Before our Christmas adventure

Before we left for Idaho for Christmas, we did get in a few fun things that I wanted to post before I put up the Christmas pics. Okay, so this one wasn't that fun. We had to say good-bye to our good friends the Veeks. Matt got a job in Parachute, Colorado, and thus the whole family had to go with him for some reason. We miss them tons already! The whole family got to go eat lunch with Noah. It was fun, but would have been better if we had known that you have to call ahead and let them know you want to come, or there will be nothing for you to eat. We all skimped off Noah's plate. He would never eat all they gave him. I often wonder how much he really eats without me there to supervise. John didn't get to come to Micah's Christmas party, he had an interview. Noah had school, but Deeken and I were big fans of Micah's awesome singing. She did a good job though I could tell she missed having Ethan there, or maybe it was just me missing Sierra. After all this fun we got to get into the car and drive 9 hours with our kids through Dead Mans pass and the Blue Mountains to Idaho. Luckily we didn't have any problems with snow!

Merry CHRISTmas!

We wish you a Merry CHRISTmas! Thank you for being a part of our lives; whether it was in the past or in the present. We love our Family and Friends and count you among our greatest blessings. We, like you want to remember the Savior, not only now, but all year long. We hope you enjoy this talk by JRH, and that if you haven't caught the true spirit of CHRISTmas yet, that you will feel His love when you read this.

"Christmas Doesn't Come From A Store"

Jeffrey R. Holland

Again, I’ve thought of Luke’s careful phrasing about that holy night in Bethlehem:

“The days were accomplished that she should be delivered."

“And (she) brought forth her firstborn son, and [she] wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and [she] laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:6–7; emphasis added).

Those brief pronouns trumpet in our ears that, second only to the child himself, Mary is the chiefest figure, the regal queen, mother of mothers—holding center stage in this grandest of all dramatic moments. And those same pronouns also trumpet that, save for her beloved husband, she was very much alone.

I have wondered if this young woman, something of a child herself, here bearing her first baby, might have wished her mother, or an aunt, or her sister, or a friend, to be near her through the labor. Surely the birth of such a son as this should command the aid and attention of every midwife in Judea! We all might wish that someone could have held her hand, cooled her brow, and when the ordeal was over, given her rest in crisp, cool linen.

But it was not to be so. With only Joseph’s inexperienced assistance, she herself brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in the little clothes she had knowingly brought on her journey, and perhaps laid him on a pillow of hay.

Then on both sides of the veil a heavenly host broke into song. “Glory to God in the highest,” they sang, “and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). But except for heavenly witnesses, these three were alone: Joseph, Mary, and the baby to be named Jesus.

At this focal point of all human history, a point illuminated by a new star in the heavens revealed for just such a purpose, probably no other mortal watched—none but a poor young carpenter, a beautiful virgin mother, and silent stabled animals who had not the power to utter the sacredness they had seen.

Shepherds would soon arrive and, later, wise men would follow from the East. But first and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees or tinsel. With a baby—that’s how Christmas began.

So flippin' excited and GREAT-FULL!

Mine and John's amazing friends the Wilbergers were finally blessed with the HUGE blessing of becoming parents today. They were married 5 days before us and have been trying since then to have a beautiful baby of their own. I am so Super stoked that Brenley finally gets to be a mom and that Bryce gets to be a dad. There birth mother had their baby on December 14th and they now have him safe at home. We love them so much and send our love their way. We hope we get to see the little guy soon. Here is a link to their blog if you want to see him. B&B Baby

Not flesh of my flesh,

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You didn't grow under my heart,

But in it!

-Anonymous

Off to TEXAS we go!

I think people are probably starting to understand now why I haven't posted in a while. There was just too much. But now we are on the last leg of our trip and it is here in Texas where are journey ended, minus the plane ride home. Texas is the new home of my brother Matt and his wife Angie. They only moved their a few months ago, but have made their home so beautiful. Matt and Angie went through 11 years of "Med stuff" so that Matt can finally start his job as a Neuro Radiologist. Angie has been amazingly supportive through all the years and I admire her and her willingness to support her husband in his LOOOOONG med route. Matt is a great Guy, just like all my other brothers. We tend to Joke that he is my mom's favorite, but if he is it is only because he is awesome. He took off two days of work to be with us, which really meant a lot to me. He also spent a lot of time with just John, making him feel really welcome. I love Matt. He is a great guy. See what I mean. He took time with all the kids, but I think he especially liked getting in some good uncle time with my kids. While I was there I looked at him in his Jeans and T-shirt, and couldn't help but think at how normal he looked. Becoming a Neuro-Radiologist hasn't gone to his head and I think that is pretty cool. One of the fun things we got to do with our Texas cousins was go to a little farm that is in there ward, and ride ponies and see different farm animals. This is Dallas on Matt's shoulders. He is the cutest little guy. From his sweet voice to his fantastic smile. I hadn't seen him since he was 3 weeks old. He didn't disappoint. He is a cutie! We had a great time getting to know our cousins, aunt and uncle. Angie runs a fabulously magnificant house for having 5 little guys. She is a great mom, and I love and admire her enthusiasm. Thanks for letting us come and stay! We love you.

*Christmas Time*

There is of course a Horse Museum in Lexington, and it has an amazing drive-thru light show at Christmas time. So we went and saw the beautiful lights and then sat on Santa's lap. Grandma and Grandpa spoiled all of the kids and got them each one of these cool light wands. It is so nice to have grandparents around. Noah asked for a Nutcracker!?! What boy asks for a nutcracker? Micah asked for a Brabie. Typical girl. Deeken just wanted to get out of there. This is Kevin and Debbie's six kids! They are all so cute and have such different personalities. Debbie is an amazing mom, who loves her kids and just takes things as they come without stressing too much. She is awesome. We LOVED staying with them. Our Kids had a great time! Thanks Kev and Deb for having us.

Riding the Range

Here we actually got to ride a horse. We all wish our kids got to ride more, growing up as we did, but right now it just isn't possible. This is my brother Brian and his beautiful daughter. He is such a great dad! His patience is so enduring, that when he does raise his voice it is a big sigh of relief because you realize he isn't perfect. He is such a good man. Someone asked me once how it was possible that we were brother and sister, I am, well, not quiet. Brian is very quiet. I wish I was a lot more like him. He is a wonderful guy! I love this picture of John with our kids. He is a pretty amazing man. He tries so hard to be the best that he can. These are our favorite moments...laughing with our kids. Well this is my brother Brian's family. They are so cute, and always look like they could be the models for a magazine. I love their little family. We miss getting to live by them and have our boys play together all the time. This was right before they were leaving so I wanted to snap a picture. I am so glad they flew all the way from Utah to have Thanksgiving with all of us!

Gobble! Gobble!

Thanksgiving was a real treat for me, to get to have 3 of my 4 brothers with all of their families in the same spot was awesome. This cute little turkey hat was courtesy of my sweet sister-in-law Haydee. She gives an amazing amount to make sure the kids have a good time. And this was before the actual dinner...bring on the Turkey nap. We got a little bit of pin-the-tail on the turkey in. To bad nobody was watching Deeken. He pretty much ate the marker. Deeken did kick back a little on the Spartenelli's, but who wouldn't after that marker. Grandma and Grandpa made sure he got something good to eat. This is my oldest brother Brett. I am really proud of him too, although he thinks I am not. He works really hard at his job as a professor, and his students love him. He gets little worldly acknowledgment for all the work he does(like most teachers). His family is his heart and soul, and he would do almost anything for his girls. I love this picture, because like I said before Brett works really hard at all he does, he gets pretty stressed out at times, but when he starts to laugh, especially with my kids, it makes my day. I feel like they are getting to see the brother I know and Love. Here is little Mason. By the end of the day he was exhausted, and he didn't even eat the turkey. John was trying so hard to keep him awake, so he would sleep for his mom later, but he couldn't do it.