The Meeker Family!

He truly did bring so much joy to this world, and to my life. I pray we all have a Merry Christmas and remember him who has given us all. May his love fill our hearts this Christmas and in the year to come.

Chuck and I had the opportunity to attend a Michael Ballam Christmas benefit concert that Michael was doing for Cayden's school, American Heritage. Rachael is in the madrigal choir and was performing as well so my mom got all of us tickets. So there we are sitting around waiting for the performance to start and who walks in... President Uchdorf and his wife, and Elder Oaks and his wife. Within 5 seconds of them walking in a hush fell over the entire audiance and everyone stood. It was amazing the spirit that they carried with them, you could literally feel it when they walked in the room. They waved to everyone and then seemed to really enjoy the concert. They were only a few rows in front of us. It was really cool. The concert was fabulous, the spirit was so strong. I am so grateful that we have had opportunities like these while living in Utah, and that Cayden has had the opportunity to go to such a wonderful school. The spirit is so strong at American Heritage and I am constantly impressed by what they are teaching the children. It is things like this I will really miss when we move next year.

One of my favorite things about the Holidays is my kids matching Christmas outfits. It was fun to have 2 girls this year and get them matching outfits. This might be the last year I can find matching stuff in both their sizes. Cayden always gets a suit and a shirt and tie to match the girls. They all looked so cute. I always make me and Chuck match the kids too, so we all match one day of the year! I love it!

All of us, matching, so fun!

My 3 babies, aren't they so cute

Beautiful Gracie Bell

Princess Emma

Handsome Cayden

Cayden and Emma, so cute


In church I had the opportunity to sing with the Christmas choir, I had forgoten how much I liked to sing. I am so grateful for the beautiful music about the birth of our Savior, and for the wonderful spirit that it invites. We had such a wonderful Christmas program at church, I am grateful for a chance to slow down and remember what this season is really about. I am forever grateful and humbled that my Savior would descend below all things and come down to this earth in the most humble of circumstances to live and die for us. What a wonderful opportunity Christmas time is to remember him.

I love that the kids still believe in Santa Clause. They keep telling me that the Santa we see at all the parties is not the real Santa, cause the real one is busy in the North Pole, it is just all his helpers that come and see the kids. They are so excited for Christmas this year, it was fun to see Santa. They have their list's memorized, whenever anyone asks them what they want they can ratttle it off in about 3 seconds. Cayden wants a Spiderman playset (I still have no idea what this is), Bionicles, Lego's, and art supplies. Emma wants a Belle dress, a princess jammie dress, pink lego's, art supplies and a pink leapster. Gracie just want's to roll over, since she is 5 month's now and shows no sign of doing so. I can't wait for Christmas morning when they open their presents. I realized Christmas is way funner when you are the one giving, instead of just thinking about what you are going to get like when we were kids.

After Emma's dance concert I was a little bit worried about her preschool Christmas program. But it was the exact opposite, she was so cute and delightful. She was doing all the dances and motions, and knew all the words. She was so cute, she was swaying her hips and dancing the whole time up there. I love watching them do things like this. They will only be this litte for such a short time, and I always want to remember how cute they were at these things.

My princess

Singing and dancing

Ben and Cayden

Gracie loved he music and bright stage decorations

Our fam, the lighting is horrible in this picture.

Mom and Gracie

Mom, Ron, and Ben came to see her.

My friend Aimee's little boy Gavin, is 3 months older than Gracie. He LOVES her. He always wants to be next to her and touching her. In this picture she is pushing his hand away from her. She hates that he is always touching her face. He will even find her in Relief Society and Sunday School and crawl over to where we are and want to touch her and play with her. He is so cute. Maybe in a couple of years she will like him too.

Emma had her first dance concert on Saturday. I was so excited, and so was she. She go to wear makeup, and her beautiful costume. She was practicing her dance for weeks. Then the day of the performance comes and what happens... She stood still the first half of the dance with a very upset look on her face, then the second half of the dance she sat down on the floor and started tying her ballet shoe. Her class finished the dance and walked off stage, and Emma was still sitting in the middle of the stage tying her shoe. We were laughing so hard. I was a little disapointed, but oh well. She came up to me after and said, "mom, I did such a good job, I am the best dancer in my class huh?" I don't think she realized that she didn't do what she was supposed to do. Maybe I didn't prepare her well enough. Anyway, she told me later what happened. Her shoe had come untied and she asked her teacher to tie it, but it was time for them to go on stage so her teacher pushed her out on stage and Emma was really mad cause she thought she couldn't dance without her shoe tied. She sat there mad the whole dance, and finally decided to tie it herself so she could dance. She is so funny, such a perfectionist, who do you think she get's that from. Well, maybe at her spring recital we will actually get to see her dance.

Emma before her concert, she kept doing the funniest poses.

After the concert, she was so excited to get her own roses from her daddy.

Emma and Daddy

Our family

Emma and Cayden, he wouldn't take that dumb candy cane out of his mouth.

Quin, Becca, Mom, Emma, Chuck and Gracie

Becca and her boyfriend Quin. Emma loves Quin and really wanted him to come, it was nice of him to come with Becca. We love Quin and we really hope he and Becca get married.

Cayden had his Kindergarted Christmas devotional last week. I was so proud of him. He did so well. He had to memorize like 4 new songs, Psalm 100, 2 poems, 3 scriptures, and his part. He did everything perfectly. I have been shocked at how much these kids can memorize. It was so cute with all the kids and the spirit was so strong to hear how much they have learned about Jesus, and how much they love him. I am so grateful that he is able to attend American Heritage, and that right next to his Math and Spelling he is learning about Christ and the Gospel. What a blessing it has been to have what we are trying to teach him at home reinforced at school, rather than torn down. He has grown so much in the way he govern's himself, the way he treats others, and in his knowledge and love of the gospel.

Cayden doing his part, I was so proud of him, he spoke so clear, loud and slow, he did perfect. He got to dress up like s Shepherd, he was so glad he didn't have to be an angel.

His class

Our family after the devotional, Emma was at school so she didn't get to go.

My mom came to see him!!

Rachael goes to this school, so she stepped out of class to come and see him.

We had my family Christmas party a couple weeks ago. It was so fun to see all my cousins. We are really close so we have so much fun when we all get together. I am the oldest cousin so at first I was the only one married. It is so much funner now that a few of my other cousins have gotten married. They have all married really great guys who Chuck get's along with really well, and we love to hang out with them. I took my little camera and It was not working that night, so half of my pictures are blurry, Oh well.

Grace and Boston. Boston was born 6 weeks after Grace, but he is already bigger than she is. He is so cute.

Daddy and Gracie. She had crazy hair that night, no matter what I did to it, it stuck straight up.

My grandma had this litte tree and she let all the kids decorate it with her ornaments. They loved it, it was by far their favorite part of the night.

Aunt Mary, Chelsey with Boston, Kendon, and Uncle Dave. Boston and Kendon are not Chelseys kids, they are her sister Danielle's

My sisters

Cody, Brandon and Heidi, and Brandon

Laura and Dave

Grandpa, I think this might be our last Christmas with him. We just found out that he has alzheimers. He was having a really hard time at the party. I feel so bad for him and my grandma, it is so hard.

Ron, he is so funny!

Cayden and my cousin Nathan that is his age. My mom is the oldest and this is her youngest sister's son.

Me and my mom

Danielle, Boston and Chelsey

Chuck and Emma

For family night last week we went to the living nativity they have in Alpine. These people have 2 huge barns like the size of a basketball court and they have a living nativity every year. In one of them you go through and they have set it up like your walking through Bethlehem, they have animals and little shops set up. Everyone is dressed up. They even had a Roman soldier going around on a horse. Then you go into the second barn and they have Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. It was so neat, the kids loved it. Thank you to my mom for watching Gracie, who would have hated the cold.

Cayden and Emma, waiting for the trailer to pick us up and take us up to Bethelehem

Me and the kids. It was so cold!!!

The sheep

They actually had 3 camels there. I don't know how they got them. Cayden was so excited to get a picture with one of them.

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

Emma and Daddy waiting for the trailer to take us back to our car. Poor Emma was so tired by the end of the night.

For thanksgiving we went up to Sundance with my Mom and Ron. We had so much fun. They had the best buffet in the restaurant there. While we were there I snapped some pictures of everyone, and had mom take a couple of my family for our Christmas card. I don't want to do professional ones till Grace is older. I got some really cute ones of the kids. We had our traditional thanksgiving dinner on Friday because that way Ron's kids could be with us. It was great to be with family this year. Chuck and I realized that this will be our last thanksgiving at home for a long time. During law school we won't be able to afford to come home a lot, so if we do come home it will be for Christmas. Here are a couple of the pictures I took.

Cute little Gracie. I love her smile. She never half smiles, she always has this huge smile on her face.

I love this picture of her, this is totally her look. She looks at me all day like this. So cute.

Our family of 5

Emma's about to kiss Cayden.

Cayden and Emma, they are still best buds

Mommy and Emma, the older she get's the less she looks like me. Sad!

Beautiful Emma

Daddy and Cayden, they are litte twinners.

My little man!

All my babies. Grace was not cooperating for the group shot. She would not look at the camera, something over to the side had caught her attention and she would not stop staring. Don't you love her double chin!

Beautiful Becca

Becca and Rachael

Benny

Rachael, I can't believe how grown up she has gotten.

Mom and Ron, they are the cutest couple ever. I am so glad my mom is so happy!