Christmas Trip -Part 4 The Wedding

We were blessed to get to participate in Burke's brother Zach's wedding at the very end of December. I am always amazed and grateful for family functions like these. Everyone works together and they are such an outpouring of love and I realized (all over again) for about the 100oth time how uber lucky I am to have these people to call my family. I love them so much, so thankful for their acceptance of me and support of our little family. I just wish we could get together with them all more. I think it is awesome to be related to so many fantastic people :) I somehow got ZERO pictures of the temple-- oops! We went to Logan,UT the morning of the wedding and I loved being in the temple with Burke's family. It was neat for all of us to be sitting in a row in the sealing room. The spirit was so sweet and I was so thankful to be reminded of the power of our sealing covenants. (I can't get through these ceremonies without crying at least a little!) We are so blessed to have these promises and blessings available to us if we will live for them.

Reception #1 (Downey, ID)
Rebekah "dancing" with Grandpa. I think it was more like tag, but she told me she was dancing!

I love this little guy :)

All worn out!

Reception #2 (Ucon, ID)

Zach and the Kids. They were finished before we even started ;)

Rebekah still talks about how she wants to be just like Brooke for her wedding. So cute!
Also I need to thank my MIL who made these darling dresses for the little girls.

I think this was actually at the Downey Reception-- we hit the treat table (maybe more than once?!) at both parties!

Thanks Zach and Brooke for including us in your special day, it was wonderful to be part of it with you :)

Christmas Trip- Part 3 AKA Andrus Family Sightings

Between Christmas and the Wedding we went down to Blackfoot, ID for a few days to spend some time with my Mom and Dad. I was so excited/surprised when the Bryans and the Crofts showed up, plus the next night the Pack clan came too. So fun to play with some of my favorite people! I loved seeing my girls and singing together even if we only did it for a few minutes! I didn't do as good at taking pictures on this leg of the trip but I did catch a few prime moments! We really had a fun and overall relaxing time. I also received more beautiful presents, and while I am thankful for them all my Breville Juice Fountain deserves a shout out all its own! (Maybe a whole post of its own) I feel completely spoiled and I am loving it. This is going to sound cheesy and cliche, but seriously already I am seeing how it is going to be life changing. So yeah I will post more about that later.

Grandpa reading stories to the little girls :)

Grandma playing board games with the little kids. They had so much fun!

. . . more lego building fun!

my Mom, the bubble lady. So Fun!

I'll probably be in trouble for posting this, but just believe me I could have been more mean and posted other pictures instead. Okay?! Are we still friends Brit? We had so much fun playing Just Dance on the Wii. We also had a great time playing Wackee Six as teams. Loved it!

My sweeties were still fighting the crud and we finally took them to the Urgent Care to get them looked at. Preston had an ear infection, Rebekah they deemed to just have a bad cold--I was relieved it was not strep :) They were troopers and I was so thankful to my Mom and Dad getting up in the night and helping me to care for them. It is never fun to be sick, but being away from home on a really busy week was a little more stressful. My parents are amazing in their knowledge and use of Essential Oils and I am grateful I had them available throughout my trip to help support my little family as we fought off illness and still enjoyed our time with our family--I am a huge believer of the oils--they definitely helped us to be more comfortable.Preston slept through the whole visit at the Doctors office. We could not stop laughing. So funny. I am thankful for the kind PA we saw and a fast fill at the nearby pharmacy. Seriously, those kinds of things just make your life easier! I am thankful for the blessings of available health care and insurance.

Christmas Trip- Part 2 AKA Christmas Eve and Day!

So Saturday morning we left Sandy to head for Idaho. We were so excited to get there! The kids were coming down with something so we had more stops than we expected, but eventually rolled into Ucon about 1:00. I was so happy to get there :) We didn't do much that afternoon which was really nice to just visit and veg a bit. After dinner we went to see the Christmas lights that were synchronized with music. (Very cool displays!) Our kids were completely exhausted and fell asleep in the car (they almost never do this so it was astonishing to say the least.) I had been looking forward to finishing our 24 Days of Christmas Book (reading the story of the Nativity in the Bible) and setting out treats and a note for Santa with the kids, but since they were already asleep we skipped those events and tucked them into bed. Luckily before we left to go see the lights, we did put out the "Reindeer Food" that our friends (Thanks Torri!) gave us to take on our trip to make sure Santa could find us at Grandma's house. So we had no excitement about getting to bed or anything like that, and I was tired so I didn't mind :) Then we did the Santa thing and watched a movie I think. But I can't remember because I think I fell asleep or something! I was so sleep deprived this whole trip (mostly by my own choice of course!)

Unfortunately, the kids were really getting sick at this point and we had another pretty tough night-- When morning came I was debating back and forth should I take them to sacrament meeting or stay home?! In the end we decided to take them-- since it was first thing in the morning and we had already decided not to open gifts until after church it was going to be seriously impossible to keep them happy while we waited for the rest of the clan to come home from Church! We let them open stockings before church and ate a traditional Christmas Breakfast Hill Family Style (Poptarts!)

Sacrament meeting was beautiful and really wonderful, I was so glad we went. After coming home and changing our clothes we divided up the packages and took turns opening gifts. We were completely spoiled and thankful for all of the beautiful presents :)

Becky made Rebekah a beautiful dress for the wedding. Rebekah still calls it her wedding gown. So cute! She also received a beautiful afghan made by her talented Grandma. I don't know why I don't have a picture of it? It is a favorite item for sure! Her most favorite present? $8 Dora nightgown from Walmart. Hands down favorite!

Santa's gift to Rebekah

Preston's Gift from Santa (although I think he figured it out this year but went along anyway. He still wants to believe I guess!)

Ornament Preston made in school to give as a gift. He chose to give it to . . . Riley (Will I EVER be as cool as him?!)

I think here I am opening the beautiful skirt Becky made me for the wedding. She is so talented and generous. I also loved the cash-- not sure what I am getting with that yet :)
I finally for once in my life surprised my husband with a gift. Sort of. He told me what he wanted and then forgot or decided I wouldn't get it for him?! I don't know, but he was actually surprised when he opened the packaging! I ordered it online and had it shipped to Idaho so my secret elf Becky really helped me pull it off I think. I still haven't figured out how he likes it, but he is the proud new owner of an ultra cool Panasonic electric razor :)

Through Christmas day we played games and ate yummy dinner, visited with Grandparents, and Burke and Preston were absorbed in all things legos for many hours!

Merry Christmas!!

Cause and Effect

I neglected to post this in the right place-- Oh well! Preston heard at school that if you wear your Pajamas backward it will snow. He wanted it to happen-- so he tried it a few times and the second time he did it sure enough we woke up to our first snow! I love the enthusiasm and excitement of the first snow :)

PS: Yes Rebekah is wearing her beloved pink cowgirl hat here in the background. Always dressed up somehow, this little lady enjoys being a girl ;)

Christmas Trip- Part 1 AKA Temple Square

The first leg of our trip home for Christmas was more anticipated by me than any other event. Not that nothing else was exciting-- we had so much fun throughout the whole trip, but this part actually started to be planned a few years ago. I remember before Rebekah was even one and Preston not yet 3 we were driving through SLC at Christmas time. I told Burke I really wanted to take our kids there to see the lights and the Christus when they were both big enough to remember it. He said, "Let's do it when Rebekah is 3" So the idea was planted a long time ago. And this was finally our year to do it!

I was so giddy when Burke told me he would take half of the day off Friday the 23rd so we could go to temple square that night and then venture the rest of the way to Idaho on Christmas Eve! We had have so many fun family members that live in the greater SLC area and it is always a treat to get an "extra" visit with any of them. I always feel a little silly inviting myself to stay with someone (even our wonderful family), but they are always all so good to us and welcoming. This time we were fortunate to get to stay with my awesome brother Sheldon and his equally awesome wife Becki :) So fun. Plus my beautiful sister Rachel and her family came to join us for the evening-- so it was a double treat!

We rode the TRAX from Sandy right up to Temple Square.

Our plan was to go the The Lion House Pantry for dinner, but the wait was outside (and LONG) so we opted for something else. And that took a while to find someplace else that was open and ready to serve us. But we made it happen. It was cold and we were hungry, but we hit Michelangelo's on Main and enjoyed our meal.

Then we ventured back into the cold and went out to see the lights! I was so excited to see them and the beautiful nativity scenes. The temple as always was an impressive site.

The Bryans-- wish I had caught a pic with all of their eyes open! They were so cute (and cold!)

The Christus. Even as crowded as it all was, I could feel that special spirit of reverence and worship at this awe inspiring site. It was really a wonderful evening, and even though my sweet kids caught cold and were up half that night, I was still so glad we went and had this fun evening! Thanks again to the Bryan's and Andrus' So enjoyable to celebrate Christ's Birth with you!

Christmas Time

I was busy this December, but I wanted to fit some fun Holiday traditions in. We were able to manage a lot of them and really had a great time celebrating the season of Christ's Birth. I didn't take enough pictures of these events but I wanted to write about them anyway! Burke and I talked about some of the things we wanted to do with our children this year-- and it was super nice. We didn't do it all, but what we did was meaningful to us and I really cherish the moments we had absorbing the sights and sounds of Christmas with our little children. Because we were out of town for Thanksgiving, I was exhausted for several days the next week. Traveling does this to me. I feel like it just leeches all of the motivation out of me. It is a big downer for me. So anyway the tree was not thought of until we were well into the first week of December. I seriously contemplated not putting it up at all-- we weren't going to be home for Christmas was my super tacky thought process. Thank goodness for Burke! He is so willing to pick up the slack when I feel icky. It is an immense blessing that he is able and willing to step up this way. It seriously brings me to tears when I think of how blessed I am to have him. A few unpictured events include christmas caroling as a family and taking a small treat to a few of our friends and neighbors, going shopping together as a family for a few gifts, singing around our piano, introducing my kiddies to the music of George Friedrick Handel's Messiah, and listening to Daddy read the "Green Story" every single night. We also enjoyed a few other fun projects and events detailed in the pictures below! All in all it was a wonderful season, and when it came time to put all of Christmas away before our big trip to Idaho, I felt really satisfied :)

Ward Christmas Party Santa! I wish I could see their faces in these :)

My two little "Wise Men" amid many other sweet little wise men, shepherds, angels, sheep, birds, donkey, and of course Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Love all my primary kids so much!

A little out of order-- sorry-- the HUGE Reeces Peanut Butter Cups Daddy bought for us to share! They were a little too much for my liking, but it was all about the WOW factor right? Burke is a great Daddy.

Burke reading one of the stories out of the 24 days of Christmas book I grew up on. I never get tired of this tradition!

Project complete!

We are NOT really skilled at this. But it was fun anyway!

I should actually only say that I am not skilled at this! Burke's frosting sections were MUCH better than mine :)

Made this CUTE advent calendar with my wonderful Mother in Law over Thanksgiving. I loved it and look forward to using this for years to come!

Hero Husband saves the day and sets up our Christmas Decorations. Seriously what a guy!! (I only feel bad that I never managed to take a real picture of it once it was decorated-- it is in the background of other pictures, but really it was pretty and I am a little sad I missed that detail)

The one where Baby G left

I have been putting this post off-- because it still makes me get teary. I didn't mean to fall head- over-hills in love with someone else's baby. But I did. And I feel like someone cut off my arm or something because this cute face is not smiling at me everyday anymore. Sweet Baby G started coming to play at our house when she was still brand new-- 6 weeks old. I could not believe how tiny she was. I wondered how to feel about her at first-- would I be stepping over my bounds to tell her I loved her? What should I call myself when I was talking to her and I was telling her understood when she was in pain? (For my own children, I still tell them "Mommy knows, I am sorry it hurts, I love you, we will find a way to make it better"), Would it be okay to sing my baby lullabies to her--even though she wasn't mine? -- before long it is was clear that I had no say in the matter: she had my whole heart. Perhaps mothers only know one way to love. And oh my how I fell in love with those "chocolate" eyes (according to Preston) and that sweet little grin.

My children were completely enthralled with her from the beginning and couldn't wait to have a turn to hold her, to run for her diapers and bottle, to talk to her through tummy time and to just bask in her delight-fullness-- You know I have lost my mind to unabashed affection when I start making up my own words to describe a little person. And that is how I feel about Baby G. She has filled a hole in our home and our hearts when a new baby has not been a possibility. We have been so blessed with all of the blessings a baby brings to a home. Babies bring so much love. Everyone speaks a little softer, and a little kinder when there is a little one around. And love just grows and grows.

Wonderful changes have come for Baby G's family that have made her days with us no longer necessary. But I will always remember this year as the one where we had Baby G and how many beautiful blessings she brought to us. We will always have great love for this little sweetie.