December Bits

I'm loving December this year.

I have the whole month penciled in with amazing family activities, traditions, and memories to share.

I also checked off two projects I've been meaning to do for the past 3+ years.

I made my sweeties Christmas pillowcases (Maylie is using my old one and it was in the wash when I took this picture...)

With the help of my mother-in-law, I was able to sew and embellish our family's first beautiful stockings. {Can you guess whose are whose?}

Two Sundays ago I was privileged to attend our tabernacle's 100th birthday celebration.

I can't even say how tearful this made me.

We are so blessed to attend church every single week in this magnificent building.

The stained glass windows, the old doors and brick....The speakers talked of how this great building came to be and all the treasured memories it has seen over the past 100 years.

There was a time several years ago when we almost lost the building in favor of a newer, more updated building...but because of the prayers and faith of the people, the Lord allowed miracles to renovate this glorious structure and continue as a meetinghouse for our stake.

The Spirit was so incredibly strong during the meeting and during the last song, when I stood up with all the youth leaders and youth from our stake to sing the last verse of The Spirit of God, I couldn't keep the tears from spilling out everywhere.

Oh how I love this glorious tabernacle. It is a dedicated house of the Lord and I love it with my whole heart.

Here are some yummy FHE treats we whipped up one day {and I am proud to say that they are almost entirely organic. They were delicious!!}

Maylie insisted on wearing her party dress and scarf one day and danced the day away.

On Thanksgiving I was blessed to make an apple pie. This picture is so special to me as it represents my heritage--{Do you see my mother's painstakingly handwritten recipe there?} Everything about this dessert brings back beloved memories to me.

The day after Thanksgiving we went on our annual Christmas tree excursion...

And lastly, our last day of the month home teaching and visiting teaching treats we delivered last Sunday. These little gingerbread snowflakes were so time-consuming but turned out darling I think!

Friday's Surprise...

During after-lunch story time on Friday afternoon, there was a knock at the door.  When I looked through the keyhole, I was so surprised and excited to see Gram and Pop!!  I didn't tell Tate who it was but had him open the door and see for himself.

And so we spent the afternoon, cuddling, playing, reading stories, and eating prunes...

{Tate asked Gram and Pop to bring him "a basket" of prunes a few days before. His wish was granted}

Gram and Pop,

We just want you to know that we treasure the time we had to spend with you over those three years of graduate school.  The only way I survived being cooped up in a basement apartment was driving over to your house nearly every morning so the boys could run around your beautiful yard and we could pick tomatoes, apples, peas, prunes, currants, and raspberries...

We really miss those days.

I hold them so close to my heart and tear up every time I think about the precious memories we made.

You've both shaped our two little boys more than you will ever know.  And they still talk about you every day.

It broke my heart back when we lived in Honeyville and Tate would ask every single day if we could drive over to your house.  It had been our daily ritual for three whole years--his whole life, and he just didn't understand that we were too far away...

I hope you know how much we miss living two miles away from your cozy red brick house.

When we moved away, we left a piece of our hearts with you, and that void in our lives will never ever be filled.

We love you so much more than words could ever express.

Thank you for sharing your lives and your hearts with us.

Love,

all of us

{Jamie, Patrick, Easton, Tate, & Maylie}