Presidents Cup tournament ~ Ordinary moments edition

Jacob and I ended up tag teaming Ben and Nate's soccer tournament this past weekend. And in
addition to the boys' soccer photos, I wanted these ordinary memories here, as a reminder of
what goes into making these weekends possible. And to show how grateful I am for siblings and 
dads who support their brothers and sons in something that matters a whole lot to both of them.
That support looks like loads and loads of driving (especially where we stayed in St. George),
great amounts of sitting (and cheering) on the sidelines, constant gymnastics and dance for
Grace to keep herself entertained and plenty of park time in between games. Plus several
beautiful sunsets to mark the end of each day. It was a busy, and happy, five days.

Presidents Cup tournament ~ Benjamin edition

And here we have the Ben edition of the Presidents Cup soccer tournament from last weekend.
This boy's team made it to the championship and took home second place, no small feat for sure.
So proud of this guy and how hard he works and how much he gives. It's kind of the best to watch
him play this sport he loves with all of his heart. And I adore every picture I was able to capture
 here, but that last one. You know, just Ben being taken to the ground, but still having the
presence of mind to score the goal. As a defender. He's such a stud.

Ben's special day

Our Ben has had a pretty amazing few days, but nothing sweeter or more significant
than today. When he was ordained, by his amazing dad, to the office of priest. It was
an absolutely beautiful ordination and I just don’t know how to keep sharing my
feelings without repeating myself—I’m just so deeply grateful to be Ben Allen’s mom.

We missed my dad, who was planning to come, but several inches of snow kept him from it.
And Jacob’s parents, who are still serving a mission in Paris. And Annie, who also had the
weather keep her from coming (although she made the effort to be here for Ben’s birthday
 on Thursday, which was the kindest). But we absolutely loved having everyone else,
especially Campbell and Kelsey who were able to drive down last night in order to be here.

It really was the sweetest of mornings. With the most amazing boy,
his dad and his siblings. I’m just so ridiculously blessed.

It's official

It was a really happy birthday for Ben. Nothing better than being handed that
official license on the exact day you turn sixteen. Four down, two to go.

Yesterday

Celebrating this amazing boy

 
Sixteen years ago this very day, this boy joined our family, choosing to come to earth early because I truly
 believe he just couldn't wait one more second to be here. And we are forever grateful. He is everything
 that is happy, hilarious, athletic, hard working, handsome, kind, brilliant and good. Just so deeply good.
He is drawn to light and his Savior and loves his Father in Heaven profoundly. He has made some hard
and beautiful choices these past many months that bring me to tears with their goodness and maturity. 
And being his mom is truly one of the greatest honors of this life—and of the next. 

Happy Birthday my incredible Benjamin! We love you so ridiculously much.

Everything

Very often, I go to the temple and I’m happy I went and that is enough. Other times, I have a sweet
and beautiful experience and I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude. But every once in forty-six years,
I go and what God allows me to witness, truly changes everything. And I just can’t believe we have a
 Father who could be so loving, so kind, so mighty, so deeply good to us. To me. And I needed to testify
of that today. And include this picture I took with wispy sunbeams that remind me of heaven and angels
 and a veil between mortality and eternity that is so much thinner than we could ever imagine.

A good Thursday

A day filled with time in the temple for several in the family, Nate’s team winning the championship
of the 3v3 indoor soccer tournament they entered and all things Christmas being packed up and put
away. Which resulted in this new fiddle leaf fig joining the front room. It was a good Thursday.

Merriest Christmas!

A Merry, Merry Christmas to each of you, from our little family! Some of our very happiest and most
magical memories came from this past year and I’m just so deeply grateful. Mostly, I’m just so privileged
to know and love Christ, the newborn King born in Bethlehem. He means everything to me. And being
His disciple and friend is the absolute greatest honor of my life. Oh, come let us adore Him, indeed.

Over and done

Someone passed his driver’s test today. Which means he will be getting his license on his actual
sixteenth birthday in less than two weeks. I’m not sure if I am more thrilled for him or for his mother.

25 years of us

When I was younger and would dream about the man I would someday marry, it never occurred to me to
dream as amazing as Jacob Allen. Our love story has exceeded every expectation I didn’t even know to have.

Exactly 25 years ago this day, I walked into the Bern Switzerland Temple alongside the man I loved with every
part of my heart. And walked out his wife, sealed together for this life and the next. Forever and for always.

I’m just so grateful. I’m just so honored. I’m just so overwhelmed with the extraordinary gift God has given
me of being married to Jacob these last many years. The life we have built, the children that are ours,
 the incredible highs, the horrific lows, the so very much in between. I’m thankful for every bit of it.

Because as long as Jacob Allen is by my side. I’ll take it all.

Happy Anniversary baby! Thank you for being mine and for letting me be yours. I’m so deeply
grateful for the last twenty-five years. And can’t wait for the next twenty-five. And then
forever after. I love you Jacob Ethan. With all that I am and all that I ever hope to be.


{For anyone interested, a short anniversary video I put together of us--where you can watch us age dramatically in just mere minutes.}

An absolutely amazing accomplishment

 
That boy on the left sure has a reason to be dancing. Because, as of about three hours ago,
he is officially finished with his bachelor’s degree in communications from BYU. I honestly am so
 happy for him I could burst! Actually, I’m happy for both of these incredible darlings. They are doing
truly amazing things and I’m just so honored to have a front row seat and watch them soar.

So proud of you my Campbell! For how hard you work, for what you accomplish
and mostly, for who you choose to be. It’s such a privilege to be your mom.
I just can’t believe God would give me such an extraordinary gift.

Grace's first piano recital

These four darling kids performed in their Christmas piano recital tonight—with it being Grace's very
first piano recital. All of them were absolutely amazing. I so love that these cousins all take from the best
teacher in all  the land—which means they are becoming really incredible pianists. It was a happy night
for sure. Especially because my sweet dad came to support our kids. He’s honestly the best.

6th grade dance

This most darling boy headed to his 80s themed 6th grade dance today.
I just love him so much. He’s truly amazing.

My favorite place and my new career

Tuesdays are my favorite. Because the Lord is always far too kind to me.

And also, because I apparently have a new career. Group photographer at the temple.
I actually don’t remember the last time I went to my weekly temple appointment
and didn’t end up being asked to take a photo for a group afterwards.

It’s kind of my favorite though. So I’m definitely not complaining.

Yeah. The temple is pretty much best.

Darling Grace and beautiful ballet

The Nutcracker this afternoon with this little sweetheart (as the first half of the reward she

earned this summer with a whole lot of hard work). She’s just so sweet and good. And I love

spending time with her, especially watching something she just so absolutely adores.

Another gorgeous photo by Matt

The morning after Thanksgiving, Matt went with Edie's family on a quick trip to Arches National Park. And took
this absolutely gorgeous photo. I'm so thankful for Edie and her darling family who love our boy so well.
Mostly, I'm just so grateful for Matt. Being his mom is truly one of the greatest honors God has ever given me.

Denali's 12th birthday

She's still the sweetest pup in all of forever.
And we're still the very luckiest because she is ours.

Seems pretty appropriate...

...for the first day of December I'd say.

Giving Tuesday and reporting

Just by way of reporting, you all gave a total of $780 this year. Jacob and I were able to match that, bringing the total I donated to Mary's Meals to $1560. After that was tripled by an anonymous donor, the grand total was $4680. Which means that next year, for an entire school year, 187 children will receive a daily meal because of so many of you.

Thank you sweet friends. Your goodness is not only blessing many dozen children throughout the world in the coming year, but I just can't quit thinking of the gratitude and relief felt by those who love each of those children most.

Just so honored to know you. I hope you can feel that.

Light the World

Easily one of my favorite holiday traditions at our house. I know simple acts of service, by our family members,
to as many people as possible, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, isn't going to change the world.
But it might make it feel a little lighter and brighter. And it may help others to feel God's love  for them.
Mostly, it changes each of us. And for all of those reasons, this tradition isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Giving Tuesday and Mary's Meals

Dear Wonderful Friends,

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and once again, I will be making a donation to one of our favorite organizations that accomplishes a huge amount of good in the world, by serving God's children (more than 2.4 million currently) a meal in their place of education, every single school day. I'm so thankful for what they are able to accomplish and so overwhelmed and heart heavy by how many more sweet children throughout the world still need our help.

Which is why Jacob and I are just so honored and humbled to serve alongside Mary's Meals where we can.

If any of you wanted to contribute to this outstanding organization during this sweet and sacred time of the year, I would love to include your donation with ours (only if it makes it easier for you not to have to go through the whole process yourself). As always, absolutely no pressure. But also as always, even a dollar or two makes a difference when you consider that Mary's Meals can feed a single child a nutritious and filling meal, for an entire school year, for just under 25 US dollars in total.

And just so you are aware, as we've been able to do in the past, Jacob and I will match every penny we receive. Plus, an anonymous donor has agreed that for every dollar that is given through tomorrow, they will give an additional two dollars, tripling the impact of the donation. So actually, every dollar you give, after being matched by us and another donor, will have six times the impact for these darling children all around the world.

Thanks dear friends. More than I could ever explain in mere words. So grateful for each of you and how much you care and love all of God's children. Sure honored to know each of you.

With great gratitude,

Linn

This darling girl

This gorgeous girl just blows me away with her kindness. When she was here for a few days over Thanksgiving,
she spent the entire time decorating (first for Thanksgiving, then  for Christmas), and beautifying everything
 in our home (and running multiple errands to make it all work). I previously shared her Thanksgiving decor
on my Instagram account, but then she and Kelsey and Grace (all our darling daughters together putting up
Christmas about burst my heart) made sure the house was festive for the holidays. I'm so thankful to them.

And then Annie went the extra mile by helping me to figure out how to make my Savior shelf in our front
room work beautifully for Christmas and how to add something under our Jesus tree (also in the front room)
 to make it pure perfection. I'll share the Jesus tree below, but the shelf will take a few more days for everything
to arrive. But I didn't want to wait that long for Annie to know how thankful I am for how she loves and

 serves. It's honestly extraordinary and means more than this mom could ever put into words.

This is our Jesus tree. It is filled with ornaments that have different names of the Savior on it and it is my favorite.
I was struggling this year to figure out what to put under it to fill the empty space and that would also be meaningful.

Cue Annie Allen and her brilliant mind. And these gorgeously wrapped boxes with
our favorite scriptures about the Savior printed on the tags. I love it so, so much.

It so reminds me of something my Mom would have had in her home and I actually sensed her huge smile,

more than once, during the days Annie was creating and making beautiful things happen in our home.

Utah cake fun

Utah cakes today with this little darling. I love seeing her happy
goodness in the classroom. She's truly just the sweetest.

Nate's 12th birthday party

Our kids get a friend birthday party when they turn 5, 8 and 12. But like several
of his older siblings, Nate decided he wanted a different version of a 12th birthday party.
One that included the boys in the family going to Top Golf and lunch.

So today that is exactly what happened. And they had a blast. Love this Nathan boy so
incredibly much and so grateful for how deeply he adores his dad and siblings. And how good
they are to him. Man, I love these amazing guys fiercely. They are truly just the best.

 

Harvest dance

This handsome boy, and his darling date Addi, had a blast at the Harvest dance
Saturday night. I'm so grateful for Ben and his fabulous group of friends.

This amazing boy

This incredible boy spoke in sacrament meeting today. His talk was beautiful
and he spoke with confidence and happiness. His pure testimony did something
to my heart. I'm so thankful for Ben and who he chooses to be.

Cowboy pianists

Just playing the piano in his cowboy gear, while waiting for his date to
the Harvest Dance to pick him up any second. As one does.