Having the Time of Our Lives

 
It is now officially the Christmas season! I love this time of year, even though it is busy and full of activities. I love the darkness outside, and the light inside. I love the beauty that is shared in the community as we all put up our lights, and as we love and serve a little more than normal.

Christmas is Christ-time, and I adore it!

To add to the joy and light of this season, Sammi decided to prepare to enter the temple. She went for the first time last week. She has been to the temple for youth baptisms, but now she is able to participate in all of the other aspects of the temple.

Watching Sammi walk around in the temple, dressed in white, felt like seeing her in her natural element. She belongs there, for sure. She was well prepared, and she soaked it all in with her eager desire to learn more about the Savior.

Here she is with her new temple bag, ready to go! In the temple we wear beautiful, simple, white dresses. It really is a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by everyone dressed in white, it feels like Heaven. It creates such a feeling of reverence and peace.


Sammi was so ready to go in!

It was so nice to have David there with us, and my parents drove from Utah to be with us, too. We wanted to keep her first time small and simple, so she could relax and enjoy the experience.

 I love this guy!

Sammi kept a hanger that her Young Women's leader gave her years ago. It was meant for her temple dress, she kept it, and used it!

We found her a beautiful dress called the "Ella." It was perfect because Sammi was Cinderella, and during the Cinderella play her name was "Ella." She looked like a princess when she put on her white dress in the temple. The simplicity of the dress made Sammi's beauty all the more elegant.

This is often how I find Sammi, when she is home. She is a writer, always, always, scribbling her thoughts and feelings down on paper. She also loves to soak up the sun, and the light.


Now, let's go back in history for a minute... I forgot to post Halloween pictures.

Here we have our family on Halloween. We had a Pirate, Bob Ross, A snow princess, Captain America, and a classic ghost.

 Henry was so happy to be a pirate.

We tried to get David's hair to do the Bob Ross, but it was wild and free. His "happy little tree" is baby Groot.

 Daniel went all out. He looked awesome as Captain America.

Sammi didn't know what she wanted to be, she just wanted to sparkle. So she did.

So cute!

William enjoyed being a ghost. He is so funny. He is 12, but he is growing like CRAZY. He is so tall, and just enduring that awkward growing phase. He is growing so fast his body can hurt! I sure love William, he makes me smile.

Friends gathered at our house before and after different events. The older kids went down to Harrison Blvd, to live it up with all of Boise.

 Halloween was fun this year.

Sammi organized Henry's candy for him.

Here are a few more pictures from the Fall. David and I enjoy hiking together and being in nature.



It is so nice to have a companion who likes to go out and enjoy the world with me!

Exploring the trails.

I love exploring with David.

Now back to now... These are classic Dave and Sammi poses. She likes to sit by the fire, and David and I come and chat with her often about everything.

 Just relaxing before going to the temple. We try to go often.

We love to have people over to sing. It is such a joy to be surrounded by wonderful musical talent!

The chalk wall in the Cave is so fun. Sammi went to town and created a Christmas scene while watching a Hallmark movie. This room has added just what we need to our home!

 Another temple trip. We need the peace that comes from the temple in our lives

Sammi and Dave. These two are so funny together. I cannot imagine a better stepfather for Sammi than David. He has been instrumental in some very important moments in her life. I am so grateful Sammi has a father in her life, she needs one. She needs Dave. When I first brought David into our lives while dating, she was unsure, as would be expected. But I told her to just be herself, completely, with him. I encouraged her to eat peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, and just talk about whatever with him, and over time she has come to adore him.

I got a call from the school nurse, and she told me Henry was hit in the head by a door. I rushed to him, and we went to the urgent care. They sent us to the ER for stitches. It was the same ER where Charles died, so I had a moment of discomfort while there, where images of that dreadful day came flashing back so vividly into my mind. I worked through my own inner trauma while tending to Henry. Henry was so brave as he went through his ordeal. He was so funny and talkative with the nurses and doctors. He did awesome, as they stitched him up.

I love this brave boy of mine!

Ouch! 

I was able to chat with my sister in Alaska the other day. She was making these amazing pumpkin cookies. FaceTime can be such a blessing for staying connected. I just wish that she could have shared the cookies with me somehow! 

 Our home is full of light and I love it!

 I love the romantic hue of Christmas.

David got me this beautiful picture of Jesus last Christmas, when we were just dating.


I love home.

David made this table years ago. It is such a beautiful addition to our home. I love that he used his hands to create something so wonderful that will last.

My mom taught me to put Christmas in every corner. 

 Sammi helped me decorate. I love having her around to help. She enjoys it as much as I do.

 Moments like these make all the decorating worth it! This is David and William just chatting under the Christmas tree.


My parents came to be with Sammi, when she went to the temple. We had a temple discussion with them the night before. They have been temple workers, and they were in the temple presidency in Anchorage, Alaska. They are currently trying to travel to as many temples as they can, in the United States.

We got a new hammock for the cave. It is more compact and colorful than the one we had. It is super fun!

 More singing time.

I was sick on Thanksgiving, so we kept it low-key. We did prepare food, and Sammi made the turkey, and then we spent the evening watching a Les Miserables concert. The high school will be doing Les Mis as their Dinner Show this year, and so Daniel is studying every little thing about it.

After we watched Les Mis, Daniel wanted to sing to prepare for his State musical theater competition. He is performing a combination of Jean Valjean songs, that range from powerful to a prayer. It was so fun to watch him act it all out right in front of us. He puts his all into it. I am so excited that the high school is going to do such an awesome show! Les Mis is my FAVORITE! Nothing makes me cry as much as the music from that show.

 We went for a walk in the snow. Wintertime walks are so magical.

 These little pinecones were so cute!

This is what it looks like when we take out the Christmas buckets. This is part of why we start decorating so early, so we can just enjoy the month of December.



Henry decided he wanted to put pepper on a banana. He figured he loves bananas, and he loves pepper, so why not? He loved it. I know, gross.

Henry has his favorite "bunky." David asked him why he loves his bunky so much, and Henry replied, "I love it because William gave it to me, and it is my soul."

 These two are almost the same size now, and so wrestling occurs often.


It snowed here in Idaho, so we went out to play.

 It wasn't a large amount of snow, but it was enough for some fun.

 Just an Alaska girl in Idaho. :)

 We found that a laundry basket makes the best sled.

 We had LOADS of fun! ;)

 Sammi is a Nanny. She went to the McCall retreat with the choir to watch her girls. The girls know these two as Cinderella and Prince Topher (Charming).

 Fun times in McCall with the choir. Hattie, Daniel, and Sammi.

 They put on group skits.

 McCall is magical in the winter!

One night Sammi called to let us know her gas pedal stopped working, while she was driving. David and I came to her rescue, and we called AAA to tow it. Luckily it was not a big deal to fix, but it sure caused some fear for her. She managed to get off the road and into a safe location. She said she just prayed really hard the whole time.

While we waited for the tow truck, we went to get some food. We found a CRUMBL cookies shop, and we decided to give it a try, to lighten the mood.


The cookies were HUGE and AMAZING!

 Sammi, Daniel, Nico and Hattie went on a date to the Village.

 They enjoyed walking around the fountains and shops.

 These two are so funny together.

 And so are these two.

 Sammi and Daniel went to a Friends-giving party. They had so much fun gathering with good people.

 Sammi and Nico enjoy singing together.

 They blend so well.

We found this really great restaurant that I LOVE. It is called Thai Basil. The food is extraordinary YUMMY! I love their yellow curry.

I love this time of year, even though it can get crazy. The calendar for December is full, but I still like to slow things down and enjoy life during the holidays.

As we try to keep up with our different family dynamics, life can be interesting. David is often going in all directions to manage time between our two families. (I do not share pictures, or much about his children here on the blog, to honor their mother's request; but he is very involved in their lives.) We do try to keep other aspects of our lives pretty simple, so we can focus on what is the most important: Our family.

Wish us luck as we try to survive the crazy that comes along with the season!