A Grateful Heart

I don't think anyone can really comprehend what these past 6 months have been like for us. It has been taxing physically, emotionally, mentally, and in every other way possible. 

I don't really know how to put it into words. 

I had classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We had LaX games for Will on Tuesday nights. We had Will's football games on Wednesdays. Thursday and Friday Porter played football because he played JV and Varsity. Saturday Ty had football games. Not to mention all the practices and young men's which we were terrible at getting to. In between classes and football games I was helping Adelah plan her wedding and doing the shopping for all of that. Leighna was preparing for her mission, which sadly she had to do mostly by herself. I really wasn't much help. Plus, all of the family and church activities we tried to make it to. Putting this down on paper, doesn't even seem to touch the depth of what this fall has been like. 

Studying had to fit between the cracks, but I'm proud to report that I aced my classes! I don't even know how, except that the Lord was blessing me! 

I ended the semester with a 102.4% in my anatomy class.

100.5% in my anatomy lab.

98.7% in my phlebotomy class. 

It was a miracle. 

In my patriarchal blessing, it says I am blessed with the gift of knowledge. It also says that I am blessed with many talents and that I should stretch myself to the very limits of ability...

I tell you that there were many days that I was on my knees telling my Heavenly Father that I was there, I was at the very limits of my ability. My blessing says that when I do, I will feel the hand of the Lord blessing me. I know that to be true! I truly felt the hand of the Lord blessing me. I couldn't have done it without Him. 

As the sun sets on this year, 2025, my heart is full of gratitude for the blessings that I have received and the miracles that have taken place to get me through. I am grateful for all of it! It was beautifully hard! I have grown in ways I never knew were possible, however, I'm hoping for a little bit slower 2026.

 

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

Letters to Santa

Christmas was really strange without the girls! It was really weird. I want my family back! Some days it just doesn't feel like this should be the plan, that we raise them and let them grow up and leave. It was okay and we got through it, but I can't say this was my favorite Christmas of all time. 

Adelah and Bentley came over after they opened gifts with Bentley's family and they spent a lot of the day with us, so that was good. We also got to talk to Leighna for a long time, so that was good too, but it still was not the same. I guess we get to learn a new normal. 

 

Christmas Eve

Instead of a white Christmas, this year we are having a yellow one! It has been a really weird year weather wise. The leaves are just barely falling and it's Christmas! It does look pretty though. 

The boys were dying of boredom and needed a project, so we made popcorn trains! I didn't think we would make it to this tradition this year, but Christmas Eve isn't too late and it gave them something to do for a while. 

They really are fun to make. It's creative and fun! 

I still love our candle tradition. This year I ordered the candles on amazon and they were weird candles. They didn't fit the holder right, and they burned unevenly, so it looked a little weird, but it was still cool. I love this tradition. 

 

Polar Express Night

Guys, I'm so tired!! I feel like I have been a running a marathon for 6 months! I just want to crash and sit on my couch for days...but that's what January is for! I can't quit yet. 

It would have been really easy not to do our traditions this year, but I don't want them to die, so I pushed through. It's only a couple days before Christmas, but we aren't giving up! 

it's Polar Express night. The kids all got their tickets and we were off to see the lights! 

I'm the only one who ends up getting hot chocolate! Everyone else ends up with a slurpee, but hey, they're happy!

I didn't even get good pictures of any of them. None of them are on drugs, that's just bad photography! 

We had a fun time looking at lights and singing Christmas songs! Our favorite farmhouse had their lights back up this year and we were so happy! It's so cute!

I had to capture this cute picture of Bentley and Daisy sleeping earlier today. 

 

The Farm

We tried something new this year. Lisa invited us to go to Fisher Family Farms. It was so much fun! 

Will was the only one who would sit on Santa's lap and he only did that to humor me. Sad, that this phase is coming to an end. Makes me sad. 

They have a lot of things similar to Katie's corn maze. But Christmas themed. 

The kids had a great time. And so did we! 

They also had a maze made of bales of hay, which was fun. 

But the best part was they had a little walk that featured all of Jesus's life. 

I didn't take enough pictures, but it was very cool and very touching. We loved it!

Good times were had by all! Crazy that I just have the 2 littles most days. 

They're not even really little anymore so maybe I should stop calling them the littles. 

...Nah! 

 

Live Nativity

This will forever be one of my favorite traditions. I feel the spirit in such a powerful way every time! It just make the Christmas story come to life and you realize that this really happened. I love celebrating our Savior's birth! 

We invited the Holt's to go with us this year and that was fun. 

So crazy just having the 3 boys at home. 

Porter brought Sienna along with us too. 

But we're really glad Bentley and Adelah came along!

Porter trying on my new socks! 

He really looks like he has chicken legs!!