Saturday, December 28, 2019
Sweet Baby Adaline!
Today my little sister welcomed a baby girl! After three rough and tumble boys, she finally got a little finesse in their home. Krystle is a rock star! She has the most horrible pregnancies; yet, time and again, she sacrificed her own comforts to bring a child into the world. She is the epitome of Super Mom. Motherhood is hard. The easy part will be pregnancy, labor pains, and delivery. No mother is perfect, but super mothers love perfectly. Baby Addie is so sweet! We all enjoyed getting a chance to meet her (even though Jonas wasn't too excited that it was a girl at first). Welcome to the world little one!
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Surprisingly, Jonas didn't wake up too early. However, once he did wake up, he was ready to see if Santa brought his electric scooter! I was able to stall him for about 15 minutes as we discovered a few gifts Santa left in the tiny stocking he had colored from the ward Christmas party and hung in his room. Finally, once he couldn't wait any longer, he rounded up his siblings and headed to the living room. At that point, it was a flurry of wrapping paper and smiles as everyone got to open their gifts. I feel extremely grateful for the circumstances that allow us to provide this type of Christmas for our kids. While I try to keep our gift-giving in check, I am acutely aware of our abundance and realize there are families out there who don't have anything to give. I hope in our excitement over gifts we receive, we can remember that to give is more important than to receive.
My favorite gift this year was a handwritten letter from Jeff. The letter was accompanied by a beautiful necklace entitled "Center of Me" with a single round diamond in the center of swirls of diamonds. The letter explained that I am the heart of this home and the center of Jeff's world. I cried as I read that letter and reflected on all the times I felt more like the chaos and not the center. I wish I was perfect. I wish I could say the right things, react the right way, and be the person everyone expects/wants me to be, but I don't and I'm not. A friend once asked me what was the one thing I thought I had done exceptionally well as a parent. At first, all I could think of were all the mistakes I have made and the unintentional hurt or frustration I've caused; yet, through it all I can honestly say I tried exceptionally well. I have always tried to be a good parent and a good person. I have tried to do what was right for my family. I have tried to be the bigger person. I have tried to let things go and overcome the hurt I've felt. I have tried to love with all my heart. I have tried to temper my anger. I have tried to be a good mother...and I'll never stop. I hope that earns me the praise Jeff wrote to me or the necklace I proudly wear...even when I don't feel I deserve it.
After everyone opened their gifts, we had our traditional waffle breakfast before Dallin called. To be honest, I think this was my favorite part of the day. I loved seeing his smile. I loved that he was happy with the little he received for Christmas and more excited about the abundance he was going to give (he bought tons of chocolate and cream puffs to hand out to members and investigators). It was fun to talk to him. I'm grateful that he gets to call as often as he does. I think it helps all of us feel connected even though we're 2,834 miles apart.
Once we finished the call, the older kids left to attend their in-laws' Christmas parties. Our day slowed down, but the boys enjoyed playing with their Christmas gifts. The Tanners came over later in the afternoon and joined us for Christmas dinner (sorry...no pictures...I think I was thoroughly exhausted at that point). And just like that, Christmas is over. It never seems to last long enough, but I'm grateful for all the memories made. Now on to a new year and new adventures!
My favorite gift this year was a handwritten letter from Jeff. The letter was accompanied by a beautiful necklace entitled "Center of Me" with a single round diamond in the center of swirls of diamonds. The letter explained that I am the heart of this home and the center of Jeff's world. I cried as I read that letter and reflected on all the times I felt more like the chaos and not the center. I wish I was perfect. I wish I could say the right things, react the right way, and be the person everyone expects/wants me to be, but I don't and I'm not. A friend once asked me what was the one thing I thought I had done exceptionally well as a parent. At first, all I could think of were all the mistakes I have made and the unintentional hurt or frustration I've caused; yet, through it all I can honestly say I tried exceptionally well. I have always tried to be a good parent and a good person. I have tried to do what was right for my family. I have tried to be the bigger person. I have tried to let things go and overcome the hurt I've felt. I have tried to love with all my heart. I have tried to temper my anger. I have tried to be a good mother...and I'll never stop. I hope that earns me the praise Jeff wrote to me or the necklace I proudly wear...even when I don't feel I deserve it.
After everyone opened their gifts, we had our traditional waffle breakfast before Dallin called. To be honest, I think this was my favorite part of the day. I loved seeing his smile. I loved that he was happy with the little he received for Christmas and more excited about the abundance he was going to give (he bought tons of chocolate and cream puffs to hand out to members and investigators). It was fun to talk to him. I'm grateful that he gets to call as often as he does. I think it helps all of us feel connected even though we're 2,834 miles apart.
Once we finished the call, the older kids left to attend their in-laws' Christmas parties. Our day slowed down, but the boys enjoyed playing with their Christmas gifts. The Tanners came over later in the afternoon and joined us for Christmas dinner (sorry...no pictures...I think I was thoroughly exhausted at that point). And just like that, Christmas is over. It never seems to last long enough, but I'm grateful for all the memories made. Now on to a new year and new adventures!
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas Eve! More than Christmas morning, I love the traditions of Christmas Eve. This is the night that we get to turn our focus more toward our Savior. I know the other traditions and activities of the month help point us in that direction, but tonight we really focus on Christ. Anyway, we woke up to find Jingle one last time. This time he brought the recipe for Santa's favorite cookies. Jonas and I made those cookies while we waited for Laurin, Casey, Jacob, and Amber to join us.
Once everyone was here, Jeff allowed the kids to open a few early presents to play with since the older kids wouldn't be staying long on Christmas day. They got to open their remote control cars and some rockets. We then spent the next couple hours shooting off rockets and driving cars before it started to rain/snow.
Around dusk (and just before an unfortunate rain shower), we began our Christmas Eve traditions. The older kids set out our luminaries (which mostly survived the rain) while Gma Penny and I prepared our Bethlehem dinner. Grumpy, Gma Thompson, Mitchell, Evan, Kristina, and baby Thomas joined us as well. We enjoyed our dinner by candlelight before we began our Christmas Eve devotional.
Our devotional is a combination of songs and words. Danny played the cello. Amber sang while Jacob played the guitar. Jonas even sang a song (although he chose "My Shot" from the Broadway musical, Hamilton...not really a Christmas song). I read a Christmas story before Grumpy ended with reading the nativity story in Luke 2. For 20 minutes, everything we shared pointed us to Christ. For 20 minutes, we were reminded of why it is we celebrate this holiday. For 20 minutes, we felt the love, peace, and kindness from our Savior that we tried to share throughout the month.
After our devotional, the festive fun continued. Gma Penny prepared the Christmas version of the left/right game. Luckily, I had time to prepare Jonas prior to the game so there were no meltdowns as he had to pass his chosen gift left and right.
Following the game, Grumpy, Gma Penny, Gma Thompson, Mitchell, Evan, Kristina, and Thomas left. The rest of the evening, Jeff and I got to play games with the kids. Jeff played Monopoly with the older kids while I played other games with Jonas. My favorite part of the evening was snuggling with Jonas in bed while reading Christmas stories as he anxiously awaited Santa's arrival. There is always more Christmas magic through the eyes of a child.
Once everyone was here, Jeff allowed the kids to open a few early presents to play with since the older kids wouldn't be staying long on Christmas day. They got to open their remote control cars and some rockets. We then spent the next couple hours shooting off rockets and driving cars before it started to rain/snow.
Around dusk (and just before an unfortunate rain shower), we began our Christmas Eve traditions. The older kids set out our luminaries (which mostly survived the rain) while Gma Penny and I prepared our Bethlehem dinner. Grumpy, Gma Thompson, Mitchell, Evan, Kristina, and baby Thomas joined us as well. We enjoyed our dinner by candlelight before we began our Christmas Eve devotional.
Our devotional is a combination of songs and words. Danny played the cello. Amber sang while Jacob played the guitar. Jonas even sang a song (although he chose "My Shot" from the Broadway musical, Hamilton...not really a Christmas song). I read a Christmas story before Grumpy ended with reading the nativity story in Luke 2. For 20 minutes, everything we shared pointed us to Christ. For 20 minutes, we were reminded of why it is we celebrate this holiday. For 20 minutes, we felt the love, peace, and kindness from our Savior that we tried to share throughout the month.
After our devotional, the festive fun continued. Gma Penny prepared the Christmas version of the left/right game. Luckily, I had time to prepare Jonas prior to the game so there were no meltdowns as he had to pass his chosen gift left and right.
Following the game, Grumpy, Gma Penny, Gma Thompson, Mitchell, Evan, Kristina, and Thomas left. The rest of the evening, Jeff and I got to play games with the kids. Jeff played Monopoly with the older kids while I played other games with Jonas. My favorite part of the evening was snuggling with Jonas in bed while reading Christmas stories as he anxiously awaited Santa's arrival. There is always more Christmas magic through the eyes of a child.
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