Thoughts for Elijah

 Dear Elijah, 

I need to write to just you today. 

I hope you know that I love you. You and I have been trying to figure each other out for your whole life. There are days when we are just in a flow together and it's beautiful. 

You have always been the child to bring me flowers :-). I love that about you. 

You have always been the child to come find me first for a morning hug after you wake up. I love that about you. 

You have always been the child who stands up for people, who makes sure to help the underdog. I love that about you. 

You have always been my child who has such a soft heart when someone gets a consequence. When Joshua has to finish his dinner to get ice cream, you are the one who sits by him to try and help him eat and not give up. I love that about you. 

You have a HIGH sense of fairness - and sometimes that gets us into trouble together. 

You want EVERYTHING to be exactly the way YOU think it should be, because it's the way you want to control the situations and make everything fair. 

Just today we got into a little disagreement because you did something where you had to run together with Joshua as a consequence, and you thought Talia should have to as well. You were SO MAD at me that I didn't "MAKE" Talia get the same consequence. You just were beside yourself that she wasn't running as well. You kept trying to argue with me and twist words around. 

You were trying to boss me around with making me parent the way YOU think I should. Because to you it seemed like it was the fair thing to do. 

There are a lot of times when you try to force my hand with parenting in a certain way and it's difficult for me. I have definitely lost my temper several times because you are RELENTLESS. That is another thing about you that I love, your determination, but you are sometimes pushy about the wrong things that you really can't control.

I want you to know Elijah - that I love your strength. Remember to use it for things that are UNDER YOUR CONTROL.

You can't control other people. You can only control yourself. 

You can't control other's decisions. You can only control your own decisions. 

You can't control other's emotions. You can only control your own emotions. 

And guess what? You get to practice this your whole life. I am still practicing this. When you become a dad you are going to learn these lessons in a way you never thought possible because your kids are going to push your buttons more than you can imagine. They give you LOTS of opportunity for spiritual growth!

Just like all my kids give me that opportunity. You help me spiritually grow. 

Today when we had the disagreement I am SO GRATEFUL to say that I was able to control my own emotions. When you were spewing anger at me and frustration, I didn't retaliate. I'm SO GRATEFUL for the spirit's help to do that. I was praying the whole time you were upset for the spirit to help me to NOT get upset back at you. And it worked!

I love you so much buddy. Even when we disagree. Even when I do things that you get frustrated with. I love your strength and abilities. Please use them for good! Please DON'T BE A VICTIM TO OTHER PEOPLE!~

Remember that. DON'T BE A VICTIM. 

I love you, 

Your Mom

If I Die Suddenly - Here Are My Thoughts

 Dear Kids, 

I just saw a post on facebook about a mom I know that recently and suddenly died of a brain aneurism. 

She was 46 years old. 

Same age as me right now. 

I just got stuck looking at her obituary and I started to feel super heavy feelings in my heart. "that's my age. I could have a brain aneurism tonight. My kids could never see me alive again. What if that were to happen."

I started asking myself some questions... would my kids know how much I love them? Would Brent know how deeply I feel for him? Would my family know how I feel about them? Would my kids be prepared? Have I left enough memories for them?

So many thoughts swirling. 

Because of that I wanted to write in my journal - so if anything like that happens suddenly that you have some thoughts from me about it. 

If I ever die suddenly I want you to know some very important things:

1. I love my Savior and I love my Heavenly Parents. If I die suddenly and go back to my heaven-home, know that I will be very well taken care of there. I will use the power I have as an angel to come back to you. I will come be with you all the time. I will constantly be trying to lead you and talk to you with the power of the Holy Ghost, especially since angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (2 Ne. 32). Just think about talking to me, and I'll be there. If you hear me speaking back to you in your head and in your mind, BELIEVE that it is actually me and we can STILL have conversations together.

2. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I have made plenty mistakes as a mom. But one mistake I HAVEN'T made is not spending time with you.  Choosing to spend as much time with you as I can has been one of the smartest things as a mom I ever could have done. I have dedicated my motherhood to being with you. Your dad has sacrificed so much time and effort with working so I CAN STAY HOME WITH YOU. That's how important all of you are to us. We are taking seriously the counsel for the mom to stay home and nurture and teach children. 

2.5 = I have done a lot of things right as a mom. I have loved you with my whole soul. I have laughed with you and at your jokes. I've played with you on the ground, in the sand, in the ocean, on the mountain tops, on the hiking trails, in the backyard... we've had so many amazing experiences together. I've taught you to serve with your whole heart, we've done service for countless amounts of people. We've painted together and taken long drives in the car just in order to listen to books together. We've played at all kinds of parks together and spent time with family and friends as MUCH as we can. I've taught you how to work, to do chores, how to clean the toilet, dust wash the dishes, plant seeds, watch things grow. We've done tea time Tuesday together and read countless stories. We've had adventures together and we've kept those memories alive in our family chatbooks. I've read scriptures with you daily (mostly! ha!), we've talked about Come Follow Me, I've born my testimony of Jesus. I've prayed with you over and over and over again. I've gone to the temple hundreds of times and put your names on the prayer rolls over and over. I've made thousands of meals and probably even more desserts! And I've LOVED EVERY MOMENT TOGETHER WITH YOU.

3. I would ask you to please forgive me for anything I have done wrong. And I am SO SORRY for ANYTHING that I have done that might have been difficult for you. I'm so sorry, please forgive me for being human and making mistakes. Please find peace in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and know I did my best, and when I made mistakes I asked you to forgive me and said I was sorry. There are so many people I know that get so bitter toward their parents. I would just ask you to be kind in your thoughts about your dad and I. We really have done the best we know how. You get to take everything we have done for you, and then pass on all the good stuff to your kids. 

4. I KNOW the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Restored Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I know Priesthood covenants are real and powerful and necessary. Go to the temple. Make covenants. Strive each day to be a little better than the day before, and then keep turning to Jesus for wholeness.

5. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I LOVE YOUR DAD SO MUCH. I feel so deeply and passionately for your father. He is SUCH a good man with a good heart, deep thoughts, rich emotions and has done the best he knows how as a dad. I love you and he loves you and NEVER EVER FORGET IT. 

Oh my kids - I HOPE I don't leave you early. I hope that the Lord sees fit to keep me here with you to grow old with you and be a grandma to your children. 

And no matter what the future looks like, no matter what the plan looks like for me in my life, or you in your life, I also KNOW that God knows best. Sometimes trusting Him is really hard. But I KNOW He knows best. Have faith. Always have faith in the Lord. 

I love you kids, 

Your Mom (your FOREVER MOTHER)

Joshua's Strength: Compliments!

 Dear Kids, 

Joshua - I had a magic moment today with you! I thought to myself, "that is going in the journal stories today."

You were doing some copywork and I was watching you. I said, 'you are doing so great with writing buddy! I like how you are putting dashes in where the spaces need to be. That is very smart."

Then you said this, "Mom, you taught me that! You are teaching me how to be smart because you are the

smartest, bestest mom in the world."

It just made my heart melt. Here you are, doing your best to do your part and be responsible with school, and you were just so complimentary. You have a GIFT for compliments! That is one of the BEST things you do, you make people around you feel so good about themselves, it is a strength of yours, that is for sure!

Thank you for including me in those gifts of compliments. I love hearing your sweet thoughts and I appreciate how positive you are. 

Thank you for showing me how to be a better person. 

I love you buddy, 

Your mom

Easter 2023 & Traditions

 Dear Kids, 

Last week was Easter. Oh my goodness it was so beautiful! 

We were told in Conference from President Nelson that Easter is the MOST important holiday for us as disciples of Jesus Christ. Your dad and I have done several thing in order to hopefully help you all know how much we love Jesus.

Some of our Easter traditions are:

-Talking about the events of Jesus's life the week before He was crucified. Each day we hang up a picture and read the scriptures that go along with that day.

-Easter Morning get up and watch the sunrise while having "Resurrection Donuts"! This year the sunrise was so beautiful! I just couldn't believe it. This picture shows just a little bit of what this really looked like. The kids were grumbling as they got out of bed, but once we got up on the mountain they were all so happy that we did it! Elijah was funny, he kept waiting for the sun to come up over the mountain and finally just blurted out, "Come on sun! Just pop out already!". 

-While waiting for the sun to rise we read scriptures from the different accounts in the Bible about Jesus's Resurrection - then we sang "I Stand All Amazed". The spirit was awesome. 

-Of course Easter Sunday was wonderful with testimonies of Jesus for the talks. 

-Every year we do a Jesus Treasure Scavengar Hunt for their baskets. Your dad is amazing at putting together treasure hunts. His clues are always awesome. They always have Jesus in them and the story of Jesus and feelings about Jesus in the clues. 

-Then of course we love having Easter Dinner with Ham and Funeral potatoes. :-)

-Easter Egg hunt is on the list - it's full of lots of sugar, but you guys always really love it. 

I feel like in the future I really want our Easter traditions to expand. This year we were with the Wanlass family for part of the Easter week and they did a Passover Dinner on the floor. I REALLY loved that and I want to include that in our traditions. Finding the ways to honor the Jewish experience is on the list of things that I want to include for sure. 

The other thing is MUSIC. We need more music at Easter Time! Next year we need to find ways to include "Lamb of God" into our traditions. 

I love you kids. 

I hope you know that Jesus is the most important person to your dad and I. We love Him. We love to celebrate HIM. 

Love you, 

Your Mom

Mimi, Lost Underwear, Being Like Her

 Dear Kids, 

A story hit me tonight. 

I had to go to Walmart to pick up some new underwear for Joshua. He only has like 4 pairs left and we have no idea where the rest have ended up. I finally took the time tonight to go and get some. 

On the way into the store Joshua was holding my hand and talking about how he has "no idea where all his underwear went!". He then proceeded to talk about how maybe his basket ate them, or maybe his dresser hid them away. 

Then he said this, "Or maybe it was Mimi and she was playing jokes on my to spend time with me!"

I laughed and looked at him. Then I teared up. I said, "Maybe buddy, maybe that's what happened."

I just hit me like a ton of bricks that he won't have memories of Mimi like everyone else has. It made me really sad. And a little angry. I thought for a split second, "Dang it mom! Why did you die?? What about all these kids here who need you??". 

Then there was a reassuring little 'pat on the back' that I felt very briefly, then it left. 

I haven't felt Mimi as much on the other side as I have felt Shayla. I feel like whenever I feel about or think about Shay, that she's right there beside me. I don't know why, but it isn't the same with mom. Maybe part of it is because I haven't talked to her as much as Shay, or if there's something in my heart that is preventing it. I don't know. But I do know that I want more interactions with her. 

I wish it really was her that was taking the underwear just to spend time with Joshua. I want her here with us, but she's gone, and I wish she wasn't. 

All the wishing I can do is in vain however. I won't get her back until I see her again on the other side. It makes me happy for that day, anxious, and also a little depressed because it feels so far away in so many ways. 

Joshy - I wish you had more time with Mimi. You mainly spent time with her while she was ill, you only knew her when she was sick. But she LOVED you buddy, she still does. She loves you so much. She loves all of you kids. She loves you so much. She lived to just be a mom and a grandma. I'm so grateful that I grew up with a mom that was dedicated. 

In so many ways, I wish I could be more like her. But whenever I have that thought, I immediately feel her actually, reminding me that we aren't the same. Our personalities have always been very different and that's okay. I know the way that I am the MOST like her is that I LOVE YOU ALL and I have sacrificed the things of this world in order to be with you. I want to just be your mom, and in that way I am exactly like her. 

I love you kids. I hope you remember how much your Mimi loves you as well. She is your true guardian angel. 

Your Mom

Figuring Out How To Write More Stories

 Dear Kids, 

I used to get to the end of my day and I could immediately pick out the "one" thing that I wanted to write about that day. Either a lesson for me, or a cute thing that one of you did, or an interaction with something or someone that happened that day. It was so easy. I think because EVERYTHING stood out to me. Everything seemed like it hit my feeling button. I could feel easy and write about it. I could look at my day and know when I felt angry, or sad, or happy, or excited, or any other BIG emotion that I wanted to write about and focus on in order to never forget a "moment". 

Stories. They connect us. And I felt like I wrote so many great stories about you and our everyday life. 

Now - As I sit down to write and I think about my day, nothing is coming to me. NOT because we don't have any stories, but because I think that there are so many ways where I have forgotten to look at everything with magical eyes. Everything you kids did when you were little was just magic. Now I'm getting into the phase of parenting when it doesn't feel as magical. It feels more like I'm constantly being pulled in every emotional direction - all of you need me in ways that you never needed me before. I'm figuring out my parenting muscles for what this phase looks like. We're past the cute phase of parenting. We're into some of the REAL stuff parenting. 

Not that it wasn't real when you were little. In a lot of ways it was more real then than it is now. I had NO IDEA how much the things I was putting into place when you were little would make such a huge difference now. They have shaped you in so many ways for who you are now. 

And in other ways there wasn't anything I could do because you all came so independent and such unique souls. 

I don't want you to feel bad about this. Really - it's just all about the phase I'm in right now. But what I do want you to remember is when you are in my stage of parenting, remember not to think that you are alone. You are among the best in the world when you can't figure it out either. 

I hope the millenium is happening for you during your parenting - because figuring out this world within parenting and trying to point you to the Lord during all the worldliness is BIG STUFF. 

I want you to have a testimony of your Savior Jesus Christ more than anything else. In a lot of ways I feel like I'm failing, but when I feel that way I remember that the Lord is the only one who makes up the difference. He is the only one that can truly help you in your lives. I hope you keep choosing to turn to HIM. 

Please just do that - and I will be a happy momma. Choose to follow Christ. 

I love you kids, no matter what. 

Your Mom

Elijah, Weird Reading, Harry Potter and Getting Over Myself

 Dear Kids,

Elijah and I have been reading the Harry Potter books together. A few weeks ago I started getting irritated with the way he was reading. There wasn't a reason for it, I just allowed myself to get irritated because of the way he was pausing and making funny noises with his mouth. 

I found myself getting so worked up over the noises and "wrong" way he was reading that I just started snapping at him. I remember the look on his face... ,"Elijah, stop pausing like that!".... "Elijah, knock it off with that noise with your lips, it's driving me crazy!"... 

I just kept being so critical. 

At one point I looked at his face and he was so down trodden. I just had this flash of what I was doing. I was able to see what my criticisms were doing to him. 

 There are certain behaviors that are easy to be "in the box" about with your kids. When you all become parents, you will understand this better. It has nothing to do with the kids, like this, it had nothing to do with what Elijah was doing - rather it has everything to do with what I'm TELLING myself about what he is doing. And I had gotten REALLY in the box about this particular thing. I had allowed myself to get so worked up over the stupidest thing.

So I backed off. I had to just get over myself.

The next time we read together I had a goal to not SAY ANYTHING about the mouth noises or the pace at which he was reading, or the pauses. Every time he would do any of those particular behaviors I just kept repeating to myself, "Andrea, he's reading. That's what matters. He's reading, let him read. Keep your mouth SHUT!"

And it worked! After a few days I was so much more patient when I started feeding my mind with the RIGHT was of reacting to him. He is reading better and better. He is still making funny noises with his mouth, but his pace of reading is so much better and his pausing with reading is SO much better. I'm REALLY proud of him!

I just have to really catch myself as a parent, ESPECIALLY because of being home all day with the kids homeschooling - it's EASY to get on each other's nerves. I get to spiritually focus on the behaviors that I want duplicated and when I start to get crazy frustrated, I have to remember, "Andrea, it's NOT THEM, it's what you are telling yourself ABOUT what they are doing that is the problem!"

Elijah- I'm proud of you buddy. I love you. I am so proud of your school work and how much you are doing to become a good reader. It has been a CHALLENGE for you, but you have stuck with it and we have made it through so many ups' and downs and break downs over reading. Now you are so much smoother and resilient. I'm so excited for you!

Remember how much your mom loves you, 

I love you kids, 

Your Mom

All The Changes & Experiences in a Nutshell

 Dear Kids, 

Wow - the last couple of months, well really the last year, have been NUTS! here is a short recap:

-We got back from Mexico in July 2022

-We stayed with my dad until August 2022 - Brent and I finished up the podcast, mainly the meditations, and then we had to have Brent start looking for a job.

-Brent accepted a position with Al's company and went to SLC to start in August - we stayed with Papa in Idaho while he started and looked for a house that we could rent.

-He looked for about three weeks in between work for a place to rent, but nothing was feeling right and nothing was going through. So Krista and Al offered to have us stay with them until we found a place.

-We left Idaho at the end of August and moved in with Krista and Al. We thought we'd be there for just a few weeks. 

-I looked for a rental and it just wasn't feeling right. So we thought about buying and we knew that we couldn't quite get approved for it yet because of just starting a new job. So we kept looking for rentals and it just wasn't coming together.

-So in Early October after living in their basement for 2 months, Al and Krista approached us about buying a house and we use it - they needed a tax write off and we needed a house. That was the situation that we were waiting for, we immediately knew it was the right thing to do. 

-So I started house hunting again for a few weeks, looking at MANY options. We narrowed it down to the house we are in now!

-We put in the offer in November. They closed in December, and then we moved into the house like 5 days before Christmas!

-We moved in, had to go to St. George and get the storage unit stuff, unloaded, then kept unloading. We had to find a couch, beds, book shelves, bed sets, and replace EVERYTHING - which is what we've been doing for the past 2 months. 

-After moving in I've been finding class options for the kids (I found dance for Talia, only 5 houses down from us!), We've been trying the homeschool community, and figuring life out. 

Now we've been in our house for almost three months and it just feels like a huge BLUR in a lot of ways. And there are many things that are amazing and other things that have been difficult:

WONDERFUL THINGS:

-It's so nice to be in a home that we know we don't have to leave. I can't even say how amazing it is. It feels so good. I don't feel like I'm in a hurry to unpack or anything because I have all the time in the world. I was gung-ho with moving in for the first couple of weeks and then I just kind of slowed way down. 

-It's a great neighborhood with LOTS of kids. That is awesome. I really hope that all the kids can make some good friends here. Talia is good with friends, but the boys need good friends. So I hope, especially Gabe, can find a good friend. 

-Huge blessing that Krista and Al have helped us so much. So grateful for their generosity. 

-I really love the house - it's very comfortable for us right now. The kids have good rooms and good space. We can host people and be comfortable while we do. So grateful for all of that. 

DIFFICULT THINGS:

-None of us were prepared for the emotional pull it would be to finally be in our own place and the realization of how permanent it is. It has brought on a whole new level of homesickness that none of us were really prepared for. It's been a very big pull on our hearts, and overwhelming to realize that we need to integrate into this community and the time it takes to do that. 

-I have definitely been in a bit of a depression - which is so weird for me. I am hibernating, not really wanting to meet people, not knowing how to add value here, all the things that I just took for granted back in St. George. I knew people in EVERY area there - theater, city council, homeschool community, politics, church leadership - all the ways. And here it just feels like I have to start over, and I do. It feels overwhelming. 

-The kids emotions have been all over the place, we're entering a new phase of parenting for sure. 

-Brent has been gone a lot - getting used to his new schedule has been a HUGE adjustment for all of us. 

It's been interesting to feel SO GRATEFUL and so OVERWHELMED all at the same time. The Lord is pushing us and expanding us for sure. 

I love you kids. The Lord will give you growing opportunities all your life. 

Your Mom

Update on Gabriel

 Dear Gabriel,

Time to give an update about you in your life!

-You are the BEST 14 year old. You are so studious and LOVING the Key of Liberty Class that you are in. You just memorized the Declaration of Independence! You didn't want to. You started to memorize it and then felt like you didn't want to follow through with it because of how hard it was. I said, "Gabe, Excellence is always worth the price. You will regret it your whole life if you don't follow through." Then you did it! You focused on it for a few weeks and you did it. I'm so proud of you!

-You are focusing a lot of math right now because you want to make sure you are "caught up". You have been feeling the pressure to pursue your studies with various subjects, and I'm glad that you are feeling it inside of you!

-You are really wanting to find a job. You have called several places trying to find places that will hire 14 year olds. It's awesome. You have called them all on your own. That is motivation!

-We moved Nana into a new facility and you helped set up her bed all by yourself and move really heavy things around. Your man muscles and strength are starting to show and it's AWESOME for me! ha!

-You love serious talks late at night. Now that you are 14 you are staying up later and you get to be up with mom and dad. You love it. You have such a deep mind and you are always bringing up the best questions and conversations. 

-Even though there are so many ways that you are growing up, you still have some little boy in your heart. At least twice a week you play "animals" with Elijah and you don't want to stop. He loves it!

-You are VERY thoughtful with your money. You took Elijah to the movies the other day, and you took Joshua to a fun drink spot. You really like to spoil your younger siblings and take them out. I think that's one reason why you really want more money is because you like spending it on other people.

-You love Ginger dog. You love to snuggle with her. You are the greatest help with her. 

-You like to sit in "dad's" chair. It's adorable. I think because you feel like him when you sit in it. 

-You have a big sweet tooth that you are learning how to curb. You love those treats! you get it from me. :-)

-You read like your Papa. He zones everything out when he reads. You do the same thing. I have to pull you out of your mind when you read, you get so zoned in. 

-You get really frustrated with technology, when it doesn't do exactly what you want it to do, then you just get so wound up. You are patient with everything else, except technology. It's pretty cute. 

I love you buddy. I love your good heart. I love your hard work. I love your good looks! 

Love,

Your Mom

Feeling Mimi While Driving On The Freeway

 Dear Kids, 

I want to tell you about an experience I had with Mimi the other day.

We were driving to Katie Vrajich's house to hang out a bit and help them unpack from their recent move to Provo. We were driving down the freeway and listening to music and a song came on that I just wanted to dance to. I just started dancing like crazy while I was driving and you guys were laughing at me. 

Then I had a flash come to my mind come from Mimi. I just felt her so strongly in a moment, and she basically said to me, "Andrea, you are such a fun mom. You create amazing moments and memories for your children."

I started BAWLING right there in the middle of dancing while driving down the freeway. I felt her just looking at me and at all of you, and feeling her love for our whole family. 

I had flashbacks in that moment of all the times growing up that I had wanted to go on trips with mom, just go shopping with her by myself. 

You see kids, Mimi had really bad anxiety. So much to the point that I have MANY memories of her not leaving the house for weeks. I remember wanting to go shopping together and she wouldn't go. I remember so much of wanting to make memories with her and she just couldn't leave the house. We ended up doing a lot of crafts at home, and she was always really good at hosting people coming to our house, I always really loved that. I loved the hosting she did, she did what she could with what she had. I always knew that. 

Even though I craved the adventure, I wanted more adventure with her, I always knew that she did the best she could with her life. And it was amazing. She raised amazing kids. She loved us all fiercely. She taught us the gospel. She taught us hard work. She smiled and she accepted and she hosted. She loved people for who they were inside and she always saw the good in people. She passed all that onto me. It was amazing. 

So while I was feeling her on the freeway I had all those flashbacks of feelings pop up about how much I wished I had done something with my mom, like driving on the freeway and watching her dance to a song. 

And that filled me with hope. Hope for you guys having great memories. Hope for you knowing that I like to have fun and I love to dance. Hope that you will have memories with our good friends and family. Hope that you have instilled in you the hard work and goodness that my mom had. Lots of hope. 

And while I was having these thoughts come into my head I heard Mimi again say, "Andrea, I always told you that you were a better mom than me."

Then I started crying because I don't want her to feel that way! But she always passed confidence onto me. She always told me how amazing I was doing. 

So kids, I hope you have good memories. I'm definitely not perfect - but I'm doing my best. I'm doing the best I can with what I have. I want you to take all those gifts from me, everything that I teach you and instill in you - and just make it better for your own family and kids. Take all the good you can, then make it your own for your own family. 

I love you. I have confidence in you as well! Thank you for loving me and forgiving me of my mistakes and that you keep loving me through it all. 

I love you so much,

Your Mom

Crazy Few Weeks - We Got Into A Home!

 Dear Kids, 

Wow - there has been so much that has happened! I usually have tried to NOT do a "travel log" for my journal writing. I try to write meaningful stories and experiences that we have. Well - this post is TOTALLY just to catch you up on everything because there has been so much that has happened!~

1. We got a house! We are living in Eagle Mountain on 3979 Hudson Way.

2. We moved in 5 days before Christmas (yes it was a little crazy). 

3. The FIRST thing we unpacked was the kitchen and then the CHRISTMAS TREE!

4. Your dad picked up our NEW TRUCK ! (Thank you Lord!!). He went to pick it up from Idaho on Thursday December 15th. We went to St. George with trailors to unpack the storage unit on December 16th. We unpacked on December 17th, and we went and watched a local play while we were there ( :-) ). Then we headed back up north on Sunday, December 18th. 

5. We dropped the trailors at the church in Eagle Mountain at 7pm. We hussled out to Tooele to do caroling with Nana. We got back to Eagle Mountain at 10:30 pm. We unpacked everything until like 1am. 

6. YOU ALL DID AMAZING! I was SO PROUD of all your hard work. None of you complained. You were so helpful. You worked SO HARD to unload everything. You didn't complain. I just was amazed at all of you. 

7. That Monday Dec. 19th we unpacked the kitchen and set up the tree. Julie Noxon came over to help us and that was so nice of her! I'm so grateful for all her help. 

8. Then Tues Dec. 20th - Dec 23rd we finished getting ready for Christmas and we had to track down A LOT of furniture. We spent all week finding couches, mattresses, getting Christmas ready. Wow - it was a whirlwind! We didn't move with hardly any furniture at all. 

9. Christmas Eve we spent caroling with Krista and Al and their family. That was really nice and good tradition to help the kids feel the Christmas spirit. 

10. Christmas Day! We went to church for the first time at 9am, then home to open gifts (you were all so grateful for your gifts. It was adorable), then went to visit Nana, then went to Krista's for dinner. 

This year almost each of you told me individually that it didn't quite feel like Christmas. We haven't done our usual traditions and it's actually been such a great reminder that those traditions really did sink in and they REALLY WERE making a difference for you in your life! That's been good for me to feel from all of you, because there have been plenty of years and plenty of times where I wasn't sure anything we were doing was sinking in. But since we've been "off" our routine for a couple of years, you have all REALLY MISSED the memories that we've made and you don't take them for granted at all. It's so awesome to see that. 

You've all REALLY loved the new home. But you are still feeling some homesickness for St. George. Especially Talia. You've had the hardest time with this whole move for sure. You miss your friends that are like our family so much. 

I know it's been a wild ride kids, but the Lord has blessed us so much. I'm so grateful for that. 

I love you all, 

Your Mom