2016: A Challenging Year Full of Blessings!

3 of my greatest blessings! And one more coming in March!!!

Life is great in large part to Luke!

January:

We were all so blessed when Luke was able to legally adopt Jon! He finally has a truly wonderful father!

February:

Life got better than good because my Luke showed me that true love = a clean toilet!

March:

Found the world's BEST EVER hashtag on my patio!

and enjoyed a front row seat to the best-grandpa-ever show!

April:

Life was and IS breathtakingly beautiful!

May:

Blessed with a flower garden in my house!

June:

Learned a great lesson at graduation and WELCOME to Parker!!!

July:

Claire is such a blessing- and now she is two!

August:

Surrounded by greatness when I remember to look!

September:

I am so blessed to be able to do!

October:

Because of our savior, everything really is going to be okay! I am truly blessed to have such a great example in my friend and cousin!

November:

Blessed to go 'black shopping' with my other two (year old, Ash) and her mom!

December:

Blessed to be with family who love me!!

This picture says it all!!!

Great Daughter, Great Mother!

I LOVE this girl of mine!!! And she is such a GREAT mom!!!

I am so blessed!

Christmas: Short on Pics but Big on Family!

I just didn't take pictures like I should have taken...

even of all the gifts I made!

I got a picture of my "perfect" chocolate cheesecake...

And my not-quite-so pretty one! (Luke didn't want anyone to think I am always perfect!)

I also was so blessed to see my family!!!

Christmas Eve in Tooele! Loved spending time with the in-laws and Adrienne and Elijah!!!

And cranberry dessert without Jesse = more for us- but so missed Jesse & fam, Jordan & fam, Leslie & fam, and Jared & fam!

Christmas day with Dad & Sue- always fun!

 And boxing day with my kids and grands is always GRAND!!!

And we must "touch the chicken"!!!

And Also... (What Christmas Means to Me cont.)

Being a mother this time of year is terrific, but being Grandma...

we will have FOUR granddaughers this year!!! SO excited!!!

These smiles = Christmas when they are near!

And watching my daughter carry on traditions with her daughters warms my soul!

 I am so blessed.

My daughter said it best in a recent blog post:

 "I love this time of year with kids. Ashtyn is only two and she already loves everything about Christmas. That makes me so happy. Making them happy is so easy, but it brings so much joy. I really love everything. I love the big things, like watching them open birthday presents and get excited about every single one, and I love the quiet moments of snuggles that come throughout the day. I honestly wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life.

There are sacrifices that come with having children. Some are short term, while they are so little and need you for everything and some never go away. I've felt that and there have been times when I have wished to be free of the responsibility so Ben and I could spontaneously go to a movie or take a cruise whenever we wanted. I also know, though, that it's worth. I understand, down to my very core, that what I'm doing is the most important work out there. And I really, really love doing it.

And for that, I will be eternally grateful."

And I am so eternally grateful to be a mom and grandma!

What Christmas Means to Me...

I get to be with this man FOREVER!!!

And I was blessed to spend some time in the temple with him this week. This, to me, is Christmas!

Why "Black Shopping" is Priceless!

My darling Ash was so proud to go "black shopping with momma and grandma!"

Char described why it is fun the best... she said (and I am paraphrasing) that what she loves best is spending quality time with family. And shopping with the girls is just that. It usually doesn't matter what we buy or where we go, and now we don't bother to stay up all night or get up hours before the sun. We just go when we feel like it, and spend a few hours together, talking, laughing, just being together. That's what makes it all so priceless!

Camilla and Adilynne!

reading to Corduroy!

And another great reason to love this weekend... Jon picked out the perfect card!

Love my family and time with them!

The Roses are Blooming This November!

20 years ago today, this beautiful woman passed on... She was so amazing! In the year before her death, through a set of very challenging circumstances, my children and I were able to live with my family for eight months. Every single day of that time, I was able to talk with my mom. She told me she loved me every day, listened to my worries, prayed with me and for me, and spent time with my children. My daughter, who was just 3 years old then, still remembers "finger painting" (using pudding and food coloring) with her 

Grandma Pat!

What precious memories!

How very appropriate that my roses look like this in mid November:

  

My mother loved roses!

So on this day, I can look at the beauty of my roses and remember the beauty of my mother, the most caring, compassionate, and loving woman I have ever known!