December 2012

Simon listened to a couple chapters of a Magic Treehouse book, aided by this keep-ya-busy quiet toy.

 On a recent rainy day as I began packing my closet for the upcoming move, I found the blog book I printed a few years ago. It was so nice to have the pictures and thoughts I'd collected. I've been getting into family history again recently, and I am thinking that I'd like to do a better job tracking our own family history! I wonder lots about my ancestors, but most of what I know is only where they lived every ten years according to census records. I hope to include more snapshots of the daily life of the Patrick and Juli crew- for us to reminisce and for the benefit of our posterity who wonder.

snacking and playing

 I love it when the kids play with my old toys. I still remember finding these "play shapes" above my stocking in Mesa when I was a little girl. For some reason the blue ones are brittle now and break easily. (Side note: the other game Quirkle in the picture is so fun- kind of like a merger of Scrabble and Set.


We were delighted to attend the sealing of Michael and DeeAnn to their son Braden in the Dallas Temple. They got to be present at his birth in July and adopted him, as they did their daughter Abbey.  It was so beautiful.

As worthy members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are able to be married in the temple, which means we are "sealed" as husband and wife for this life and eternity (forever!). All children born to us are born in this covenant, connected to us eternally in familial bonds. When a couple adopts a child, they are able to then go to the temple and participate in a sealing ceremony that connects that child to them in this same covenant. For some reason, I did not get a picture of their family, though.

The Dallas temple is pretty special to us, as this is where Patrick and I were married almost 8 years ago.

Kyle was sad he had to stop running around to get this picture

girl cousins

Taylor, 16 mos

our new stockings this year- soft and velvetty

lovely Christmas morning picture

the expanded Automoblox collection

At Christmas, Kevin and Tara added to our Automoblox collection. I LOVE these toys. They are wooden, and the bodies and wheels can all be mixed and matched. I want them for my own!

We spent some sick weeks right after Christmas. It just lingered and lingered.

lethargic duo

just too tired to finish the Saltines

Taylor

Josie

Kyle

some of Patrick's students at the Christmas recital

here's a card we got from my Grandma and Grandpa Kelsey