The Last Card

I LOVE CHRISTMAS CARDS!!

Christmas cards are one of my favorite things this time of year. It's the only time I actually go out to the mailbox on a daily basis.

This year I found a new way to display all the cards we received.  Just a little ribbon and some paperclips helped decorate my kitchen and I felt like I was surrounded by family and friends whenever I was cooking and cleaning. It made me happy all season long. Thank you to everyone who sent a card.

I ordered our Christmas cards the very first chance I had. They were printed and shipped on December 10th. They would be delivered within days. I waited, and waited, and waited......

...and called the company (there was no tracking number) and waited some more.

They finally arrived on December 27th!! The late arrival didn't stop me though, I still sent them all out.

I realize that our Christmas card will be the last one to arrive for most people. It will be delivered long after card displays have been taken down. That's ok. I send out cards to let people know that we think of them. I want everyone who has been part of our lives, either in the past or the present, to know that they are important to us still.

Through this process, I have learned patience, humility, and I promise, I will never judge another late Christmas card again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

I've already posted about the reason why we celebrate and the sacred side of Christmas. There were other festivities involved in our Christmas experience this year. I refer to them as the fa-la-la-la-la side of Christmas.

We went caroling with a group of friends at the assisted living center nearby. It was great fun! I hope the residents enjoyed it as much as we did.

We missed out on our extended family's Christmas parties but that didn't stop Jared from sending us his love.

 I wrapped presents and wrapped presents. By the end, this is what they started to look like. I didn't even care by that point.

Aaron and I attended the best company Christmas party ever. When we left the party, I asked Aaron if we could start having quarterly Christmas parties. Yes, it really was that fun. Here I am modeling the outfit I got for the party. Ethan was out of camera shot showing me the proper pose. I wish we also had a shot of his demonstration as well.

We had some of our favorite traditional Christmas food of Spanish rice and tamales. They were delicious!

 Esteban's girlfriend, Chabeli, even  provided a flan for dessert. It was perfect ending to a wonderful meal.

 I know I post a lot of pictures of food on here but with three teenage boys in the house it is kind of an important part of our family life. At one point this is what our counter looked like after Santa left every sugary cereal and Poptart flavor made by man. The little tile sign in the backgrounds sums it up nicely.

The girls and I made gingerbread houses. The boys were not interested. Bah humbug!!

First of all, this is the gingerbread house my sister made in Utah.

These are our gingerbread houses.

AJ pointed out they are not even made out of gingerbread but, calling the graham cracker houses doesn't quite sound the same.

Vanessa started eating hers right away. (Photo bomb Larry the Cucumber. We still love Veggie Tales.)

We left the others out on the counter which proved to be a good thing because we somehow completely forgot to leave cookies out for Santa and he ended up snacking on one of the houses.

The kids happily opened their presents.

Yes. That is a new toilet seat for Ethan and AJ. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

Savanah had the largest present under the tree.

Vanessa was excited for her gift from Este.

Ethan seemed confused by the gift that I gave him. All the other kids got some new cool clothes.

He got a shirt with elbow pads. That happens to be a very expensive shirt by the way.

Vanessa loved her toe socks.

Este was worried he actually got a toaster.

But loved the new sunglasses that were inside the box instead.

Colt was happy with his Christmas feast. Aaron likes to make sure he stays a fat spoiled house cat.

We drew names with all the cousins on Aaron's side of the family. Keeton liked the gift from Este.

Jace was excited for the football helmet sent from cousins in Utah.

Jace insisted on giving Vanessa a peanut butter sandwich. She was so surprised.

After all the festivities we went swimming that afternoon. Just because we live in Texas and just because we can.

I was the first one off the diving board and into the pool.

(That is the most unflattering photo on so many levels.)

I soon discovered that the pool surface was warm. The rest of the pool was not. As long as I was swimming, it was bearable. There were pockets of warm water and pockets of cold water. 

Before long I was in the hot tub giggling as every body else jumped in and came up screaming like a little girl. Before long we had stirred the water in the pool around enough to make the temperature more uniform. 

There is something that is so enjoyable about hanging out in the hot tub together on Christmas afternoon.

There it is. Christmas 2013. It proved to be one of my favorite Christmas holidays of all time but then again I say that every year and it is always true. Tis' the season to be jolly. Falalalalalala!!

Touched By Jesus

Christmas Eve this year was AMAZING!!

Este shared with us that one of his friends recently told him how our family seems so perfect (his friend apparently hasn't spent enough time with us to know better). He told Este that it was obvious that our family had been touched by Jesus. Este's friend may not be aware of how true that statement really is. Not that we are the perfect family or live the perfect life, but the only perfect person to walk the earth, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has shown us mercy and touched our hearts. We really have been touched by Jesus.

Christmas Eve is the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is the day when we are more focused on what matters most. Christmas Day is our fun-filled-present-opening-fa-la-la-la-la celebration. But for our family, Christmas Eve is deep and spiritual. As our children have grown we have tried various ways to accomplish this task. We have spent time with extended family and friends. We have donned costumes and reenacted the Nativity in our barn in Utah. This year there were no wise men costumes. We declined thoughtful invitations to be with other families. There was no pomp and circumstance. We simply gathered around and shared with each other the many ways our family truly has been touched by Jesus.

The Christmas season was a little crazy this year: a late Thanksgiving, the four day ice storm, a weekend trip to Florida, no Christmas cards, etc. I tried really hard not to get stressed. There were moments the struggle was real but for the most part, I stayed true to my commitment. By the morning of the 24th I was ready. The shopping was done, except for one last minute trip to the mall. Aaron planned and prepared our dinner, and most of the presents were wrapped (That's highly unusual for us.)

Aaron asked the kids if they wanted turkey or ham for Christmas Eve dinner. They asked for ribs. True to our southern living, we had ribs, baked sweet potatoes, and fully loaded garlic mashed potatoes. YUMMY!!

He even "encouraged" the kids to help in the food preparation. It is amazing what a little holiday motivation will provide. That, and the threat of not eating dinner.

After dinner we gathered around the living room and read the Christmas story from the Bible. Then I read part of a talk by Neil A. Maxwell about how our lives our still part of the Christmas story and how each of us need to make the journey to Christ just as the wise men did. We also watched several Mormon Messages on You Tube.

The kids were calm. The fire was bright. The Spirit was felt. We each shared what we were thankful for. We opened a gift of new pajamas. We laughed together. In fact, every time I started to feel sad and tears welled up, my kids made me laugh. We laughed a lot. I had so much fun with them. This night touched my heart and is probably my favorite Christmas ever. It was a night I will never forget.

I don't know what the future holds for our family.  I do know there will be good days and bad days to come. I hope that as we did this day,  that every day we will remember the many ways our family has been touched by Jesus. As Jeffrey R Holland said: "After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before." (click here for full text)

The Lights

At this time of year when we refer to "seeing the lights" we usually mean seeing these lights. The lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. As a child, it was a annual tradition.

Those lights happen to be 1400 miles away. So, this year when we went to see the lights we went to our local town square. While not quite as spectacular, it is still pretty impressive. The lights are set to music broadcast on a local radio station. It is fun to see the different light display with each song.

I was obviously photo bombed by Esteban. As you can see, he dressed warm for the occasion. the temperature was freezing that night. Literally, it was only 32 degrees that night.

The boys did not want to pose for pictures but Savanah snuck a photo while they were not looking.

Luckily, she is not opposed to photography so we snapped a selfie together. Then, of course, the boys were all about being in front of the camera. Photo bomb Esteban & Ethan

While we were outside snapping photos, Aaron and Vanessa were in the popcorn store taking care of Vanessa's sweet tooth. Aaron's favorite popcorn was the Dr. Pepper flavored popcorn. Mine was the chocolate peanut butter popcorn. Then again, I believe that anything with as extra dose of chocolate and peanut butter smothered on is a good thing.

All in all, the night was pretty awesome. The very best part of the night and the entire season, being together as a family.

Ponder

At the end of the "Christmas Story" in the Bible we read:

 Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

I remember several Christmas' ago when I was pregnant with Savanah at this time of year. I pondered a lot that year with a new understanding of what Mary went through. I know there is no way I can understand what it was really like for her to bring forth the Son of God but, in a small, simple way I used my imagination. I knew what it was like to be uncomfortable. I knew that at the end of a pregnancy it is difficult to sit, stand, eat, sleep, and even breathe. I can't imagine riding a donkey 80 miles in that condition. I can't imagine leaving the comforts of home to travel to the land of my ancestors to pay taxes to a government forced on my people. While I gave birth in a sterile hospital with doctors, nurses, and all the comforts of modern medicine. Mary gave birth in a stable.

That year as I pondered Christmas, I knew the miracle of birth. I held my own new born babe. I pondered the birth of Christ. It will always be one of my favorite Christmas'

The tiny baby I held that year has grown into a beautiful young woman.  She just turned 11 years old. I thank God every day that she came to me. I love seeing her discoever her talents and abilities. I love her deeply.

Fast forward to this year. It has been another year of pondering. You see, this is my last Christmas with my family all living under one roof. This is it. I keep telling myself that life will go on. There will be more Christmas' to come and they will only get better with eventual daughter-in-laws and grandchildren but for now, this is the last year that I will draw all of my children close and see them and hug them.  It is the last childhood Christmas for Esteban. 

Este leaves on a mission for our church sometime this summer after he graduates from high school. We don't know where he will be going. We do not get to choose. For the next two years the only contact we will have with him will be a weekly email, a phone call on Mother's Day, and a phone call on Christmas. Ethan will leave on his mission the next summer. AJ will leave in two summers after that.  It will be almost six years before we are together again for Christmas. The thought of it breaks my heart. 

Yet, I know how important this opportunity will be for my sons to leave on their missions. They will leave as boys. They will come back as men. They will have two years of their life to devote to God. They will leave the things of the world behind and study, serve, and learn of the things that matter most. They will find themselves in service to God and learn to love him as well as to love others as themselves. I can't wait to hear about the experiences they will have.

And so I want this to be the "perfect" Christmas. We have had offers to go to parties on Christmas Eve. We have numerous friends and neighbors that we could invite over to celebrate with but, this year it will just be us. Just Aaron and I and our five children. 

In my mind, I picture us all sitting around the table in our Sunday best, using perfect manners, eating a gourmet fest, and talking of profound gospel truths. I am bracing myself for the reality: we will be wearing sweats, dinner will be late, and we will be talking football. They all better still use perfect manners!

No matter what this Christmas turns out to be, it will be one that I will always remember. I have pondered so much this Christmas not only on birth of Christ but, the life of Christ. He showed us how to manage the road. He is the way, the truth, and the life . He taught us by His example and His teachings the path to return to Him someday. He suffered for our sins. He suffered for my sins. I get busy and distracted. I fall short in so many ways. I make wrong decisions. I sometimes follow my head more than my heart. I need His grace every single day. I want to be more like my Savior. I have a long way to go but, He is ever patient and  loving. I am grateful for the intimate relationship that I have with my Redeemer. There are times when I get busy in my daily life. I sometimes forget Him more that I should yet, Jesus Christ is always there. Waiting. Loving. I commit once again to do better.

So, we will see what the next few days bring. We will see what the next few years bring. I am sure they will fall short of being perfect and I am ok with that. This I do know, I will keep these things and ponder them in my heart. 

Merry Christmas 2012

This year we spent Christmas Eve with some dear friends of ours who invited us into their home for a delicious traditional Christmas dinner. After dinner they entertained us with the greatest family talent show I have ever witnessed. It was magnificent. They read some touching stories that truly brought the Spirit of Christmas into our hearts. 

A few months ago, they lost their 12 year old son. This was their first Christmas without him. Tears rolled freely down my cheeks as the father of their home talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and what it means to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. It was the very most perfect way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I will be ever grateful for their invitation. 

The next day brought the "other" side of Christmas. This is what I love about Christmas morning.....

The girls set their alarm for 4:30 in the morning. Normally I am the first one up and I am more interested in opening presents than the kids are. This year Aaron and I went to bed really late and I was not ready to be up that early. We watched the girls open their stockings then we went back to bed while they waited for the boys to get up. It was another 2 1/2 hours before we opened the rest of the presents. Savanah said that she would never set the alarm again because waiting was worse when she was awake.

The girls really wanted some of the Friends legos (The same legos in girly colors.) Vanessa followed the instructions perfectly and then realized she had just built a lego toilet.

Santa brought enough sugar cereal and poptarts to last at least a few days. Since we normally don't buy this type of breakfast items, the kids were ecstatic. I was pretty happy too since I didn't have to fix breakfast Christmas morning.

The biggest news of the day was snow. Yep, here in Dallas we had a White Christmas.

 The girls went outside and played in the snow. It wasn't good snow for a snowman but it was good snow for just having fun.

 Since the sidewalks were covered with snow Vanessa rode her new scooter inside the house. Nice.

The snow didn't stop us from grilling some brisket and ribs for our Texas Christmas dinner.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is receiving Christmas cards. Thank you to all our friends and family who remembered us this year. I decided to hang the cards on the banister this year and was very happy when we made it to the top. We love you all!!

Just in case I need to get your address....(e-mail me with it).  Here is our Christmas card for this year.  Merry Christmas!!