December 2016

As is the case with many others, I typically love Christmas.  The music, the lights, the happiness and acts of service.  I love the cooking and projects and shopping and visiting and caroling that we do.  The worshipping and pondering and remembering.

This year seemed so different to me, though.  For starters, we were busy.  Much busier than we've ever been before.  So much of what means CHRISTMAS to me just didn't happen.  But other things did, and they weren't necessarily bad.  Just different.  I didn't do a lot of baking with the kids.  We watched fewer movies.  We read almost no stories (I had to make a conscientious effort on that one so that the total stories read wouldn't be zero).  We didn't deliver treats to families.

But we did do a few good things:

We visited more.   Especially people who might be lonely this time of year.

Setting up for my Christmas Brunch!

We hosted a Christmas Eve brunch with all the widows in our ward and another family.  That may be a new family tradition because it was delightful!

Cool mural at bear hotel

Bear hotel

We went to the Bear Hotel and saw the Christmas decorations there.














Some of us went to the Temple.

Some of us danced and sang in various events.

First piano recital!

I would say one of the best mornings was the day I took Kenna and Natalie with me to hand out invitations to our Christmas Eve brunch.  We visited a handful of the widows in our ward and chatted and heard some of their stories.  That felt really good.  The sweetest thing was when we left one sweet sister's house and as we walked out the door Kenna piped up and said, "I like her, Mom!" - loud enough for that dear sister to hear her.  Heartwarming!




We also started packing and shopping for Hannah for college.  That hasn't really sunk in.  My baby has a week to go and then we send her off.  It's a surreal feeling.   I try not to picture it because that makes it more real.  No need to get weepy until I absolutely can't avoid it.  I think having her home this fall has been a real treat and blessing.  We've spent time during the days together, which has been wonderful.  But since she worked almost every night I got used to having family dinners without her, FHE without her - all those things that I needed to accustom myself to.  So maybe that will have served to ease me into this new phase.

I'm biased...but isn't she gorgeous!

Every year we give Gifts to the Savior that we write down on a card that we keep in a specially decorated box.  We use the same card each year (till it's full) so we can look back on years past.  I do try to remember my gift throughout the year, but it's awesome to look over the last five or six years and see what I felt prompted to work on.  Last year I put down that I wanted to be a ministering visiting teacher.  I don't know if I actually accomplished my goal.  In fact, I don't think I did.  However, I do feel like the Lord has been tutoring me, especially these past few months, about ministering and teaching me through example and experience what that should look like.  I have so far to go to really minister like the Savior, but I'm getting glimmers of how that can be.  So in a way, with the Lord's help, I've at least made progress in that goal.  That's one that I hope to continue working on, but I did put a new goal/gift for 2017 as well.




Some Photos from Christmas:

Traditional Christmas Jams

He has horns!

Sibling gifts

from Kenna

from Faith

From Natalie

playdoh from Brynne

from Hannah

Brynne put together a great box for Hannah full of sweet little things that Hannah loves.  Like pumpkin spice truffles!

In September my sisters and I had our awesome sisters weekend.  We took photos together with Devon's photographer friend but we had to keep them secret because I think someone was using them for Christmas gifts.   But now it's Christmas, so I think I'm safe to post a few.

Two years ago instead of gifts to our kids we did a family trip.  This year we decided to do the same thing, so we leave tomorrow on our snow adventure.  So excited for three days of togetherness in a cabin in the snow!