Christmas Eve at the Manwarings

We love our family and friends, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

The Duke of Christmas says, "Let the festivities begin!"

(As far as dogs go, Apollo is a sell-out!)

The most wonderful time of the year!

These were taken at our Ward Christmas party...Nate cried when he sat on Santa's lap.

I love this picture of Lauren!


We had lots of fun making the gingerbread house...I do believe that's chocolate on Nicholas face.

Gratitude

I think for most of us, this time of year gets us thinking what we're grateful for. This year I feel especially grateful for the blessings we've received. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for healthy, beautiful children and a husband who's willing to work multiple jobs to support his family.

My heart is full when I think of the valiant men and women serving this country, so that we may continue to be free.

Many of my extended family members and friends have lost every possesion they own, except for each other. The amazing thing I have found, is that they are still happy because they know what is most important in this life, and it has nothing to do with possesions.

I'm grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I'm also grateful for the personal life lessons I've learned over this last year; it has changed who I am forever.

“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” Elisabeth Foley

It was so wonderful to see one of my closest friends, Terri last week! I've had so many wonderful friends that move away, but every time I get a chance to talk with them, it's as if we've never been apart.

Veteran's Day at the Farm

This was a baby calf that had just been born an hour earlier.

The Unfriendly Cactus

Clark had a campout with his troop almost two weeks ago in the Superstition Mountains. They had a friendly night time game of "capture the flag", and Clark tackled a Barrel Cactus instead. He had literally hundreds of cactus needles that had to be pulled out...a bloody mess. Well, we thought all was taken care of, but a week later clark came home from school and said he was having terrible pain in his shin. I checked out his leg, and felt a cactus needle almost an inch long embedded deep inside his leg. Fun times. He had to have minor surgery to remove it!

In this picture, the cactus needle is next to the cut.

Sorry if this is too graphic! Clark was a total trooper.

We're back!

Sorry it has been a few months of no posts...we've had some computer troubles, and have had to wipe out our machine a number of times. I will attempt to be consisitent again.

Big fun at Big Bear Lake

Our family went to Big Bear Lake, California last week.

We stayed with my Aunt Betty(far left) and Uncle Paul (far right). My mom and dad are in the middle. My brother Jim and his family were also there. It was a wonderful, memorable trip...we love family!

Here's a pic of all the Randles' side cousins.

Dave and I during a hike.


Dave with our new dog, Apollo.

Our silly little Nathaniel.

We celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday.

Family picnic

This is an old mine shaft that we hiked to and explored...

it goes pretty far and it's really dark!

I love this picture!

this one too...

An aerial view of Big Bear Lake. We took a lift up to 8,000 feet

and ate lunch at a little cafe. It's beautiful; this picture doesn't do it justice!

Nate with my Uncle Paul and Aunt Betty.

We will be back up at Big Bear this winter to enjoy the snow...this is our new favorite place!

A Wicked Good Time

On July 18th Dave and I took Clark and Lauren to see Wicked the Musical. We had a blast! It was a really enjoyable time, and we loved hanging out with our two oldest kids. Lauren knows all the songs by heart, and we are still talking about what a fun time we had.

We have mice!!!

Okay, not the kind that live in our walls and reek havoc. We have two new pet mice that Clark and Lauren adopted; they paid for everything including their cage, toys and food. Lauren named hers Biscotti , and Clark named his Algernon (yes, like the book "Flowers for Algernon"). It has been a great experience for them to take ownership and responsibility for something other than themselves. They have to clean the cage and take care of all their needs. Great for me and Dave.

Jack's 5th Birthday!

Jack celebrated his 5th birthday on July 10th. When I asked Jack what he wanted to do for his birthday he simply said he would like to have a fun birthday at home ( I even offered Chuck E. Cheese). It doesn't take much for Jack to have a good time! We played musical chairs, relay races and had a fishing pond with lots of goodies. Jack is such a special boy; we have loved the 5 wonderful years with him in our family, and look forward to many more years to come.

Best Buddies

Jack and Nate are two of the most opposite personalities you could ever find! Jack is reserved and careful and Nate is crazy and daring. And yet these two are perfect for each other! Jack keeps Nate slighty mellow (or at least keeps him from getting too crazy), and Nate encourages Jack to be a tad more adventurous. They are lost without each other. Heavenly Father really knew what he was doing when he sent these two to our home. I love these little guys!

Clark the Diver

Clark received a Third Place ribbon in this particular

meet, which was pretty amazing considering

he was up against some 17 year olds.

Desert Botanical Garden

The kids and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden. It was actually a great reminder for us that the desert truly holds a beauty of its own.

Unfortunately, Nate got up close and personal to a friendly looking cactus, and found out it wasn't really very friendly after all.

Happy Father's Day, Dave!

Okay, Dave is a total hottie! He is also an amazing dad. When we got married almost 15 years ago, I had no idea he would be such an incredibly great father. He is always the first on the scene when there is a child crying from a bad dream in the middle of the night. Even when he's totally had a long day at work he comes home and plays with the children; then he rolls up his sleeves and helps me finish getting dinner ready. He is a spiritual giant that my children look up to and respect immensely. He is the most patient and loving man I've ever met. How did I ever get so lucky?

Lauren's poem for Dave this morning reads:

A Father who loves strumming the guitar,

The applause from his children are never far.

For a Father so loving, courageous and true,

A loveable Father whose favorite color is blue.

A gentle Father to tuck his kids into bed,

Whisper "I Love You" with a kiss on the head.

A Father who jokes with us 'til we fall on the floor,

He's one of a kind, wish there were more.

Assembly Line

This season we had about 40 pounds of tomatoes from our garden! All five of my children were so excited to help me prepare and freeze some tomatoes. They all helped; it was wonderful. There is something magical when you see your family all happily working together. Unfortunately Nicholas is not in the pictures...towards the end he was feeling really sick and subsequently got the flu.

Lauren turns 12 today!

Happy Birthday Lauren! Actually, she's not home today; she's at Girl's Camp! We love Lauren so much. She is beautiful, intelligent, talented, funny and caring. From the day she was born, I knew she was a wise soul. She is so excited to be a Beehive now, and for the opportunity to turn twelve at Girl's Camp.