Quince meses

 Fifteen months yesterday.

Oh this girl. I can't believe I get to be her mom and her friend. And watch up close as
she chooses to be a representative of Jesus Christ and to serve God's children in Uruguay.
They are so proud of her. Just so proud. As am I. In a way I don't know how to put into words.

Our Hermana Allen.

She's just something else.

My brother

A repost from exactly five years ago today. Because I still feel the same (only with more strength behind
those feelings) and I couldn’t express it any differently than I did then. And especially because this brother
of mine has been sober for forty-nine days and I’m so proud of him, it makes me cry. Every dang day.

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That first photo is a picture of my three older brothers. And I love it a lot.
But that "soldier" on the left is who has been on my mind all day.

Because it is Veterans Day and as you can see from the second photo, he is just that. I will always
be thankful to him for his incredible service and sacrifice (I still cry when I think back to those days
when he was injured so terribly and we could have so easily lost him), but I look up to and admire him
for many other reasons. Too many to list here, but I will just say he is one of the most inspirational
people I have ever known and has accomplished things many of us only dream about.

Today I share my profound gratitude for so many who have and do serve and sacrifice​ and support
and make my life possible. I'm so deeply thankful for each one of them. But this Veterans Day,
I am feeling especially thankful for a little boy named Kamm, who grew up to be a real soldier.

My brother, my hero.

Bring on the rain (er, hail)!

Apparently the drought has been more difficult on our youngest than we realized.

Yesterday

This sweet birthday boy

Happy Birthday my sweet boy! We are the luckiest ever because we get you as ours.

Five things I love about Nate right now:

1. He is one of the kindest, most loving people I have ever known. If you want to feel good about who you are, spend time with Nate. His middle name is in honor of his Grandma Cammy and boy did we get it right. He is one of the greatest cheerleaders and champions of people I know.

2. He loves his Heavenly Father and Savior deeply. He understands the scriptures (because he spends huge amounts of time in them) better than most people two and three times his age. And when he prays...it makes me cry just thinking about it. We all just kind of shake our head in wonder after his kneels and says a family prayer. He talks to his Father. And trusts Jesus Christ. Deeply.

3. He is coming into his humor and it makes me so happy I could burst. He and Ben make each other crack up often and he makes Grace laugh harder than anyone else. And when he gets going and can't stop himself from cry-laughing--it's kind of the best.

4. He is athletic to a degree I have almost never seen in another person, as least close up. It doesn't matter if it is wakeboarding, surfing, snow skiing, roller blading, soccering, playing basketball, running, doing back flips on the tramp or ground, or just conquering a pogo ball for his birthday, he just gets it. And gets it fast. It is something else to watch.

5. He is brilliant. His mind learns and stretches constantly and he solves problems, and notices details that matter to the solution, rapid fire. He loves school (and has the best teacher that we love like crazy) and thrives in doing hard things that take effort and brain power.

We love you Nate the great! So much it is a little ridiculous.

Cutest trio

Sweetest dad. Cutest kids. Still celebrating dads and donuts by having breakfast at
a nearby restaurant, rather than at the elementary school with the rest of our town.
It appears they are also brilliant. Love them all so stinkin’ much.

Show of Gratitude

This sweetest little dancer performed in her recital yesterday--three times to be precise. Oh she loves
dancing something fierce. And the dance studio she takes lessons at (we love Grace's dance company
as much as Grace loves dancing!) held their show of gratitude at a retirement home. Which was the
cutest thing ever. It took all of my willpower not to take photos of the residents' faces because their joy
at watching these students dance was something else. It was a really, really good afternoon.
Love our Gracie girl, and her talented, beautiful self, more than I could put into words.

Lighting the World {early}

 

My church that I love, love, love and love some more has this wonderful program
in December called Light the World. Daily service that anyone can do to fill the world
with more light and love, especially around the time we celebrate the Savor’s birth.

A few years back, I decided to make a Light the World poster to put on our wall,
so our family could add gold stickers whenever we did something kind or good or
serviceful for anyone else. And we have loved the visual representation and reminder.

This year I decided December wasn’t enough. And my old poster design
needed updating. So I made this beauty, had a local company print it out on
foam board and up it went. And today, we have officially started.

I’m pretty excited to focus my days, for the next many weeks, on kindness and
service and light toward God’s children. And see our world light up a little more
because of it. While hopefully acting a little more like my Savior in the process.

PS. If anyone wants to join us, but doesn’t want to create the poster,
send me a text or email me and I can email you the file. More than happy to for sure.

Halloween fun

Wishing you a very Happy Halloween...from our darling Mad Hatter and
a handsome soccer player who currently goes by the name of Neymar Jr.

A beautiful Sabbath

When I was a senior in high school, a year or twenty-seven ago, I had the opportunity to serve on what is called a seminary council. A group of youth that helped organize and run the activities associated with the church class that many high schoolers choose to take, in order to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s love for each one of us.

I worked with the most amazing group of youth (most of whom I still keep in contact with to this day) and we had three incredible adult advisors (two of which I still connect with all these years later). I just feel so honored to continue to know so many tremendous people who blessed my life then and now.

And today, I had the privilege of attending church to hear one of those advisors, and his beautiful wife, speak, before leaving for eighteen months on a mission for our church. Their talks, their spirit and just the incredible people that they are, touched me deeply this afternoon. I’m so honored to know them and to be called their friend.

And as if they wasn’t enough, as I sat in that meeting today, waiting to hear from my friends, the congregation sung a sacrament hymn, as we do every Sunday before partaking of the holy sacrament. And as that hymn began, tears filled my eyes. Because the hymn that was chosen, was a hymn that I have always associated with my year on seminary council. Even when I don’t hear that hymn for months and even years (we have hundreds of hymns after all), the second I do, that time during my senior year comes rushing back and I feel overwhelmed with love from my Savior.

Now friends, what do you think the odds are that on the day I was sitting in a different church building than normal, waiting to hear from friends I have never heard speak in church, that exact hymn would be the song chosen by whomever was in charge of the music that day? Actually, pretty high when my God is involved, I’d say.

Just feeling so grateful for a beautiful Sabbath, a sweet reminder of my Father’s love, friends that have influenced my life deeply and profoundly and the reminder of Christ’s atonement through a favorite hymn I haven’t heard in some time.

It was a good Sunday indeed.

My favorite

 
He's my favorite. And so is his goatee.

And while I'm not a fan of people leaving piles of mulch in the middle of the street
that can't be seen in the predawn hours, the road rash from his bike crash made
it so he couldn't shave for a couple of weeks. We call that a silver lining folks.

But red goatee or clean shaven, he's my very favorite. Have I mentioned that before?

Gorgeous

When you take your boat to be stored for the winter and the road there has this gorgeous view
of the new temple (not yet finished, but mighty close) just minutes from your home.

Benjamin

Try to tell me he’s not the coolest. Actually don’t, I’m not a fan of fibbers.

Love this boy and his amazing, good, athletic, hilarious self.

Lake Powell ~ Day three