A Reason to Celebrate

After missing Christmas in Canada, we were determined not to miss Eric's baptism!  It was snowy, covid tests were near impossible to find, Kya was already back in Idaho, and Jordan had school.  But the rest of us made it up there...and I am so glad we did.  It was a special weekend, and I truly treasure any time with family (especially since it's harder to come by these days).  

I got to see my Dad's headstone (finally).  The gravesite was so serene and beautiful covered in snow.  I imagine the cemeteries in Finland would look similar.  I feel like I can't go to Canada now without visiting my Dad...even if it is just his grave.  I still miss him so much.  

It's so nice that I was able to see all 3 of my sisters.  I really love these ladies and wish I could spend more time with them!

We got to stay at Mom's house.  We all love visiting with mom, and her house really still feels like home to me.  Summer loves that Grandma lets her have anything at her house that she says she likes haha.

And most importantly we got to celebrate Eric!  So exciting that he got to be baptized on his 8th birthday.  We absolutely love that boy, and are so grateful that Summer has a cousin her age to play with.  I hope they are this close forever:)

Snow: Friend or Foe?

I am starting to understand why my parents always hated when it snowed!  Over these past few years, snow has really been a pain in my butt!  Between closing schools, to causing accidents, to cancelling parties, to not being able to leave my house...to THIS YEAR, WHEN IT CANCELLED MY TRIP TO CANADA😢.  That's right, after finally finding a place to get a covid test on Christmas Eve, then spending 3 hours driving and waiting in line for covid tests, then waiting and checking for results, we couldn't even go because of all the snow.  Snow is on my last nerve! 

But it still is beautiful...and a little fun.

And look how cute the kitties are when they share Summer's snow pants:)

Who stole the trampoline?

I woke up one Saturday morning and our trampoline was gone!!!! 

Then I went upstairs and looked a little closer.  

Can you see it?  Over the fence and across the street?!  I guess it was a little windy--yikes!

I called Mike and he rushed home with a friend (and a guy walking by) and we hurried it back across the street and heaved it over the fence and into our yard.  I still can't believe the wind was strong enough to carry it all the way over!  AND that it didn't get run over...or hurt anyone! 

Our Christmas was Complete

The kitties were adorable

The decorating was delightful

The baking was delicious

The gifts were cherished

The festivities were enjoyed

The family was together

The blessings were immeasurable

Merry Christmas!

Sweet Tooth?

You can't force this kid to do anything she doesn't want to do!  Her tooth was hanging by a thread, but she would not let anyone pull it.  After weeks, even months of wiggling, she said "um....mom" and I looked over and she was holding her tooth in her hand!  All it took was a bite into a chocolate covered marshmallow:)

Zoo Lanterns

 It's rare that I say something is "better than I expected"(usually I am disappointed-haha), but the zoo lanterns were definitely better than I expected!  Unfortunately, Mike couldn't join us because of his knee injury...although I did suggest he let us push him in a wheel chair but he wouldn't go for it.  

Gaffigan for our 22nd

 January 2020, I planned a fun group outing to see our favorite comedian Jim Gaffigan.  I got a bunch of friends on board (10 couples) and we all bought tickets for the show the following June.  So fun right?!  Well, Covid hit and the show got postponed, then postponed again, and again.  I actually stopped keeping track until I realized it was rescheduled for just a few weeks away...December 17th...our anniversary!

I was shocked to find out that almost all my friends who had tickets still wanted to go....well, except the 2 couples that moved away:(

What a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.  Laughing with good friends.

After the show we squeezed in a delicious dinner at The Keg.

College Kya

A car accident (resulting in a trip to the ER)...a scooter accident (resulting in a chipped tooth and an emergency trip to the dentist...followed by a 3 hour root canal)...a break up...some roommate drama......an apartment switch...and spending her first Thanksgiving away from home. Even with all that going on, I think Kya would still say, she had a great first semester at college:)  Hopefully next semester will be a little less eventful.  I'm not sure my mama heart can take much more!

The car accident

The scooter accident

Thanksgiving without Kya;(