Christmas Edition

The birth of my son this year made me appreciate the celebration of the birth of our Savior even more. I am so excited to teach him about Jesus Christ, his life, and his message. We had a fabulous Christmas surrounded by close friends and family. Amid all of the parties, food, and presents, singing at the Veterans' nursing home was my highlight this year. A lot of great family members showed up to sing in our little choir. I was so grateful! I think it will become a new tradition for us. It was fun sharing Christmas celebration through song. When we began, one of the vets came and told us that a lot of the men don't have the physical ability to clap their hands together, so he would do it on their behalf. Little Emerson didn't sing with us, but he sure clapped for us throughout the performance!
My father-in-law talked to a group of vets that showed him a man that goes to the entrance of the building every day waiting for his wife to come for him. What a sweet Christmas message for all of us! His wife won't really come for him until he passes from this life, but because of Jesus Christ she will!



You can't see us because Jr is taking the picture and I am sitting at the piano.

JR gave me several great gifts this year, but the one that meant the most was ballroom dance lessons! I have been wanting to take lessons since we got married and this year he COMPLETELY surprised me with them. A couple of days before Christmas we went to a Christmas party at the studio to eat, watch a performance, and even do some dancing ourselves. I was so impressed at how thoughtful this gift was. I realized how important it is to spend time together, especially with a baby. We had such a blast together laughing out on the dance floor as we tried new moves.




Our new dance teachers














A slide show of Christmas and winter fun

It Was His Only Defense

It just doesn't seem like Christmas to me until I visit Temple Square downtown SLC. I don't wear my pink snow bibs and moon boots anymore, but it wouldn't be a bad idea considering how cold it is! Last night we ventured down with the young women and young men (church youth group) in our ward.


Some of the teenagers from our group.


Thorvaldsen's Christus statue has to be one of my favorite highlights on Temple Square. I like to think of his original in the Lutheran church, Church of Our Lady, in Copenhagen. It's great to be able to stand in awe in front of a depiction of the Savior with foreigners across world. That unity brings me such peace in an unstable world. My Relief Society lesson was on unity this last Sunday. We had such a great discussion and so many interesting thoughts were shared. It made me want to go out and befriend everyone on the street and embrace our differences! I know this sounds like a giant cheese ball, but don't deny that you haven't ever had that feeling before too! I found this quote regarding unity for my lesson from Elder Eyring:

"One way I have seen it done is to search for anything on which we agree. To be that peacemaker, you need to have the simple faith that as children of God, with all our differences, it is likely that in a strong position we take, there will be elements of truth. The great peacemaker, the restorer of unity, is the one who finds a way to help people see the truth they share. That truth they share is always greater and more important to them than their differences. . . That same principle applies as we build unity with people who are from vastly different backgrounds. The children of God have more in common than they have differences. And even the differences can be seen as an opportunity. God will help us see a difference in someone else not as a source of irritation but as a contribution. The Lord can help you see and value what another person brings which you lack."

I love knowing that no matter where someone is from, what religion they belong to, or what kind of background they were raised in, we can all find commonality with one another. We may not agree on everything 100%, but it's the unity which brings us closer and makes us stronger. Right now our world needs this strength!

How Thoughtful

How thoughtful of his mother to hang long silky ribbon, shiny round balls, and sparkly bright lights throughout the house just for his enjoyment.






It looks like King Herod isn't the only threat to Bethlehem. . .

Don't Miss This!

If you haven't been to the Oh Sweet Sadie gift show, you are really in for a treat! If you are sick of the crowded malls with rude, overworked staff, and crazy shoppers, come have a new experience at Oh Sweet Sadie! Walk through three beautiful model homes FILLED with everything from baby goods and Christmas decor, to designer jeans. I GUARANTEE you will find something you absolutely love. You can also check out my display in the first model home.

Happy shopping!

Oh Sweet Sadie Art & Gift Show
December 4 , 5 and 6
Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 - 7 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:30 - 5 p.m.
Daybreak North Shore Model Home Village
10361 Zig Zag Road, South Jordan (map)

www.ohsweetsadie.com

You Must Go!

You have to check out the Art Market this week in Sugarhouse for unique and fabulous Christmas gifts. I will have some of my baby apparel there for sale. I went to the Fall show and loved it! See below for the information.

Take a friend or two to the Art Show for some goodies, go to lunch, and maybe hit up The Rack if you have time!

The Incredibly Random and Unspectacular Quirks of Mr. JR Royce

JR was tagged by his cousin Brian. Due to his failure to comply and negative attitude toward tagging, I will be writing the quirks on his behalf.

1. JR comes up with the most random and crazy nicknames for people. He has given me dozens over the years. Lately he has been calling our son "QB Sneaks". I have no idea what it means.
2.JR doesn't drink milk by itself. He must have it with cereal or mixed with chocolate. He also can't eat bits of fruit mixed in with any type of food, such as salad. He takes frog-eye or Jello salad as an insult. Such a weirdo!
3. If you know JR, or have ever been around him, you know he has a lot of energy. He gets pretty competitive in games and can get a little crazy. This also makes him a fun guy to have at a party. If you need to get things really going on the dance floor, he is your man! He just can't help himself when the dance music comes on.
4. This really isn't a quirk, but he has a real talent for art. He can sketch, paint, and excel at any medium he tries.
5. This may be news to most people, but JR likes to get a good deal! I know, I know, who would have guessed?! He likes to spread the love and make sure others are getting a good deal as well.
6. This is another one that isn't unspectacular: JR can fix ANYTHING. He can also build anything. In High School, he and a friend's dad rebuilt his truck engine. Once he got married, he rebuilt his house! He just finished our kitchen, and it is gorgeous! I really take for granted not having to ever take my car in for repairs or call a fix-it man. He does it all!

JR doesn't want to play tag and apparently would like to remain "it" forever. When I asked who he wants to tag he said, "Let whatever web voodoo or mysterious virus come about, I'm not tagging anyone." He doesn't believe in it and puts it in the same category as multilevel marketing schemes. He is slightly less favorable of his cousin Brian now. Sorry Brian, you two will have to settle this one at the next family reunion.

Need a cure for your Twilight obsession?

I have just the remedy! Do you need something to stop your obsessed daydreams of Edward Cullen immediately? SEE THE MOVIE! While entertaining and worth seeing at least once, this movie was a great disappointment on many levels. I realize that the film had the greatest of expectations to live up to and that absolutely no one can successfully play out what your imagination dreams up in your own head. Still, I think I could have done a better casting job myself with 10 minutes and Google on my laptop! I hate to say it, but the thought of a clown came into mind once, Rosalie had some major hair coloring problems, and Jasper had an uncanny resemblance to Edward Scissorhands. There were many times I almost started laughing at Edward and his immortal behavior. I learned to live with the fast action monkey leaps and tree squatting, but the Princess Barbie sparkles were a bit too much for me! Do you think it is too late to get new actors for the second film? I could go on and on, but I won't. I will say I enjoyed the movie and would tell you to go see it, but that won't stop me from critiquing (and some parts laughing at) it.
You could do a documentary and serious social study on the obsession over this movie!

Baby E Scares Mommy

I went to get the little guy when he woke up from his nap this morning and this is what I found:

It looks like it's time to move the crib mattress down! I found drool markings all around the crib rail. It seems like the baby dangers keep multiplying by the day around here. BTW, these pictures aren't great because they were taken with a phone.

Halloween

Here is a little slide show of our Halloween. We had fun showing off our little monster to friends and family and ending the night watching Hitchcock's Psycho with some friends. What is it with our obsession to freak ourselves out every year in October? We wouldn't dream of standing in line for an hour to pay $15 to have a bunch of weirdo High School kids jump in our faces, getting lost in corn fields, or smearing fake blood on our faces the rest of the year. The thing I don't understand; however, is where little slutty girl costumes come into play when it comes to scary Halloween! I'm sure the people from the 19th century would be scared. Halloween comes around and suddenly anything goes. Maybe it has become a time to allow our inner Id one controlled time of release and insanity to keep us well behaved the rest of the year. ???

Open For Business!

My little children's apparel LLC, "Easy Peasy", is finally up and running! So far my onesies are available in a couple of boutiques in Park City and Sugar House. If you are ever in those areas you have to check out these fun boutiques!







Mary Jane's









Paisley Pomegranate Park City
Paisley Pomegranate Sugar House










Soon they will also be available at the online boutique The Pat a Cake Baby.


You can also check out my full line at my Etsy shop: Easy Peasy Shop (easypeasyshop.etsy.com)or click the link on the sidebar. I will gradually be adding things to the shop.

Take a look at my cute little models!

Fine. Tag, I'm it.

I always dread a tag, but the first part of this one is kind of fun:
I had to go into the 4th folder of my pictures and find the 4th picture. Christmas 2006 was the folder and here is the picture:




For an explanation of this mysterious photo, especially to those who have never seen A Christmas Story (which you think would be impossible with how often it runs on TV around Christmas time), I thought I would post a few other pics. One evening in December 2006 Rodney Royce heard a loud knock at his front door.



To his surprise stood a large "major award" in a wooden crate with the Italian word "fragile" painted on the front. Anyone with any sense knows that anything that says "fragile" must be something of great worth. The family gathered around for the unveiling of the great and mysterious major award their father had received.


Grandma Royce (who passed away at the beginning of this year) said she wanted to try it out for size to see if it would make a decent casket. She jumped right up on it, but found that it was a little short. What a funny grandma!!! The world isn't the same without Grandma Lova.


With great anticipation Rodney furiously dug through the shredded paper to find what the large box held for him. The family watched in amazement as he pulled out an obscene woman's leg covered in seductive net tights. What could such a thing be used for? Their questions were answered when he pulled out a lamp shade that fit perfectly atop the smooth muscular thigh. He wasted no time as he fetched a table to place the lamp on in the front window for all to admire.










Knowing his dad's favor for the movie A Christmas Story, JR put hours into recreating one of the best scenes. I can't tell you how many searches he did for the right leg or how many craft stores he shopped for the perfect fringe. He and his friend Tyler even dedicated an entire afternoon to shopping for a sleek black woman's shoe together with just the right height in the heel.















Each year around Christmas time when you drive down the Royce's street, you will see the bright glow of electric sex shining proudly in the window.

















Now for six strange things about me (I will make this quick):
1) I don't like to look at large fish, especially when they are too big for their environment!!!!
2) I don't like to see ducks too far from the pond or in abnormal places.
3) Whenever making anything with bread I always break off a small piece and eat it first (it drives JR crazy).
4) I have to have all feelings in my body symmetric. For instance, if one hand is wet or one arm tired, I have to get the other side wet or tired.
5)I loved playing anything "in olden times" when I was younger (not "strange" but I can't think of much right now).
6) I MUST eat breakfast. I absolutely can't start the day without it.
I tag Teresa, Christel, and Hailey (because she didn't do my last tag I gave her!).

Guten Tag!

Aren't our mountains beautiful? We don't appreciate them enough. Last weekend we tried to introduce Emerson to a little German culture at Oktoberfest.


Let's just say he had a little too much fun . . .

His very first food: bratwurst


We also continue to try to give our son a big ego . . .




Auf Wiedersehen!