Christmas 2017

What a wonderful Christmas it was, this year. We knew we wanted to be home to celebrate in our new house but I admit we did miss family a lot this year! Thank goodness for technology! 

Christmas Eve morning June comes into our room heartbroken because there was nothing in her stocking. She got the days mixed up and it was heartbreaking when she came in so sad. She was relieved that it wasn't Christmas Yet. 

It was Sunday and we have 8:30am church so we were up and at it pretty early, getting everyone ready. We made it and even managed a picture. 

I snapped a picture at church because of how matchy  everyone was. It was cute. 

We only had Sacrament meeting, so after church we came home, got in comfy clothes and started prepping for our Christmas dinner later that day. 

 June and Owen were in charge of the Veggie tray.

Owen wanted to add blue berries on there for Kate because Kate inhales blue berries and can eat an entire case in one sitting, and also Owen is the sweetest little thing in the whole world. The kids did a great job on the veggie tray. 

We had our little candle light dinner. Dan made Prime Rib this year. My family has this at Christmas dinner so we decided to give it a go. We need some practice. Haha but we still ate it and it ended up being good. 

After dinner we had some time before our Christmas Eve festivities began, so we went and took a walk around our neighborhood to burn off some of the food we ate. 

After our walk, we got all settled and unbundled because Texas turned freaking freezing all of  the sudden, and then got ready for our traditional Christmas Eve. 

We opened pajamas and we all had matching ones this year. Which kind of turned into a failure. I accidentally got Dan WOMEN'S PAJAMAS!!! He was such a good sport about it though because he didn't want Owen to feel left out. I was laughing so incredibly hard. Every time I looked at him, I lost it. They were clearly a women's cut. I don't know what I was thinking! 

After we got our pajamas, we went and sprinkled our reindeer food out on the lawn. 

P.J. Our elf was about to leave with Santa that night and gave the kids special permission to give him a hug. June was THRILLED!!! 

We watched The Nativity and Dan read from Luke 2. Then we got ready to say goodnight. We got our pinwheel and cookies ready to go followed with a Dr.Pepper because Santa requested for one in our return letters from him. (Thanks grandpa). 

 We let the kids sleep together in June's room. We also let them watch a movie because we knew they weren't going to go to bed anytime soon and us "Santas" really wanted to get going on setting everything up! 

I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS LOVE setting up the kids for Christmas. It is so much fun!! Thankfully one of our friends let us have his garage for a bit and helped put June's car together a few weeks before Christmas. So that was already built. But the rest of it all had to be put together! Thankfully Dan and I are an awesome team and got everything done and stockings loaded by about 12:30. 

We told the kids that they COULD NOT come downstairs until we went and got them. Dan and I set an alarm for about 6am and then went upstairs and laid on the couches and waited for the kids to wake up. June was already in her room playing and Owen made it back to his bed to sleep. So we waited for him. 

THEN IT WAS GO TIME!! 

We did wake up Kate and then all headed downstairs. It was of course nothing but squeals and excitement all around!! Then it just all went into blur mode! 

At one point Kate came over and just plopped down in the middle of the floor. I rubbed her head for a while until she was ready to go back and look at more toys. 

June instantly wanted to ride her car. So we carried it outside and let her have a spin around the cul-de-sac. 

Taking passengers along the way. 

Kate was pretty excited about everyone's stuff but her own. She wanted ALL of June's things and it was driving June crazy!! hahahaha. I think that puppy in the background became Kate's for a while. 

My sweet little June bug. Waiting to start opening presents. 

Kate also waiting patiently. 

June had just opened a present that had clothes in it and her reaction was so funny. So I knew Owen would probably not be a super fan of clothes either. I WAS WRONG! He was randomly so happy and would not stop hugging the clothes!!! 

Kate's dreams came true with dolls, barbies and her very own purse. 

Grandma knows the way to her heart and got her "Masha & Bear" dolls. Kate's FAVORITE SHOW!!! 

Dan and I were spoiled as well. Dan got a Nintendo switch. Well we "Both" got a Nintendo Switch, but really Dan got it and I got a bunch of  yoga stuff! It's as if I like yoga or something.... ;)  

I have been wanting book ends for a while now as my book collection starts growing with yoga. But I wanted them to be just perfect. Well, enter in crystals and a Geologist into my life! Guys, I might be turning weird with the whole crystal thing... I say it's for the Geologist but really, I'm kind of obsessed! Obviously this picture DOES NOT DO JUSTICE!!! They are beautiful and I love them dearly. 

Thank you Manduka for giving me things I didn't even know I needed until I had them in my life. 

I am so obsessed with Owen right now. I mean he is just perfection in my eyes. His sweetness, his love, his talking! ALL OF IT! I can't get enough of him. We spent a lot of Christmas bundled up together while June rode around in her car. 

My awesome brother and sis in law gave Kate her very own bag of Dum Dum suckers. She doesn't really eat them, she just loves unwrapping them. So when I found the bag like this, I wasn't at all surprised. The bag did go up higher though. Little stinker and her climbing! 

June got yoga clothes for her American girl doll and she immediately asked if we could go do yoga and take pictures with them. We had fun playing around! 

Then just like that Christmas was over. It always goes so fast. I love this day. It's so fun. We spent all day playing with toys. Watching movies, playing endlessly on Nintendo Switch and just being together as a family. It was a great Christmas!! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!! 

President Thomas S. Monson

Our beloved Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints passed away today. It's surreal when someone of such strength and someone who you looked up to for guidance and light have passed away. He was an incredible man with a huge compassionate heart. 

For my children who will only remember him through pictures and what they hear in our home and Primary... I want you to know that I believe in the Power of our Prophet. I loved our beloved Prophet and all his teachings. I learned most from his example of serving and to never skip a prompting. To always listen and help those when you feel the urge. He was very influential in our lives as a married couple and in our family. 

I only met him once when the Rexburg Temple was being dedicated. We were in one of the temple rooms during the dedication. After all was finished, President Monson walked by our room, turned around and came in. He was looking around the room and then smiled. He told all the children in that room to prepare yourselves now to serve a mission. His presence was full of life and the spirit. It's a feeling I will never forget. 

Two quotes that I remember from President Monson the most (Though there are many I LOVE!) but ones that always come back to me...

"NEVER POSTPONE A PROMPTING" 

And one that hangs in my yoga room for encouragement 

"It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we'll make the effort...

Its in the doing,

Not just the thinking, that we accomplish OUR GOALS.

If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled." 

Thank you President Monson for the constant love and encouragement. 

FROM DESERET NEWS: 

More than half a century before he became the 16th president of the LDS Church, Thomas S. Monson, who died Tuesday at 10:01 p.m. at age 90, was an inexperienced, 23-year-old Mormon bishop with a distressing problem that would define his life.

He had the distinct spiritual prompting to leave a priesthood leadership meeting as his stake president was speaking and visit an elderly member of his congregation in the hospital. It seemed rude to stand, shuffle over 20 people and exit as his presiding leader spoke. Instead, he sat uncomfortably until the talk ended, then bolted for the door before the closing prayer.

At the hospital, he ran down the corridor. He stopped when he saw commotion outside the room of the man he was to visit. A nurse told him the man had died, calling Bishop Monson's name as he passed away. Shattered, the fledgling bishop went outside and wept, sobbing. He vowed then, in the parking lot of the old Veterans Hospital in Salt Lake City's Avenues, that he would never turn a deaf ear to another prompting.

"It's the most impressive story I know from him about his ministry to the one," said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. "As far as I know he kept that promise ever since. It became fundamentally characteristic of his life and what sets him apart from others, that he committed to this idea of following a prompting, and the focus almost always was a single person."

President Monson's death, after nearly ten years as prophet-leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, closes a distinctive era in church leadership. During his time as one of the longest-serving apostles in Mormon history, church membership expanded from 2.1 million members to 15.9 million. The number of temples grew from 12 to 157.

Place in history

Elder Holland believes that President Monson, born on Aug. 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City, had a special gift for personal, one-on-one ministration that he honed throughout his life.

"I think," Elder Holland said, "that is probably the single-most startling and admirable characteristic in a very admirable life."

Turning 31

Christmas time also means birthday time! I'll be the first to admit that I love my birthday. Always have and always will. I'm sure I say this every year but I'm lazy and don't want to go check back in the old posts. Birthdays are fun. Why can't we like our birthdays?! When we become adults we all of the sudden have to shut down all the fun a birthday brings?! Well not for this gal! I freaking love it! 

My age doesn't really get to me either. I don't mind getting old. Age is just a number. I can tell you that I am in way better health and more fit in my 30's than I was back in my early 20's! There is no way I would be able to do what I can in yoga now back when I was "young". Again, It's just a number and won't define me. I do have to say that I have all of the sudden had crazy heartburn after certain meals. I'll blame that on old age. Hahaha. Anywho, back to the birthday. 

Dan and I went out the night before to celebrate my birthday. We went and had our traditional dinner and then went shopping at a couple of my favorite yoga stores. You can't eve have enough yoga gear. It was low key and a really nice night out. 

When we got home that night Dan said "What the heck are all those ducks doing in our front yard?!" I was looking for real ducks! hahaha Someone came and put these in our front yard for my birthday. I waited until the next day to take a picture with it. Yogi style... I have a pretty good idea as to who it was but they never owned up to it. So I guess I'll never know! I am grateful for awesome friends who took the time out of their day to do this for me. It  made me feel loved. 

Dan came to yoga with me that day and even sat with me through a mediation series. 

We got ready for the day and then celebrated with cake and opened gifts with the kids. 

Dan always makes my Angel Food Cake with Chocolate frosting. Tradition and I love it. 

Opening gifts! I didn't know what I was getting from the kids this year which is always a fun surprise. Dan lets them go pick out all the gifts so I really never know what I'll get. It's awesome. 

I did know what I was getting from Dan this year since I helped him pick it out. I got a new wedding ring band, that may or may not have come in a little blue Tiffany's box ;) for my yoga practice. This sounds super conceded and bad but my real wedding ring is too bulky and big and it was a challenge to wear when I balance on my hands. (first world problems right?!) Ha! Dan still wanted it to represent a wedding ring so he insisted on going nice with it. Who am I to stop him?! :) :)  I love it! It was a perfect birthday gift! 

We ate cake with the kids and then fed them dinner. 

That night we put the kids to bed and Dan and I ordered food and got caught up on our shows. My favorite thing to do. 

I look forward to this year. A lot of possibilities and goals are set and I can't wait to see what this new year being 31 brings! 

December Randoms

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S! 

What a whirlwind, magical day it is. Nothing is like Christmas and the best part is that it's all month long that you get to feel the magic. It's been a fun filled month with lots of festive activities, fun and trying to be calm and enjoy the moments. 

December 1st our elf arrived with our lego countdown, matching PJ's and a note letting us know he would be here all month long. We started the month off right with our usual pizza and Christmas movie! 

June went to a birthday party for one of her little friends. We dropped her off and went and did some Christmas shopping back in our old stomping grounds. 

Our traditional drive through Highland park was a huge success. One of my favorite traditions with the kids. 

Kate being Kate. She is in her own world and seems to always find hats! And digging through mom's wallet. 

One night for mutual my Mia Maids made snow flakes and wrote messages on them for our local Fire Department. They kept those snow flakes on the whole month! It was great driving by and still seeing  them there. It made the girls feel special. 

Ward Christmas party fun! We had a great time that night but had to quickly dash off to head to Dan's work party. 

Sugar cookies are a must for Christmas time! And Owen is rocking that face! hahahaha 

We realized we had no red food coloring and the kids wanted to be in charge of the colors, so we ended up with some interesting looking icing for our cookies. Then we had squeeze bags for decorating. It made for some great looking cookies! 

All our cookies! They turned out pretty good and all were consumed by friends who stopped by and of course ourselves! 

Dan has made dozens of these rolls trying to get the recipe just perfect. It's my mom's roll recipe and he is determined to make those rolls to perfection! 

One early morning after getting June on the bus, the sun was rising over the hill and was so pretty. Dan is usually with us waiting for the bus to come but he had an early meeting so it was just me. I ran  to the top of the hill and snapped a yogi picture. The sky was so pretty. 

We had some incredibly warm days this month. So warm we spent majority of the day outside and that included lunch! 

Kate mimics everything we do and say. Her vocabulary and sentence structure has gone to a whole new level. It's been so fun watching and listening to her speak. We sing Wheels on the Bus about 20 times a day and that usually happens while I'm preparing dinner or the kids are eating dinner.  June and Kate singing "The mommy's on the bus go shhh shhh shhh". 

The kids live on the tramp. They spend a lot of time outside and I LOVE it!! 

After running a million and one errands one day, Owen asked so nicely to stop and get a Sonic Corndog. I can't ever say no to that sweet smile. His smile holds incredible power, I tell ya. 

Owen spends a lot of time with me in my yoga room and actually does a lot of yoga with me. He practices with me, listens to me teach classes and sits with my while I write in my journal or mediate. He's becoming quite the little yogi. 

One night after Dan got home from work we went out back to our ponds and fed the ducks and geese. 

We celebrated another little friends birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. 

I took June on a little girls night to see The Nutcracker. I had only planned to stay through intermission because I thought for sure June wouldn't want to stay through the whole show, but she LOVED IT!! And we stayed through the whole performance. I was pleasantly surprised. We then went and had a late dinner. 

She loved getting all dressed up and I even let her put on some lipstick. She was in heaven! 

Ginger bread house in the making! We saved all our Halloween candy to make it extra special. It turned out cute! 

We have a pretty rad Chick Fil A. Since the new Star Wars movie was coming out, Chick Fil A was celebrating it with a Star Wars themed night. Dan took the kids Christmas shopping and then went there for dinner. It was so great to get the kids out of the house and I got everything cleaned and ready for the Holidays! 

One night I was videoing Kate and told her to look up so I could take a picture. This was the look she gave me. Hahahaha! 

I was hacked by my Young Women! We went caroling one night and I ended up with a bunch of pictures on my phone. We have such an incredible group of youth! 

Kate LOVES putting on my panty hose stalkings. EVERY MORNING while I'm getting ready, she pulls them out of my sock drawer and brings them to me for her hands and feet. It's so awesome. 

Our school district didn't have school released until Friday before Christmas! FRIDAY!! How lame right?!!? So I said forget that and pulled June out of school. We played hooky and went shopping and had lunch! I know school is so important but they are so little and having fun is important too! 

That wraps up our December! We had lots of fun things we did that aren't pictured like participating in the LDS Light the World campaign, lots of yogi stuff happening this month but saving that for a later post,  late night dinner and a laugh fest with friends, date nights and truly just enjoying being together as a family. 

More to come on my birthday, and our Christmas!