Here are a few pictures from our family Christmas!
Christmas Eve we had our traditional Nazarene dinner. We try to eat things similar to what Jesus ate in His day and culture. The kids love to eat on the floor and it reminds us of why we are celebrating this wonderful time of year. Jen came down and graced us with her presence too. We were happy to have her.


Jackson got gifts for his sisters for the first time. He even wrapped them himself and wrote their names on the packages. He got a little help with spelling but as you can see from the picture he hasn't quite got it all figured out yet.Jackson's favorite gift was his Storm Trooper Helmet that talks and everything! He said, "Santa really does know the things I like!" He didn't actually get the things on his list, but we told him that Santa knows things we want that we don't even think of sometimes! Notice the milk and cookie in the background? That really amazed Jackson!
Brooklyn's favorite gift was her rocking horse that whinnies and gallops and moves its head. She rode all morning long. Aunt Lori would be proud! Dakotah got a horse too, but hers bounces. We didn't get any shots of her on it yet, but here's a cute one just so everyone can see her pretty blue eyes.
The next day we went sledding! Jackson and Dayne both got new snow boots and had to test them out right away. Oh, and by the way, Mom and Dad Godbold, you now have a snow fort in your back yard. No snow man yet, though.
We had a great Christmas and it has been really nice to have Dayne home for a few days. He has been working long hours with all the snow we have had, but for a few days he got a respite. Hope everyone had as good a holiday as we did!

To all those who didn't get the email:

Dear Friends, Family, and Everyone Else,

Wow! What a year we have had! The most exciting news we can reveal is that we have been joined by our precious baby girl, who we’ve named Dakotah Rene. Besides a new baby, we had a great Hayes family reunion where we got to visit with many of you. We also took a trip back to Illinois (Dayne’s first time) to see those of my family who couldn’t make it to the reunion. We had a great time! In fact, being away from the shop for awhile got us to thinking. And, in the grand tradition we began when we met and married so spontaneously, we decided to leave the business to my dad and return to Utah. Yes, we have moved back to Orem and are living in Dayne’s parents’ basement.
This year I thought it would be fun to grace you with some of our favorite hobbies, activities, quotes, and other nonsense.
Since we’ve been in Utah we have been spending more time with Dayne’s brothers. We have discovered the wonders of the Wii, and, let me just say, our family could make a great rock band. Jackson has also gotten very good at beating me at jenga .
I am also getting back into the joys of baking with spelt flour and learning to feed my family more nutritiously. Don’t get me wrong, the kids still get tons of candy and goodies (Dayne will see to that), but we are balancing it with less sugar in our regular food and eating more vegetables. The kids take to it pretty well.
Speaking of the kids, Jackson is in Kindergarten this year. He loves it, I think mostly because he gets away from me every morning. He is learning to read and write and all about homework. We butt heads quite a bit, though, when I correct him. He doesn’t like to be told he’s doing something wrong. Huh . . . I wonder where he gets that from? Oh, well.
Brooklyn has taken over where Jackson leaves off every day. She has an intimidating nature. At least Jackson must think so. He had an accident on his bunk bed one day. When I asked him about it he said, “I couldn’t get down because Brooklyn was down there, and she was going to get me!” I can’t wait until he’s a teenager and I can tease him about being scared of his little sister. Although, I must admit, she scares me too sometimes.
She has become more aware of her father’s affections lately. If mom and dad are hugging or smooching, she has to wiggle her way in between. And when Daddy leaves for work she takes him through a ritual with hugs, kisses, knuckles, five, and an “I luboo, Daddy.” Today she added a prayer too. When I leave I get, “See ya, Mommy.” (I know he’s bribing her with goodies.)
I have discovered the secret to losing that stubborn baby weight. It’s not breastfeeding. It’s breastfeeding a baby with food allergies, and it works! Dakotah developed some pretty severe eczema a couple months ago. Since then I have given up many of my favorite foods including all dairy, soy, sugar, and wheat among other things. I blame Dayne entirely for this because it was his genes that created the problem. However, we have seen a remarkable difference in her skin, and she is once again a happy baby, laughing and cooing loudly.
Let’s see, my last child, Dayne, my pride and joy. Such a good kid, although he needs to work on his romance skills. He really likes his new job. The other mechanics couldn’t figure out why he was skipping around the shop, whistling his favorite tunes on his first day. Little did they know he was feeling the affects of a lack of responsibility. He barely talks to the customers, never sees a bill, and gets to leave at closing time. This job is easy!
Now I’ve run out of room so I better quit. But as long as you’re still reading, I would like to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone we love so much! Wish we could all be together, but I guess it could get pretty crowded in this basement. Plus Dayne wouldn’t be able to sleep with all that breathing at night.

Love you all,
The Godbolds, Dayne, Sarah, Jack Jack, Brookie, and Kotah Bear

Playing!

Well, we are definitely not ready for Christmas at all, but we are having fun spending time together lately. Dayne gets to come home for lunch everyday, and while he is here he plays with the kids. And they love it! So I just thought I would post some pics of everbody having a good time.

We came, we saw, we conquered. . .we invited friends!

A much happier Dakotah!
I guess it doesn't really matter how you dress when you are helping Daddy with Christmas lights!What a cute couple!

Baking Frenzie!

It's back! I've got the bug, and I've got to bake! I've been trying some different grains for bread and cookies, things I can eat. Now I just want to try all the recipes I can that have good grains and no sugar. I figure if I make enough good stuff to eat, I will already have it on hand to snack on. That's about as close to store bought convenience as you can get. And its even better because I know its healthy. I am so excited about this! I know it sounds silly, and most of you will probably say, "What's the big deal anyway?" I just feel good when I know that I can use my skills to do something that nourishes our family. There is a lot of nasty stuff out there. Not just junk food but junk media, junk influences, and junk feelings we get from all of that stuff. There is so much out there that tears down our stamina and wears down our resistance in all facets; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It just really feels good to focus my energy on something that builds us up and gives us what our bodies really crave, nutrition.
I know, perfect time of year to make people feel guilty for all the sweets, but I heard something yesterday that made me think. It was Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild. He was in the jungle of Equador and woke up to see a beautiful exotic flower blooming right over his head. He pointed it out as "God's little extravagence." A little flower that nobody may ever see but He put it there anyway. It just reminds me that God spends His energy (extavagence, if you will) on beautiful things for us. And what do we spend our energy on?
So my Christmas message is that we appreciate the small, seemingly insignificant details of our lives. And do our part to add to the world and its beauty instead of taking it for granted and gorging ourselves on worthlessness.
Now how did I get from baking to phylosophy? I'm not sure. I hope you all understand my meaning. This blog is my outlet for expression, the echoes of a mind held captive by the little people.

December already!

How was everybody's Thanksgiving? Ours was pretty good. We were here in Utah but able to see Mom and Dad when they came down for the weekend for Dan's baby's blessing. It was nice to see some of my family again. It was a short visit with my parents, but much needed and welcomed. We are now looking forward to Christmas and have put up our tree. It has been rearranged many time already. By Christmas I'm sure most of the ornaments will have been moved to the upper half, and it will look quite lopsided. Oh well.
We are happy to report that Dakotah is doing much better now. Her skin has cleared up pretty well, and she is in much better spirits. She has been laughing and talking so much more in the past few days. I think she fell behind a little on her rolling over skills while she was hurting. Now she can get back to business. We are really happy to have our little angel back to her old self again.
Now we are just praying that our house will sell soon and that we will get a nice Christmas bonus from our new employer. We are not sure what to expect so we haven't done any shopping yet. I'm sure I will be out at the last minute as usual trying to get just the right thing that will keep the kids happy all throught the year. Usually, though, they stay happy and occupied for about 2 hours. You take what you can get sometimes. I feel blessed this year knowing that we are all happy and contented. Yes, there are things we wish for and hope will work out soon for us, but even in the worst case senerio, if nothing comes thru, we will still be a family and feel we are better off than we have ever been. I know this sounds like a Christmas letter, but I promise I can get even mushier when that time comes around. Love to everyone and enjoy the spirit of the season. This truly is the best time of the year!