Christmas Greetings!

To all of our family and friends, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I did not get a chance to send out Christmas cards this year but we hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas full of great memories and a New Year that will bring you all happiness.
This past year has gone by quickly. We have had our fair share of heart ache and our fair share of great joy. I am greatful that I have my family close by me, the love of a wonderful man, two great children and wonderful friends that are there when we need them. I have many things to be thankful for and I am very blessed that my Heavenly Father is by my side and hears my prayers. With our him I would be lost. To him I am very greatful for the blessings that he has given me. Thankyou to all our family and friends for all that you have done for us.

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year!

With all our love,
The Shumways

The Messiah

This weekend my friends Bekah(left), Jenni (right) and I performed in our communities Messiah. We have been practicing for the last two and half months to get it perfect. I have never sung in the Messiah and I will admit that I have never heard it either. I know shocking isn't it. I sure am glad that my friends talked me into singing with them. I had a great time and I'm sure we will do it again.

Here is a picture of my friends being funny. It was taken just before our performance on Sunday night.

The finished product!

Our finished tree. We had a great time decorating our tree. Neil did a great job picking out a tree that fit perfectly into a corner so we have plenty of room for all our family and friends. We love our tree and the smell is fantastic. Devan actually loves the tree now that it is decorated.

Oops! We found our Christmas present

For Christmas this year Neil and I decided to get the kids a kitty. I had gone down to out local animal shelter and found our new kitty. She is so friendly and really pretty. I brought her home today and hid her in the garage hoping the kids would not find her and then we would surprise them on Christmas morning. It's only two weeks away, I could have done it. Right? Anyway Devan came home from school and the cat was going crazy in the garage. He says "Mom! I hear a cat. Is there a cat in the house?" I tried to play it off that the cat was outside or at the neighbors house, but he new better. He went to the top of the stairs where you can really hear the cat. Before I could even stop Kami she was down the stairs, flings open the door to the garage and out comes the cat. Of coarse my kids start screaming from pure excitement. I called Neil to tell him "the Cat it out of the bag", literally. The kids have found their Christmas present. I think he was just as excited about the cat as the kids. We were a little sad that we could not surprise them on Christmas morning, but seeing their faces was priceless.

A real Christmas Tree!

This year we went up into the Uintas to cut down a real Christmas Tree. We headed out with our friends Ryan and Devin Howell and their three kids to find the perfect tree. There was plenty of snow but it was very warm outside. We hiked around for about an hour before we found the perfect tree. At first Devan did not like it but after it was decorated he loved it. We love to look at our tree and the wonderful smell it brings into our home. I think we have a new tradition to look forward to in the years to come.It took Neil only seconds to cut down our perfect tree and then about 15 minutes to drag it back to the truck. We sure had a great time and look forward to next year to do it again.

Black Friday Shopping

I have never been shopping on the day after Thanksgiving before. This year Natalie and Julie were going so I decided to go with them. We got up really early,(3:30 early) and stood in line at the Mesquite Walmart for over an hour. Of coarse we wore are P.J's shopping(Luckily it was not that cold, warm compared to Evanston weather).We were hoping to go back to bed when we got home. When they finally opened the doors everyone just ran in, hurrying to get to the items they wanted before everyone else. It was a lot of fun, all the excitement of getting the best deal. Shopping with Julie and Natalie was a lot of fun. Maybe they will do it again next year?

Thanksgiving!

Turkey Trot!

On Thursday November 25th, Devan ran in his schools Turkey Trot with all of the other 1st grade students. This is Devan with his friend Nova.

On your mark, get set, Go! All the first grade boys getting ready to run. Devan is the third boy from the left.

Look at him go. The kids started out in the front of the school, ran around to the back, cut across the playground and back to the front. When we saw Devan he was getting pretty tired, but Neil and I cheered him on and he ran the rest of the way. He may not have won a turkey but he is a winner just for trying. Good job Devan, you are a winner to us!

Devan's award

Devan was so excited when he received an award at school for exceeding in his studies. We are so proud of how far he has come this year. He loves to help his teacher and he is everyone's favorite when it comes to needing help with math, writing and reading. His teacher knows that if she ever needs help Devan is always right there to lend a hand.