catch up time...

I have been gone for a while so I feel like I need to explain. I think most of you heard what my big plan was. I wanted to make my blog more anonymous and "safe" for my family. I intended on just taking the blog down for a short time and going through my posts so I can weed out any personal info. I got started and was a little overwhelmed so I quite and then just got a very bad case of blogstipation and couldn't get anything going, so I didn't post for a very long time. Sorry everyone who thought I had banned them from my blog. The truth is I was the only one who could log on durring that time. I did not go private I just set it up so only the blog author (ME) could view it. Once again I apologize (Aunt Laura, I love you so of course I was not blocking you). That all being said let's recap a little shall we?

First off I need to thank Emily, the blog fairy, for yet another blog look. The Reed family is notorious for not allowing Christmas to linger past the 25th so Emily hooked me up with a new look. Secondly my camera is pretty much unusable at this point. The screen where you look at your subject and your pictures in totally grey. I don't know what happened but I can say we have had this camera for a while now and I have used it almost everyday so I do feel like I got my money out of it. I do have a birthday coming up so I know what I would love to get (hint hint Jerm). I just wanted to throw this out because I will be posting some pictures and movies that are a little off.

Since I have been away from blogging a few things have happened in the Clement clan. Jacob and Riley both participated in a school Christmas program. I had the bum camera there with me so the pictures and footage is a little less than perfect but here are some shots from the big night (I tried to make a short movie of Riley singing but she never stood close enough to me to get a clear shot).






Jake and I took a small group of friends with us to Dallas on Sunday evening so that Jake could see his doctor and so we could have a little Dallas outing. We got back Tuesday night after a little set back with the van but even with the van trouble and VERY cold weather I think it was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have fun and I loved having the opportunity to talk and hang out with my good friend/coworker Kezia. Jake's appointment went well (have I mentioned how much we love Dr. Menter?) Jake is going to have to up his meds over the winter because of the cold dry air. The doctor is also going to start working with our insurance to see if we can get Jake switched over to a more expensive but less dangerous treatment, we hope it all works out. While in Dallas Kezia and I tried to take out sons and their little friend (three boys aged 8, 9, and 10) to Six Flags in 30 degree weather with a wind chill factor of 22 degrees. After we paid for parking and for our tickets into the park we realized that only two rides in the whole place were open so needless to say we stuck around for about an hour and then left with rain checks to come back.

We had a wonderful Christmas season with our children. We have enjoyed reading Christmas stories together, watching classic movies, singing carols, shopping for each other and participating in a live nativity put on by our ward. Jeremy and Jacob got to portray shepherds on a very cold windy west Texas night. Thankfully there was another father/son team that would relieve them every 30-45 minutes. The boys really enjoyed it and I know the people who drove by and stopped to take pictures felt the Spirit there and were reminded of the reason we celebrate this time of the year.

We hope everyone is enjoying their families today and takes time to think about Christ, his birth, his life and ministry and of course his ultimate sacrifice for each of us. Merry Christmas love the Clement Family!!

***side note*** this DOES count as your Christmas card from our family not cause we're going "green", just cause we're lazy...