Christmas Cookie-ing

I put up Christmas decorations yesterday! The house feels all festive and cozy now. I love the lights twinkling and all the memories adorning the walls.

I thought for sure the kids were going to come home and feel the peacefulness of it all and we'd cuddle and read books...not quite what happened. I guess I forgot they are kids. They came home and yelled "CHRISTMAS!!!" And it was pretty high energy from there. They all got into Christmas pajamas and started decorating their rooms and it was a nut house. 

They finally crashed when I put on the Little Drummer Boy. And I couldn't help looking at those kids and swelling with all sorts of grateful emotions. They are good kids.

 We had the missionaries over for dinner and it was a great way to end the night.

 I love being home with William and Matthew.  They were mesmerized by the leaf blowers this morning!

I almost didn't make sugar cookies with the kids today. It just seemed like too early in the season and a lot of work. I'm so glad we did it. We had a blast together! They worked away while Christmas music played in the background. A few times I'd look over at the table and think,  "OK Mary, promise yourself to always remember this moment."

We talked about a lot of things and it was good for me to know what was going on in their sweet little hearts. It's interesting how much comes out over sprinkles and frosting.
This Christmas....it is already making me smile.

Grateful

It is early morning Thanksgiving. "Feeling it" has been a struggle this year. I don't know why it's been hard, but it basically makes me feel like a terrible/selfish person.  How can I not be over the moon excited for a pointed opportunity to express everything I have to be grateful for? This year, especially, I have so much to thank God for. Pieces have really come together this last year. I do see I have been blessed and I do recognize all that I have been given; however, that isn't enough. Because it was never about being grateful for things, or circumstances- it is about being grateful regardless. So I want to take a moment to publicly do that.
I'm grateful that no matter what comes at me; I'm not alone. I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father I can pray to. I'm grateful for a Savior, who's grace sustains me. I'm grateful for the warm confirmations and consistent nudging of the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for truth on the Earth. I'm grateful for perspective. I'm grateful for opportunities to make choices in faith.  I'm grateful for my family. For parents, siblings, in-laws, my kids and especially my husband. I'm grateful that we can be together forever through God's plan of happiness for his children. I'm grateful we love eachother- sometimes in a light hearted, butterflies-in-the-stomach way; and sometimes in a serious I'll stand-by-you-in-the-darkest-moments way. I'm grateful for new beginnings, for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for honesty. I'm grateful for good examples in my life. I'm grateful for friendships that have transformed and molded me.  I'm grateful for moments I get to breathe in, take in the perfectness of a moment, and feel the miracle of life, and that these moments don't die but turn into memories that breathe life back into me as time moves forward.
I am so grateful for so much....but really I am grateful that no matter what I have or don't have...I always can have peace- through Jesus Christ.  If I lost everything today, I'm grateful that I could still feel peace and that could still have the potential to feel gratitude.
(Later...)
Thanksgiving was a good day. We woke up and exercised, John and I are joining dome friends doing a mile a day until the new year. I know,  a mile a day isn't much...but I think the challenge here is consistency through the holidays. Also, there's stickers involved soooo, motivation should stay high. :)
We had german pancakes as a family and the thanksgiving day parade played on the TV all morning. (Well. Until the kids told me it was lame, so I switched to Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. )
John took the big kids to the elementary school to play wall ball and pass a football around while the younger ones took a nap and I finished making rolls and a dessert.
We headed up to Ridgefield, WA to the Millers' house for thanksgiving dinner. A lot of the Kent clan came up for the holiday, so it was fun catching up with all John's cousins.
Dinner was great, family was enjoyable,  the games were a riot, and we had a good time.
John and i came home, put the kids to bed and started "While You Were Sleeping"....until I fell asleep, haha - long day!

Oceanside Beach

We moved to Portland with exactly one month of summer before school started for the older kids. I remember making a deliberate goal that my kids would have Oregon memories of summer.  I know that doesn't seem like a big deal now that I am writing it out, but it was. It meant really getting out of my comfort zone quickly. Before feeling settled in, I wanted to act settled in so my kids would have a strong foundation of our life here when starting school.  This meant saying "yes" to everything, no matter how much out of my comfort zone it made me. 

We really ended last summer right: park dates, zoo trips, beach trips, soccer games, library visits, bike rides, hikes, picnics, making friends with random people at the park/library/MAX station...it was a busy last month. I'll be honest, it was hard for me at first. I have become somewhat of an introvert over the last few years, so getting together with groups of people I didn't really know really stressed me out. I did however feel like it needed to be done. It wasn't only a goal with myself, but one I took to the Lord, and I know I was really blessed in my efforts.  My kids were able to make a strong foundation of friends much quicker than normal, their confidence grew, and we made some memories that have buoyed me in depressive moments.

The following pictures were from our last Friday night of the summer. Earlier in the week, I went with a group of friends to Oceanside Beach and seriously fell in love. It was breathtaking.  It was my favorite beach I had been to so far. So when John got home early that Friday at five, we bee-lined it to Tillamook so he could experience it with us.

It was such a perfect night and really, a fitting cap to a magical summer.

Then, here a couple of pictures from when I went with the kids earlier in the week:

Matthew and my favorite game is to get his hands dirty then I carry him out to the waves and carry him in just a way so his hand can get clean.  Then I will hold under his arms while his stands in the ocean and when little waves come I swing him up to jump over them. Then, when a big wave comes, we both run away as fast as we can. I know, the same game everyone plays- but does everyone get to listen to Matthew's little laugh??

Pictures from the Weekend

Prepare yourself for a lot blurry not so good pictures from a really perfect weekend. 

Nothing too spectacular, just a lot of happy moments.

At a friend's birthday party

At one of our favorite parks with friends!

 

So if you can't tell Matthew is terrified right now, I don't feel so bad- because I couldn't either! He was so brave. When I finally realized he was scared I stopped the wheel and grabbed him, and he just clung to me. Poor guy.

The kids have helium balloon races with dad.

We went for a walk at a nearby park on Sunday, just what I needed!