Christmas

Christmas was a blur for me this year.  I look back and don't really remember it happening.  It's a good thing I took some pictures, so my boys will have some memories of the day.  Sadly, My mom passed away on December 21st, after a year long battle with Pancreatic cancer.  Even as I type this, it doesn't seem real that she is no longer here.  I'll think of something funny I want to tell her and then all of sudden it dawns on me that I can't just call her up.  This has happened repeatedly overly the past month and it shocks me every time when I remember that she is gone.

Even though my heart is heavy, I'm grateful that she isn't suffering any longer, that she is now free from pain, both in body and spirit.  I feel eternal gratitude for the Savior.  I've always believed in the atonement and thought I understood what it meant.  But since my Mom has died, I am achingly aware and have a deeper understanding of what the Atonement means to me personally.  I can't adequately express the gratitude I feel to my Savior, that he would suffer and descend below all things and die, so that we might live again and be reunited with our family for eternity. I know that this is true and it brings me immeasurable peace and comfort to know that I will see my mother again.

I was asked to write her life sketch for her funeral.  It was such an overwhelming, daunting task, but extremely cathartic at the same time.  I spent days reading through 5 binders, filled with her journals and letters from her life.  I've read through good portions of these binders in the past, but not all of them completely, and I felt like I really came to know and understand her more as I read about her life in her own words. We had more in common than I ever thought and my one regret is that I never truly appreciated her while she was here.

In reflecting on her life, I remembered so many little things that I loved about her.  She was a great listener and seemed to really enjoy it when I told her about something happening in my life.  She made me feel like I was witty and interesting and I always knew that if I wanted to share something, she would be a willing ear.  I loved her giggle.  I mostly told her my stories just so I could hear her laugh.  It just kind of bubbled up and her whole face lit up.  She never forgot a birthday, even Jeremy's or the boys birthdays.  Even when she was in such pain right before she passed away, she still had Gannon's birthday on her mind and she wanted to make sure that she gave him something and that all of the boys had a gift from her on Christmas.


I love her for all of these little things and for her example to me of perseverance, strength and unwavering faith.  I feel blessed that she was my mother.  I love you, Mom.  You will be dearly missed.

The Night Before Christmas

It was the night before Christmas and the boys were hard at work making cookies for Santa.  The flour was flying and brows were furrowed in concentration, as they rolled and cut and sprinkled.  

 He's got his tongue out to help with the rolling.

 They also made doughnuts (Cheerios dipped in frosting) for Fred the Elf.

 Such precision!

 

 The cookies are a go.  Santa, be ready to have your socks knocked off.

 One tired little guy.  Determined to wait up for Santa and he almost made it...until 7pm. Sooo close!

Mount Poulsen

It's really not how big the mountain is, but whether or not you enjoy the ride down.  My boys immensely enjoyed their 1/60th of a second ride down their microscopic sledding hill in our front yard.  Hours of entertainment from a little bump of snow.  I love it.

 Yes, that's a box the boys are using for a sled.  We do it right around here.

Birthday Blizzard

Gannon's greatest birthday wish came true...on the eve of his birthday, high winds and snow arrived and school was CANCELLED.  He thought the blizzard was specially ordered just for him.  We partied in our pajamas most of the day. I love my seven-year-old!

 I should have used twice as many balloons.  Oh well, he thought it was great.

 

 A rousing game of Angry Birds. Must. Concentrate...

 Notice the black Angry Bird flying through the air here.  Finley was trying to bite it but it was going too fast.  Angry Finley. :)

The Mighty Tooth Yanker

Gannon will be 7 in 2 days and has been yearning to join the ranks of toothless children everywhere. He's been patiently working his bottom tooth back and forth for months, hoping that it would just give up and fall out already. We were sitting around the table eating lunch today, when Jeremy told Gannon to just get a tissue and "rip that thing out".  As per Jeremy's instructions, Gannon got a tissue, grabbed a hold and yanked it right out!  We all stared at him dumbfounded.  Mouths agape, we thought to ourselves, "Did our eyes deceive us?  Did we really just witness this act of sheer grit?  What courage, what heart! What a boy.  Truly inspiring, Gannon.  You've earned that gap in your smile.  To all the rest of Gannon's teeth I say...beware!

Working Out

Who needs a Bowflex home gym when you have Bridger, 35lbs of pure boy?

 Feel the burn...

 Finley's on hand to be a spotter, in case Jeremy needs a little help. You never have to worry when a bulldog has your back.

 He's only too happy to help.

Decking the Halls...

 Decorating for Christmas has got to be one of my favorite things ever. It takes a good portion of the day to do it, but I look forward to it all year.  However, unlike me, my darling husband does not derive joy from stringing up the lights and unearthing reindeer and snowmen from their cocoon of packing bubbles.  Puzzling, I know, but I don't judge him. I've always done it myself and I've never minded.  I crank up Donny Osmond's Christmas album and I let the festive times roll.  This year, to my utter delight, my boys practically jumped out of their socks to help me, and now that they're older, it's been so much fun to let them.  Bridger was even able to help without breaking anything.  And drum roll please...this year was the first time in 8 years we've been able to decorate the ENTIRE tree, not just the top half.  Hooray for kids getting bigger and dogs that no longer yearn to chew on bright, dangling objects.  

My headless helpers

Finley wasn't about to be left out of all the fun.

Gannon was having a moment with the tree, but clearly it wasn't a good moment.  Doesn't he look frightened? Maybe one of the snowman ornaments were giving him the evil eye.