Wrapping up...

Cannot believe another year has come to a close and I have to admit that it ended on the best note- having all of my kiddos back under one roof.  Such a blessing!  Here is a little recap for each of the kids:

Luke- He had an amazing year completing the second half of his mission.  He worked so hard and was blessed with many leadership/growing experiences.  Hopefully he is learning what I have already known, he is amazing and can do hard things.  Luke is so funny and I have loved watching him strengthen his relationships with his siblings each Monday.  So fun that they will get to continue working on those relationships in person.  I am so excited to see what this next year brings for Luke as he integrates back into real life.

Harlee- This has been a great year for Harlee.  She has strengthened her friendship with Miah and they pretty much do everything together.  It is such a blessing that she found a loyal friend and they are seriously so similar.  She is still working at Viewpoint and doesn't love it.  But she does love have money to buy what she wants.  She was accepted to Utah Tech, UVU, and SUU.  She has been applying for many scholarships and hopes to make a decision soon as to where she would like to go for college.  She has been taking many college courses her senior year and will graduate with about 22 college credits.  Amazing!  Can't wait to see what this next year brings for Har.

Nash- Nashie had a great year that included mastering driving and getting his driver's license.  He was given the Audi that Har used to drive.  He loves the independence.  Nash started high school this year and has gotten straight A's so far.  He is taking a super hard math class and thriving.  Nash plays basketball every day and started Jr Jazz again in November.  He is loving it.  He joined Vasa at the end of the year and is excited to go workout with Luke everyday now that he is home. Nash has a great group of friends that love to hang out at our house which I love! I am so excited what is next for Nash this coming year.

Gray- This has been a great year for Gray.  He is in the 9th grade and is getting straight As.  He has taken it upon himself to keep an eye on Tag as they are currently going to the same school.  Gray has an amazing group of friends and they are together all weekend.  They mostly hang out at Bridger's house and Gray is my one kid that likes to hang out with girls and boys.  Gray is very regimented when it comes to working out.  He sets goals and then quietly accomplishes them.  He is very driven but does not need the accolades. I admire his determination.  I just know that 2025 is going to be a great year for Gray.

Tag- This has been a great year for Tig.  He started 7th grade and he is doing really well.  He does not love doing homework but is pushing through.  He is thriving at his food therapy.  He has added pears, carrots, and cucumbers to his food list.  We are so proud of him for being willing to try new things even though it is hard for him.  Tag also decided to do band this year and he has been learning to play the trumpet.  I love that he is carving his own path and figuring out what he loves.  I am so proud of Tag for all of the limits he is breaking through.

Joey/Jamie- This has been another great year for us.  The biggest accomplishment this year was that we paid off the Lehi house.  Seriously such a blessing!  Makes all of the hard work worth it.  Speaking of work, Joey is still working for Teva.  Thankfully the awful boss that he was working for was let go and now the work environment is a lot better.  Joey works so hard for our family!  I am still working doing mortgages but we switched companies again in November.  We are now at Security National Mortgage- full circle moment for sure.  I learned how to process this year which has been hard but great.   I have loved being busy.  We are still continuing our Saturday dates and I really look forward to them after a long work week.  We are looking forward to a great year.  

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was so fun having the whole family around to celebrate.  For our taste test this year we decided to do breadsticks and ranch.  We went Two Jacks, Pizza Factory, Olive Garden and the Pie.  This was not a difficult taste test as they all tasted amazing.  The difficult part was determining which one we loved the most.  It was unanimous- the pie took first place for everyone.  We also got pizza from the pie for dinner.  For the rest of the night we just hung out.  We completed two different puzzles and then just sat in the dining room and chatted.  It was pretty perfect.  Around 11pm, Miah came over to hang out with Har.  They ate a bowl grapes under the table in a minute to ensure that they both find love this coming year.  We all made it to midnight.  So excited 2025- it is going to be an amazing year!

Family Fun Day

We decided that today would be a perfect day for some family fun!  Luke was unable to make it but the rest of us started the fun at Fat Cats.  We bowled for about an hour and it was so fun.  Even Tag was happy about it!  After bowling, we got two arcade cards and the kids split up in pairs to play some games.  Har went with Tag and Gray and Nash went together.  I love watching Har with Tag- she encourages him to play different games and gets so excited for him when he is successful.  She also lets him use all of the tickets to get the prizes that he wants.  Such an amazing sister!  After the arcade fun, we went to Chili's for lunch.  It was so fun to have some family time.  I am truly blessed to have been given the best kids!  Love my family!

Christmas Day

Minus some sickness, it was pretty much a perfect day.  The kids insisted on getting up at 6:00am to see what Santa had brought.  We were super tired but got up and went downstairs.  They were all super excited with what they got.  Some of the big ticket items: Laptops for Luke and Har, 93 inch TV for Nash and Gray to put up in the basement where they hang out all of the time, and an occulus for Tag.  After looking through all of their gifts, we all went back to bed except for Joey.  When I woke up at 10 to make waffles, Joey had everyone's Christmas put away and he had started cleaning up all of the Christmas decorations!  So funny.  He cannot get the clutter put away fast enough and I so appreciate that about him.  We just relaxed and spent time together for the rest of the day.  It was so nice.  I love my family and treasure any time that we can all be together.

Christmas Eve

Unfortunately we had quite a few sickies this Christmas Eve (Luke, Tag, and Har) so we still kept our traditions but made them work for all of us.  We let the kids sleep in and then opened the service gifts.  I loved seeing what everyone bought for their name draw and I love knowing the work that went into earning the money for these gifts.  Everyone was so appreciative for the thought that went into what they were given.  We then decided to go pick up lunch rather than going out.  Har and I went and grabbed Costa Vida and JCWs and brought it home to eat in our comfy clothes.  We all hung out and rested before opening the clothes presents.  I love this change so that everyone can see what each person was given and it is not mass chaos as years past.  There was a surprise this year though that was so special.  The kids actually got Joey and I a gift.  They got us each a Northface sweatshirt, our favorite candy, and then they each wrote us a card.  It was seriously such a surprise and so thoughtful.  After the presents, we had a yummy dinner of ham, potatoes, and rolls.  After dinner we made caramel corn and and then the kids opened their pajamas and a new blanket.  They changed and we went down to the basement to watch Elf.  I love this tradition.  Such a funny movie and so great to enjoy it as a family.   After the movie, everyone went to their own rooms since the sickies wanted to be in their own beds.  They all promised to stay in their rooms until 6am so that Santa could set up their presents.  Besides some of the family feeling sick, it was a pretty perfect day.

Lovelace Christmas Party

We decided to have the Lovelace today so that almost everyone could be there.  It was super fun.  We went over at 4:30pm and had deli sandwiches for dinner.  This has been a tradition since I was little.  After dinner we watched the family DVD.  Brennan was in charge of the slideshow this year and it was only 30 minutes long.  So nice!  After the movie we did Mimi's trains.  It was fun to work together as a family.  The theme was Train Wreck.  We did a train that went off the tracks near two bathrooms- one for reindeer and one for snowmen.  We titled it Santa Sh** Show.  We ended up winning a $25 gift card to Texas Roadhouse.  After the competition we opened up presents.  Jenna had an old family picture recreated with our adult faces on it as part of my parent's gift.  It was so funny.  We actually sat around and chatted for a bit before calling it a night.  It was so great to have our whole family together.  We ended the night driving home and listening to Cold Missouri Waters.

Christmas Sunday

The gang's all back together and I could not be happier.  I feel like I need to just soak it up!  We had one hour of church today.  The sacrament program was a musical program.  The kids all sang with the Young Men and Young Women.  It was a really great program.  I am so grateful for this time of year and for the opportunity we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Because of Him, I can be with this family of mine forever.  I could not think of anything better.  

White Elephant Party

Tonight was the white elephant party and we were so excited to have the whole family there!  It is the best having Lukie home.  We decided to get Marco's pizza for dinner and then everyone brought a dessert to share.  It was so nice to not have to cook.  We visited and enjoyed pizza.  I love how comfortable it is and I love catching up with family.  After dinner, we went up to the hang out room at Jamie and Mindi's and di the white elephant gift exchange.  It was so fun.  Everyone ended up with some amazing gifts.  Tag lucked out the most getting a plastic container full of coins and two dollar bills.  He ended up with over $60. After we opened presents, we were blessed with a visit from Santa- so fun!  I seriously love this tradition and love being with family.

Breakfast Club

We are short one member of the breakfast club since Serene moved to North Caroline, we miss her, but we decided that we still should still keep the tradition.  We met at the Original Pancake House and had the best time catching up.  It was so fun to hear how both Deb and Janet are doing.  Deb is now teaching special ed at Belmont Elementary, she is so meant to have that job.  Janet and her husband are leaving in February to go on a six month mission.  We chatted for over and hour and a half and exchanged Christmas gifts.  They are both such examples to me and I am so grateful for this tradition.

Friday Morning at the Temple

Luke has been home 8 days and is already getting me to the temple.  He asked me to go with him to the 8am session.  It was a full circle moment since we went to Draper Temple a week before he left on his mission.  Such a special experience and an amazing way to start the day. Hopefully this is not the last time that we serve in the temple together.  Thanks Lukie for your example!