Christmas 2010

Our extended Gordon family has taken a liking to this fantastic cabin we found in Pinedale. We've rented it a couple times for family reunions in the summer, and then my mother-in-law had the wonderful idea that it might be a really great place to have Christmas this year. It was! All five Gordon siblings, plus their five spouses, and their accumulated 17 children, and grandma, gathered around a real fire on Christmas Eve for the nativity story and lots of caroling (accompanied by Aunt Janae's live guitar).

Christmas Eve is also Grandma Gordon's birthday, so we always take time to blow out some candles and have cake!

And I'm sure I don't have to paint a Christmas morning picture for you. There were lots of kids and lots of presents! Liam got a Sing-a-ma-jig. He loved it!

Here's Colby's pirate ship...

Nolan's MP3 player...

And Hanna's princess castle...

I even lucked out to find some new perfume and a book light in my stocking! Thanks Santa :)

Hanna's Dance Recital

This was the funnest thing ever! I never took dance as a kid, and this was my first go-round with my only daughter, so I didn't know what to expect. I knew Hanna would love to twirl around in a tu-tu, and I was looking forward to watching her, but I wasn't sure I even wanted to do the recital. I'm so glad we did! It was so exciting! Even my husband said it was surprisingly entertaining for him. The best part was sharing it with Kimber and Madix. I loved sitting next to my best friend while Hanna danced next to hers. What a fun day :)

My pretty Hanna...

Temple Lights

We kicked December off with a heavy dose of the Christmas Spirit at the Mesa Temple, and it seemed even sweeter than usual (hot chocolate and homemade cookies may have helped)! Who couldn't love the Temple Lights?! This year we went with our good buddies, the Levanders. My talented friend Darah knitted these high-fashion snow caps for our adorable girls, who modeled them so well...

...and all our rowdy boys just ran circles around us and through the crowds. We had such a great time.

Look at this perfect little puffball....

Thanksgiving 2010

 

My husband's dad died of cancer on November 20th of this year. He fought hard and gave us a few extra years of memories that the doctors didn't expect. His funeral was the day before Thanksgiving, and though it may seem like bad timing, it was a blessing that his death was coupled with a holiday that reminds us what we are grateful for.

My father-in-law was a family man. He loved his wife so fiercely - she was his first love and his last. He was a hands-on dad and a Mr. fix-it. He was a firm believer, a church-goer and a good neighbor. He was also a doting grandpa. When Scott first brought me home to meet him, he thanked me for answering his prayers for his son. I'm very grateful for him - grateful that my husband learned from him and is so much like him already.

I'm very grateful that God created families, and I do believe it is God's design. It was His idea, not ours, that a man and a woman should unite in marriage and raise children together. It's our best chance for happiness in this life, and the safest way back home to heaven. I'm grateful this Thanksgiving, like I was when my own dad died, that I know there is a God and He has a plan. I know He sent me here to navigate this world for a reason, and it wasn't so that I could fall in love with all these people and then be seperated from them at death. He means for my family to live together forever, and because he sent His Son, we can and we will. He even gave us pumpkin pie and whip cream to give us comfort while we wait ;)

We Didn't Mean to Get a Dog...

An unexpected surprise landed at our house a couple months ago, and since then our family hasn't been the same (Do you sense some sugar-coating?)! Frankly, it's not good dog timing for our family, and personally, I never intended to add any animals to the mix, but I did agree to take care of her when she was offered to us, and now I feel bound to a dog by my altruistic word. I was not naive going into this, and it has been as difficult as I imagined it would be. Indeed, she soils the carpet, whines, yips, growls, bites, chews and costs. But we have swallowed her into our hearts and so far we've fought the reflex to cough her back up. And yes, when I say "so far" that is what I mean! It must be true that you love who you serve, even when it comes to dogs. And as someone with a general aversion to animals, I'll admit that she is teaching me a kind of love I've never had before. And so, with some hesitation, I introduce....Tilly (the Chihuahua puppy)!

This is a picture of my kids with Kimber's. They were over one day and I thought they looked funny (and numerous) all lined up watching TV...