Search This Blog

Friday, December 23, 2011

Blessed

There are times when I look at my life and wonder "Why me?"  I feel extremely blessed to be a wife who is cherished, a mother to three beautiful souls, a daughter to parents who are admired for their good deeds, and a child of God who has blessed me in more ways than I could ever imagine.  It is during this time of the year that takes me back to that question "Why me?"  My question won't be easily answered, nor do I expect an answer, but I know that during my time on Earth I am to embrace the gifts that I have been given and cherish the time that I have.   

We are so Blessed...

Traditions
Our horse was a white beauty!

The lights were spectacular.

Every year we visit Downtown Denver to view the lights from a horse carriage.

Traditions create a lifetime of memories!


Such a good Daddy!

The sweetness in the candy shop must have rubbed off!

More Traditions...
Each year we gather with close friends to participate in a Christmas exchange. This year the event took place at the Simmons' house.

Peyton enjoys the youngest to oldest rule!

Rob brings laughter to the party...moments that are unforgettable!


The present that keeps coming back each year.  It is the one present you DON'T want to get.  Luckily we escaped it again this year!  Sorry Tricia...another year of bad luck!:)

Gotta love him!




Cookies, Cookies, and MORE Cookies!  Oma and Opa bake with the kids every year.  The more the Merrier!

The girls are dedicated...can't you tell?  They inherited my passion for cooking!

Packaged and ready to EAT!

Oma invited us to the nursing home to sing carols for the residents.  It was a humbling experience and one that made me thankful for the gifts I have been given.  Being with this group was inspiring.  

The girls sang and handed out small gifts to the residents.  I was in charge of pictures. 

Above is my mom's good friend Libby (yes, we share the same name.)  She is graceful and has a wonderful gift of being able to work with people of need.  I can see why my mom and Libby are such great friends; they have a lot in common. 

Thanksgiving Firsts

Thanksgiving was very different this year for both sides of our family.  Usually Rob and I visit our families on this day, but this year we were surprised with a trip to Disneyland.  As many of you know, Rob and I live only ten minutes (if that) from both sets of our family.  We chose to do this because we wanted our children to experience the importance of life, family connections.  This also means that the holidays can get a little tricky.  Being out of town on Thanksgiving meant that we were going to switch a few traditions; this was a first for all of us.  This year we celebrated Thanksgiving a week early with my family and left for Disneyland the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to spend it with Rob's family (Grandma, Grandpa, Dawna, and Taylor.) Another first was not having Cameron with us.  Cameron decided not to go on the Disneyland trip, instead, he went to Devyn's house for Thanksgiving and visited Oma and Opa for a second time.  We missed him dearly, but knew this day would eventually come.

The food and company took priority which left me with only picture from our Thanksgiving dinner at Oma and Opa's house.  We spent the day eating, playing games, and enjoying the conversations.
 Let it be noted, that the girls won the games again (I think this was the third year in a row)--we aren't competitive, my team simply plays to win!  GO GIRLS!

 Disneyland Trip


Our trip started on the road...we sang, slept, watched movies, and Daddy drove!

When we arrived, we pulled in at the same time as Grandma, Grandpa and Taylor.  After we checked in, we were off to the park. Dawna flew in later that night.


The lights, the ornaments, and sheer size was a testament of Disney's ability to make things magical!
Grand California Hotel (with cousin Taylor...he has a great smile!) The kids had a lot of fun together.


Mommy and Jessie waiting to get onto Space Mountain...first ride of the day!
Sitting back and relaxing at the end of the day...getting older isn't as much fun as I thought it would be!


Grandma and Missy enjoyed themselves on numerous rides.
Kids...so cute--especially the big kid in the middle!


The Christmas Parade was like no other.  The kids were enjoying themselves with Grandma; they all looked like a bunch of kids on Christmas day (amazed with the lights, the characters, the music, and excitement.)

Sisterly love!

Poor Grandpa went on Splash Mountain with the girls; they screamed, yelled, cried, and ended the ride laughing away the tears.  Jessie even said that she wanted to go again...girls!  Grandpa was a trooper and tried to calm them down throughout the entire ride.

The girls survived, but Missy clams she will never ride Splash Mountain again!
Missy getting sympathy from her Daddy!


We had Thanksgiving dinner at Steak House 55.  The dinner was delicious and the desserts were even better.  Jessie is a girl after my own heart...she ordered a chocolate cake that had endless layers of chocolate delight in every bite!


My dessert was so pretty, I didn't want to eat it.  When I did take a bite, it tasted better than it looked--YUM!
Going to Disneyland during Thanksgiving was a first for our family,
a first that will be cherished for years to come.  Thank you!

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little behind on posting; so I thought I would start where I left off, October.  Cameron and Missy are no longer trick-or-treating, but still enjoy handing out candy with Daddy.  Jess and I went around the neighborhood with dear friends.
Jessie with her lifetime friends, Brittney and Peyton.


Oma, Jacoby, Addison, and Jessie (she loves being a big-cousin.)


Yes, Jessie picked the costume and yes, it took a while to wrap her up!




 
The trunk we decorated.
Jessie handing out candy.


















Every year I help out with the Trunk-or-Treat event at my school and Jessie has found great pleasure in volunteering for this event as well.