My DH and I, and all of our almost 8 kids are so thankful!!

Welch Family Newsletter, 2008 Edition

Trying to do a 'green' newsletter this year. Instead of including it with our Christmas card and picture, I'm typing it here and sending the blog address in our cards. That way we can save a few trees! Welcome to the 2008 Edition of the yearly events in the Curtis Welch household. We'll start youngest first~~ Soren-turned 2 in Jan, and his true 'boy' colors really began to emerge. He is fascinated and obsessed with anything related to "Cars", the movie. He has most of the characters from the movie and loves to play with them. It is so fun to listen to him as he plays with his cars, making them interact and have conversations. He speaks very well for a 2 year old and we can't remember what it was like to not hear his funny little comments and observations. He has a couple of 'friends' from Nursery that he talks about a lot, but he is fortunate to have his sisters home all day to play with. He is becoming very proficient at dressing and undressing himself and putting on his own coat. He has little need for his mom anymore, except to change a diaper now and then and fill up his milk cup. Sadie-turned 7 in July. She has spent the better part of the year with gaps in her smile, trying her best to raise money by losing teeth. Unfortunately, we still have a very lame tooth fairy who is very sporadic in her visits. We keep hoping she will retire and be replaced by a better one. Sadie is a very capable helper for her mom when she wants to be. She is learning to make some food items and often helps get lunch for us. She has learned to love to read, setting her goals for the Pizza Hut Book-It reading rewards. She has also developed a real love of drawing and most days you can find her with her sketchbook and pencil in hand. She is looking forward to being baptized in the coming year. Hannah-turned 9 in July. She also still has gaps in her smile. In fact, some of those gaps have been there so long we are wondering if the lame-o tooth fairy accidentally took the permanant teeth along with the baby teeth. Hannah loves to read and draw as well and will consent to do math and science if Mom will work with her. She has had some fun with our study of American History this year and you can check some of our other blog entries to see pictures of what the girls have been working on. She started taking piano lessons in Oct and has loved it. She likes her teacher and likes to sit and practice and play for fun. Mom rarely needs to remind her. She participated in her first recital on Dec 13 and did a very good job, although as she said, "I was shaking!" She is excited to be double digits next year. Cambria-our first baby girl turned 12 in Sept. That was an exciting day for her and a bittersweet one for me. She enjoys being out of Primary and being part of YW. She has learned to crochet and has made several items. She loves to do paper crafts and makes scrapbook pages as well as other projects to give away. She really likes to cook and create in the kitchen, the Food Network is her favorite channel and her favorite celebs are the hosts of the cooking shows. I am trying to encourage her in this area, as I am happy to give up the title of cook in this house. She also started taking piano lessons, again, in Oct. She has really progressed and finally! likes to sit and play. It is so fun to me to hear her sit and work out a new piece of music. She did a fantastic job in her first recital on Dec 13, playing her piece from memory. Ford-this boy has really had a growth spurt this past year. He has been measuring himself to his mom all year, anxious to pass her up. It finally happened, but he still tries to measure against me to rub it in! He was able to act in the school's rendition of Much Ado About Nothing this year. He was hesitant to audition but did a good job. He and I were then able to attend the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City in June with several of his classmates. It was good to have that experience together. He was happy to turn 14 and move into the Teacher's quorum at church. He is quite diligent in performing his duties, making sure that the sacrament is ready each Sunday. He is playing basketball again this fall for AHS. He played last winter and they struggled, being a very young and inexperienced team. They have done better this year and he is enjoying it. Ford had the opportunity to attend two Scout camps this year as well as Youth Conference for the first time. Montana-Another boy who has had a growth spurt. He is now a young man. He turned 16 in Aug. He has yet to do many of those things that most 16 year old boys consider important. Since he attends a private school there is no Driver's Ed offered and we have not been able to enroll him in a private Driving school yet. He is really okay with that, as he mentions often that he wonders if he is ready for the responsibility of a driver's license. He worries that he might injure someone. He has not been on an official date either, but his classmates have had some birthday and holiday parties he has attended and he enjoys interacting with girls on that level. He is also playing basketball again this year. He is a very good defensive player and is pleased when he can 'stuff' someone. Still working toward that Eagle, we hope he won't wait til the last minute. He attended Youth Conference and was glad to get home and clean up! Jordan-As most of you know, he received his mission call on Valentine's Day, being called to the Montana Billings mission. He entered the MTC in May and then went to Montana in June. He really enjoyed his time in the MTC and has had, for the most part, a good experience so far in Montana. We love hearing from him and 'seeing' his growth in all ways, spiritually and physically. He has had good companions who have taught him well and he has enjoyed meeting people, member and nonmember alike. He has found several people who know his relatives, both on Dad's and Mom's side, and he is desiring to learn more about his family history so he can understand all the connections he is finding there. We checked the temps in Montana this morning and it was -16 where he is currently. Wow! I hope he has enough warm clothing. He would love to hear from anyone who felt like writing to him. You can email me for his address. Kassie-It's been an interesting year for me. I have learned to love the homeschooling life we've chosen. I have loved the closer relationships I feel with my girls. I still have my bad moments, but I feel like I've learned to be more patient with them and with all the kids. I think it has softened me. I was the Primary Chorister until July when they got desperate and I was called to be the Primary President. I have learned and am still learning alot. I enjoy my calling and I love the children in our ward. We don't have a big Primary so it's easy to know all the names and faces and love them. I am thankful for great counselors who definitely help shoulder the load. I will be even more grateful for them in March. In case you didn't know, that is when baby #8 will join our family. I'm sure my counselors will help keep things running in Primary until I can function again. We are so excited about having this new little boy join our family. I never thought for an instant I'd have 8 children, or that I'd still have having children when my oldest was on a mission, but thankfully perspectives can be changed. I am blessed with amazingly good health and easy pregnancies. So far my worst complaints would be tiredness and heartburn. I'd be tired anyway and Tums work well for me. We'll let you know when he makes his appearance. Curtis-An interesting year for him. As the year has progressed and the economy has changed so has his job description. As of now, there is no more surveying to be done. He works around here now, no more traveling, doing maintenance and handyman type jobs. He has done a considerable amount of work on our addition this year, you can check past blog entries to see some of what we've gotten done. He has had the opportunity to take an extension course through GWU this fall. It has been a real experience for him that I can't begin to tell you about, but you can ask him about it. He will be taking another one beginning in Feb. He was released as Scoutmaster after 2 years in that position and is now the Scout Advancement person. He is in charge of keeping track of all the Scouts in the ward and keeping them updated on where they are and what they could/should be working on. After 7 years, he no longer 'gets' to attend Mutual. This has allowed him to take his college class. We have had a good year, no big vacations to report, but no major illnesses or injuries either. Every day we see the hand of the Lord in our lives for which we are most grateful. We feel so blessed to have a son worthy and willing to serve a mission and are thrilled to add another child to those still at home. We also feel very blessed to be part of the families we belong to and are thankful for them and for the good friends we have as well. Most of all, we are thankful for our knowledge of the gospel of Christ. We are grateful for living prophets and for Father's direction in our lives. We pray that each of us will ponder on the meaning of the birth of our Savior and the great gift that that was, but that we will ponder more on the gift he GAVE. For us. That is truly what makes Christmas what it is. Without his life, ministry and atonement, Christmas would just be another day. We wish you joy and peace in this season as well as in the year to come.

GGRRRRRRRR.........een grass!

This is what I got to deal with last weekend...3 or 4 grass-stained white dress shirts.


Why, you ask??


Because I have a 14 year old who absolutely cannot stay on his feet when he is playing football during lunch recess at school. I believe a feather could knock this kid over.

Normally he doesn't wear a dress shirt every day, but both of my boys auditioned for and were selected to be in a special choir that performed last week with Micheal Ballam at the school. It was a pretty big deal, and they had rehearsals, hence the dress shirts every day. Thankfully, the 16 year old manages to keep his clean.

Here is a picture of my favorite laundry aid. I think I need to buy stock in Stain Stick!!

*Note to self: teach the 14 year old how to put it on the stains properly so I don't have to rewash the shirts.