Happy Christmas to All!

After arduous drives through Utah and Colorado, kids and grand kids arrived just in the nick of time to celebrate Christmas! We are so grateful they arrived safely and feel so very blessed to have them here for Christmas.
Christmas Eve 

Mitchell & Curtis getting luminaria sacks ready ....

 .... while their dad catches up on some much needed sleep after the long drive. 

(Sorry Soren, I couldn't help myself)

Goofy, adorable Avery and Aubree

Santa Mitchell

This beautiful lady made this beautiful salad!

 

Yummy tamales!

Yummy queso! 

 Angry Baby makes an appearance - she's definitely on the naughty list!

 

 

  Tres Leches cake finale

 

Mitchell wins for the kids - an R2D2 Bop-It game!

 Rachele, Riley & Curtis Getting ready for the new jammies parade

  

 

Dreaming of Sugarplums

 Christmas Day

Stumpy chose to spend the morning by Kris' side. Kris made sure he was adorned with ribbons as he unwrapped his gifts. 

  

 

We missed William as we opened gifts, but he was sleeping off the 24-hour drive to El Paso (that should have only been 13 hours).

Dad is such a great sport!

 

Scott and Mary Louise joined us for a nice afternoon visit and dinner.

  Someone REALLY likes trains ....

 

 And his first taste of Tres Leches!

  

 It was a perfect evening for a walk along - and in - the ditches!

December 26

Dorsey's Hallmark Store was happy to see us come en masse right as they opened their doors. They even set up a special table for us to use as we made our ornament choices :)

Tanja & Brad chose this sweet guitar that plays Feliz Navidad!

Kris was delighted to find a Wizard of Oz ornament

La Familia - a father, mother, 2 sons & 4 daughters - a perfect beginning!

William's choo choo train

Curtis's first Mustang

We squeezed out the very last of the warm sunshine

 and made a Taco Cabana run for Tanja

 before the snow began to fall. 

Sunday

And we woke up to this:

Dad did the honors

The Gingell's arrived after their own snowy adventure, and Grandpa made sure everyone was filled up with waffles, bacon, eggs and hot cocoa  :)

There were a few more Christmas gifts to open ...

Best gift of the year earned Sonja & Marc hugs!

Avery made quite a presentation out of giving Grampy his gifts!

Church was cancelled, which all the Utahan's thought was hysterical (we're used to it!), and so we enjoyed a very lovely day at home playing games, eating leftovers, taking naps and walks, reading, and just enjoying being together. We even had a sweet devotional with a great 2 1/2 minute talk from Curtis on repentance and some meaningful comments from Marc on the power of prayer. 

Christmas is such a beautiful season! I am so grateful for my family and the constant love they show to me. It is such a blessing to be able to share these special moments together.

And The Winner Is....

When I started running I quickly came to realize there is a real emotional attachment to the shoes I wear. They provide protection from a lot of wear and tear on not just my feet but my knees and hips as well. And we go places together, we discover new areas literally in my own back yard, different parts of the USA, and even in foreign countries. Yup, we become real traveling buds.

 These are the beautiful shoes I treated myself to yesterday:

And this is why I felt I could justify buying 2 pair:

Back-to-school tax-free weekend = no sales tax!

$10 discount because my birthday is in August!

$25 VIP discount!

Each pair was marked down from $110 to $60!

Grand total = $85!!!!

Thank you, Up and Running!

This is my 4th pair of Mizuno's, obviously I have liked them a lot. I've really wanted to try some Newton's but until now they have been too pricey. I can't wait to see what it's like to really run in them, they felt great on the treadmill at the store. One day in the future I want to try a pair of Hoka One One's, but for now, I think I'm set for a while.

Dia de Madre

I know enough moms (of all ages) who really don't like Mother's Day. Some of the complaints I've heard is that it makes them feel guilty because they aren't good enough moms to measure up to all the praise and/or they just feel awkward. I've only had one bad experience with the day. It was orchestrated by my dearly beloved who was hurt that I couldn't bring myself to eat a pancake drenched in syrup and filled with bean sprouts. But that day was many, many years ago and it is now a source of humor for me (maybe not for him though).

I do believe, however, that the way we celebrate Mother's Day is all messed up. The original intent was to honor mothers and celebrate motherhood and the influence of mothers in society. It was intended to be about sentiment, not profit. But that isn't even what I think is wrong with the way it's done now days.

My idea of celebrating Mother's Day is for moms to be the ones recognizing how great it is to be moms. Or maybe everyone else isn't as lucky as I am - I get to be the mom of all these awesome people!

Raise Your Hand

.... if you came home from the salt mines today to find your own personal chef putting the finishing touches on a most delicious dinner. 

Bonus: entertainment was also provided by a charming 3-year old and her cuddly baby sister!

Avery took these last two pictures! 

Thank you, Ayrel and Ben for this lovely gift at the end of a roller coaster ride of a day.  

(I sure wish I could undo that last drop though)

Well, Hello Old Friends!

You always make me smile!

Stumpy has claimed our bed. When I awake he is sleeping at my feet. By the time I leave for Seminary he has migrated to Keven's side of the bed. I don't have the heart to move him, so the bed remains unmade. When I return home he is still sleeping. When I leave for work or to run errands he is still sleeping. When I come home most afternoons he is in the same spot. I don't know if I lose brownie points for not making my bed until the afternoon on those days, or if I earn brownie points for letting him be so cozy.

I've missed running around with you

7+ weeks since I smashed my foot into a door jamb and broke the 4th toe on my right foot. 54 days of wearing the same pair of black flats. I am so very happy to be wearing shoes with heels again, and celebrated by taking a little run today in the afternoon warmth. It certainly felt good to be on the dirt again.

I ♥ Valentine's Day

Especially when some of my favorite Valentines visit!

Highlights of last weekend when Sven & Hyuna and the boys drove all the way from Tulsa to share the love:

 The Flowers

 

Sven spoiled Hyuna and me with our own bouquets of beautiful flowers!

 

The Chocolate

Chocolate tray before the Tulsanians arrived

Chocolate tray after the Tulsanians arrived 
 .... there may or may not have been more chocolate

The Food

Seth came up with this idea for a vegetable tray while we were shopping and then prepared it all by himself!

 

 Everyone said "YES!" to shrimp with orzo

 Hyuna whipped up the most amazing apple crostada

Seth strikes again with some delicious and delightfully decorated pink velvet cupcakes

 

Gabe and Alex make sure they don't miss out!

(Grandpa, either!)

The Fun

 I loved seeing the boys just hanging out and relaxing

 A late afternoon trip to El Paso's beach with Maya and Jaedin to play Frisbee, dig in the sand and watch the shadows lengthen while the colors on the mountain deepen

It was a perfectly wonderful weekend, with the exception of Gabe's visit to the doctor's office thanks to a late-night asthma attack Sunday night :(

Thank goodness for modern medicine and a quick recovery.

We sure love having Tulsanians in the neighborhood!

My Forever Valentine

Magic Square

In spite of the many late nights spent preparing lessons I absolutely love teaching Seminary. I love starting the day with a group of really great young people. I love the positive focus on gospel truths and principles that is such a great way to begin a new day. I love what I get to learn when I prepare, and know that I would never study and learn so much without this calling. I love that the longer I teach the more I realize I need to learn. And I love the wonderful ladies I teach with, who become dearer and dearer to me each year.

This is the third year I've been able to team-teach with LeAnn, which pretty much equates to being reunited with a twin separated at birth. She is so much fun, so honest and down-to-earth, and so easy to work with. 

And so talented. This is what she made for me and gave me for Christmas. 

I am still in total awe.

I think this is my favorite square.

Or maybe this 3-D flower....

....or this lacy delight.

But this one is sooooo gorgeous!

And then there's this one.

I just

really

can't

choose.

I love them all!

And what makes this afghan even more special is that her husband, who is the CES director (meaning our boss), chose the colors :)

And then to make it even more special, she made another one exactly like it for her daughter-in-law, who just happens to be one of the young women I came to love as she grew up in our stake, and then came to love even more after she married and lived in our ward for a few years.

I feel so loved!