Can I walk you to the door?

Hey, 2023!

We aren't that sad to see you go. 

You were kind of ...ALOT 

2 car accidents, a knee surgery, 4 car purchases, saying goodbye to Tootsie. 

It wasn't all bad, we weathered some choppy waters with the resident teens, survived our first year as gym owners, somehow managed to by 4 cars without going in to debt, went to our first Crossfit games, Megan started college,  Mathew got a great job, Ethan proposed to Kassie....

We'll celebrate all of that AFTER we kick 2023 to the curb. 

BYEEEE!

Year two of pickleball at the gym!

Megan stopped by for a few minutes before heading over to celebrate with friends. She's all grown!

The adults waned and tried to pretend that it was acceptable to celebrate with New York.

But the young ones were not havin it. 

After we cleaned up the gym, we headed home and poured a glass of sparkling cider just in time to count down for real.

Huzzah!

And somewere in Idaho Mathew rang the new year in with Damian and his family. 

Megan with Wyatt and Devon...

And Ethan with Kassie in Provo. 

oh fine....maybe 2023 wasn't so bad after all. We've got a lot to be grateful for. 

Christmas Day 2023

 It was truly a lovely day.  They were happy with their gifts and happy for each other. 

I just soaked all that happiness right up. It was my favorite present. 

Everly finally got her Instax camera! 

Megan finally got to open the clothes that she and I went shopping for last week and I promptly confiscated and made her wait to receive on Christmas morning. I did need to patch a couple of the jeans. Like many 18 year old girls, Megan likes a ripped jean....but unlike most, she likes those rips to have our old birdie tablecloth peaking through. It's all about the memories... and the cuteness.

The cute memories. 

Isn't she the cutest?

I finally got to surprise Laney with the Harley Davidson jacket we tragically lost out on to another thrift shopper. It's an epic story involving me basically harassing the poor woman to please oh please sell it to me until she finally promised to call me if she ever wanted to sell it.

I figured she was just trying to get rid of me and I would never hear from her again. 

But I did! And we met in the parking lot of Maj-R-Thrift one dark and stormy night and I kept the delicious secret for TWO MONTHS till this very fun moment!

And the jacket goes so well with the new skateboards! 

Mathew accidentally found his main gift hidden under the truck seat on the drive home from Arkansas....two hard drives...I'm sure it's cooler that it sounds, especially to a computer guy. 

But I did manage to surprise him with a new Cubs hoodie!

And his new pal, Barbara Manatee 💕

Ethan loves his new Carhart vest!

And sweetly helped Anna figure out the new apron he gave her. 

And AJ finally got to meet the little parrotlet I've been hiding in my closet for almost two weeks. 

I think this will be a perfect pair. 

I got a brand new Hedley and Bennett smock apron I've wanted for awhile. It's pretty cute!

Mark got his yearly supply of socks and a new camera for the garage....but his fun gift was this print of Wrigley Field made up of all the handwritten names of all the players from 1876 to 2016....2052 players!

We cleaned up the wrapping and got down to the business of relaxing and hanging out together. Sweet Mathew helped me make the Christmas dinner, beef stroganoff with artisan bread. It was warm and delicious and the perfect end to a perfect day. 

Merry Christmas!

Advent Calendar in full swing

 This year felt a little different with the advent calendar. We are busier. We have 3 kids gone...done up and moved away. I'm working and we often leave early for the gym. Laney leaves for school super early so as to not have to park between cars... a solid strategy for a new driver. 

December 1st fell on a Friday, the only day I get up and go to work by 6 am. I figured Mark would take photos while I was gone, but they decided to get up at 5:30 so I could be a part of the kick-off!

We weren't perfect and sometimes we didn't get around to it until the end of the day and the slips of paper were more of a "this is what we did today" rather than a "this is what we'll do today!" situation. 

We worked the big kids into the rotation when they visited...

or finally flew into town...

Ethan was about to pick out when it suddenly hit me that this would be the last time for him.

I really am excited for Ethan and Kassie to make their own Christmas traditions...but I can't help but feel a little sad that ours are starting to change. 

Somehow I missed getting a photo of Everly taking a turn this year 9doh!) but I'm gonna resist the urge to get the decorations out and stage a redo. I did love getting a facetime call while I was at work and watching her unwrap her calendar gift...a special straining pickle jar!

And at long last...Laney was the lucky one to put on the Christmas star!

Until next year!

Christmas Eve 2023

Time to drive back to Kansas.

Law-abiding citizens would make it in 3 1/2 hours.

Mark did it less that 3. 

My half of the circus manage just over 4....we had to go potty many times. 

Every time we embark on a road trip, the boys offer nonchalantly to help drive. I then thank them in a noncommittal tone for the offer and we all know that it's probably not gonna happen. Because you may remember that I dedicated 2 years of my life to each one of them as they learned to drive. And that left a mark somewhere very deep in my soul. 

But....it's Christmas and I miss my boys and it was time to take a breath and let go of the reins a bit. 

Those two boys shared the drive home and we all made it one piece! In fact, I do believe Ethan even bought me a bag of funyuns at the gas station while Mathew pumped the gas. I could get used to this! I had lots of time to scroll on my phone and take little naps. 

Ethan offered to cook his famous Chicken Pot Pie for our Christmas Eve dinner! 

Did I mention that it's Candlelight Dinner night? We're determined to feel all the feels. 

We faithfully played BINGO, even though I wouldn't allow the winners to open before everyone had won a game. You will see why, momentarily.  

And I really did get black out before Everly got a single line of BINGO. She was a very good sport about it.

Matching jammies!! Like, for real this time. And I really love it. I customized the shirts with the help of Courtney and Todd and their Silhouette. I think they turned out cute! And the pants were super soft and comfy....even though they didn't have pockets. (For $6 apiece, we will forgive)

And after all the kids were in bed, the glow of the Christmas tree. 

Pure Christmas Magic...from Hill to Hill

We received an invitation to come down to Arkansas for a dinner with the Hufford side of the family. We have been politely declining for so long, I almost said 'no' out of habit. 

I'm so glad we didn't.

I can feel our family changing and I know these kids need more time with their family. I figured a trip down to see their grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins would be the very best way to spend the short time we had together for Christmas. 

We arrived a little early and headed down to Lowell to visit our old house. It was neat to see it, but what the big kids really wanted to do was visit Treasure Hill. I'm not sure if they already knew that the "hill" was really just a little slope that I used to bury little shiny rocks and coins in for the kids to find. 

They didn't seem to mind. I still felt all the love and magic right there. 

We drove over to the "new park" and walked around a little before heading over to visit the family at the Allred's lovely Donkey Hill. 

We had a pizza feast!

We had a nice time visiting and catching up with everyone that we haven't seen in so long. As the last people were heading out the door at the end of the night, we could here a robust rendition of "How Firm a Foundation" coming from the music room. It was so fun hearing the boys singing together with Megan on the piano. 

And then we sang and sang and sang.... and my heart was so happy. 

We even persuaded Bryce into playing his baritone for us and it was absolutely gorgeous. I love that rich and mellow tone. 

And only Aunt Sarah could convince these kids to put on an improv dance performance. Anyone reading this....go find the videos..because they are FABulous. 

We sang our last songs of the night, our very favorite, 'Colorado' and 'Camel Rock' by Chuck Pyle...and we were off to sleep. It was an extra gift to have the chance to have all of my Six right there to hug and tell them I love them. 

I woke up the next morning and came out to see these two. 

I thought they were birdwatching out the windows, but they were really talking to Kassie on the phone! Even better. 

We had a quick bowl of cereal, wished the donkey's a happy holiday and headed home for our Christmas Eve activites!

Unforgettable.