The Missionaries

We enjoyed having the missionaries over for dinner this week and really felt the spirit as they testified of Jesus Christ and shared a beautiful message with us about our Savior Jesus Christ. It helped me visualize very clearly the work that Carew  is engaged in over in Italy too...(except we were eating Chinese food instead of Italian ;) Elder Elliot and Elder Jessop were grateful that I has actually asked them what they wanted for dinner...when they said "Panda Express" I was so excited! That was one of the easiest meals I've ever had to cook for the missionaries! :) Also, Elder Jessop was best friends with Elder Anderton from Washington who is now serving in the Italy Rome mission with Carew! What a small, small world!

I'm grateful for these good young people who love the Lord and go and serve so faithfully.

And I sure love and miss you Carew!

A Jazz Game With the Girls

 Guess who got to take 3 of his girls with him to the JAZZ game???

That's right! We had 4 tickets to the JAZZ game and so all the girls went with Clint and had a fun night!

(Unfortunately we were NOT good luck though...;( the Jazz ended up losing by 30 points...again.)

Kambriella sat by Clint in our usual seats, and Kesslyn and I were in a different section, but it was fun because we could still see each other and wave...

 But one good thing was that Kesslyn was having fun, and when we went out to get her some ice-cream at the end of the 3rd quarter, the Jazz Bear saw her and rode right up to her on his hover board, jumped off, and squatted down to get a picture with her! She was a little taken by surprise and that's why she looks a little hesitant in the picture...;)...but as we walked away she could hardly contain herself!

She kept shouting, "I got my picture with the Jazz Bear!!!"

It was so cute and it really made her night...that and the ice-cream! ;)

A Gift of Time!

 Friday evening after we all arrived back home from the cabin, we decided to go to Zupas for a late lunch/early dinner, and then we went out bowling! It was a lot of fun and the boys had some crazy bets going on...Anyone who could beat Clint would get $100!

But...Clint had the worst game of his life, and so used that as a "warm up" round even though Riley, Dallin, Gavin, and I all had the best games of our lives (and some should have won the money...;)

Then Clint whooped us all on the 2nd round so he maintained his title. ;) It was a fun night. We went home and watched Survivor, played some games, and called it a night.

Then, the next morning we woke up to snow AND the Gift of Time!!!

I wish you could see the amount of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement that rushes through these sweet kids of mine when they receive the Gift of Time!!! Children running and jumping and leaping for joy!!!

They were SO excited! :)

  Santa always seems to know EXACTLY what our family needs, and THIS year, our Gift of Time is all about people. Santa will be sending us to do some activities with some of our very favorite people...and that started with Kierra and Riley! 

 Santa gave us all of the ingredients to make homemade syrup together, and it was so yummy that Kierra and Kambriella were literally licking every last drop of it off of the plates we used!

 Santa also sent us out to dinner with our family where we all ate until we were stuffed...

 literally like a Thanksgiving turkey...;)

 We ate at PF Changs in downtown Salt Lake and the kids LOVED it! They had never been there before, and I think we may have found a new family favorite!

 Kesslyn loved the food, and the company, AND the giant horsey that she really wanted to ride...:)

 It felt sooo good to sit and enjoy our family once again...(just missing our buddy Carew...;)

 But absolutely LOVING the TIME...I'm so grateful that Santa gives us this sweet gift every year...The Gift of TIME!

 After dinner, Tiffany and Colby took Kesslyn out for a night on the town while the rest of us went to the Conference Center where we saw the play "Savior of the World."

 (We tried and tried to get a good picture with everybody, but all we could do was laugh and miss some heads...) until finally a nice young man stopped by and offered to take our picture for us. :)

 Santa knew just what we needed, and watching this play really brought the spirit and helped us to start out our holiday season just in the right way. We even had Dallin H. Oaks with us in the theater enjoying the play too, which made it a little extra special for our family.

 The next day was Sunday and already time for Kierra and Riley to head back home to Colorado! I can hardly believe how fast the time flew by...

  Everyone hated to say goodbye...

 ...but like I've said so many times before...

 I miss them both, but I'm not sad to see them go because they are so happy together doing what we have always wanted them to do...

If anything I am proud of all the good that they do, and know that they will continue to be happy and blessed as they continue to put God and the gospel of Jesus Christ first in their lives and in their marriage.

Kierra and Riley, thank you for coming to see us for Thanksgiving, we are so grateful for YOU!!!

Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful, and our blessings continue to flow abundantly in all that we do, and I thank Heavenly Father for every single one of them...everything we are, everything we have, and everything good in our life is because of Him!

And Santa, thank you soooo much for our Gift of Time!!!

Thanksgiving 2018

 Thanksgiving 2018 was so much fun as we were surrounded by Clint's side of the family up at our cabin in Milburn. Would you believe me if I told you that the most perfect blanket of beautiful snow fell on Thanksgiving morning...just for us?? :) It was beautiful and so peaceful...I LOVED it!

 Clint's siblings are all very close and have so much fun when they are together...even piling up on their parents on their bed!!! ;)

Kierra and Riley drove out from Colorado and joined us there too which made it that much more special and enjoyable for us! I was so grateful that they found their way there safely!

 After everyone arrived there on Wednesday night, we had treats, played some games, and crawled into our beds for the night. We slept 35 people there which was AWESOME!!!

In the morning Clint's mom wanted to put on a "Turkey Trot" race for everyone with prizes too, and so we all began gathering outside...IN the snow! ;)

Kambriella and Alora petted and renamed all the horses..;)...

 Kesslyn was overjoyed to be with her sissy!!!

(And I know the feeling was mutual for Kierra too...;)

 Clint and Laura began their "smack talk" about who was going to win the trot...

and not to be a spoiler...but it wasn't either one of them!!! ;)

 Everyone met at the starting line, and OFF they went!!!

 Riley was having no mercy on the little ones...we are talking about WINNING here...;)

 ...and sweet Kambriella was just recovering from a cold, wearing her fancy leather (slippery) boots, but still gave it her all!

 Clint making it look easy...;)

 ...and Me! Bringing up the rear! I really wanted to just stay by my kiddos, but I let everyone run ahead as I was the one who marked the trail, and shouted the "GO!"

 Dallin won the overall Trot and earned a 1st place medal. :)

 Way to go Dallin!!!

 You get 1st dibs on the Thanksgiving Dinner!

 Riley came in with a quick 2nd...

 Then these 2 awesome cousins Drake and Gavin...

  Everyone finished the route and earned their finishers medals, 

and NO, Clint and Dallin, they are NOT real gold! ;)

 After the race was over we all warmed up inside and sat around visiting and preparing food...

when these beautiful PLUMP turkeys waddled right up our driveway!!! They seemed to have forgotten to check their calendars today because they must have forgotten that it was Thanksgiving Day!!!

 I went with Kierra and Riley out into the cold and took some pictures for them so they could have a beautiful picture for their Christmas card...

 They are such a beautiful and happy couple and I LOVE seeing them together and just how much they love each other...

 I planned and set out some beautiful centerpieces for the Thanksgiving tables too!!!

 I was so pleased with how they turned out...

 I planned on having candles burning at every table...

 ...but then forgot to light them all once we all sat down...

 But that's OK because there were plenty of other things to enjoy looking at too...

like the turkey on Kevin's head...;)

 ...and all of the yummy food on our plates...

 It was a big crowd, but thankfully we had plenty of room for everyone!

 ...and YES...the food was DIVINE. I was stuffed when we were done!

  After dinner, we also got our clothes on and went outside in the snow for a family Christmas card picture too... 

 It was just so breathtakingly beautiful there with the new fallen snow...

 All of the kids decided to try and have a "Tallest Snowman" building contest...

  ...and Grandma Trickett brought things to decorate a "Turkey cookie!" 

 The kids all loved making them..

 ...and showing them off..

 ...and eating them....

 We sat around the dinner table playing cards...

 ...eating treats, and having pie...

 Then we ended the night by piling into the theater room downstairs and watching The Grinch!

It was very cozy and WARM! ;)

 Cousins played and played the whole time we were there...

 Eila, Kesslyn, and Colten were kind of like the 3 musketeers...(or should I say the 3 Stooges? ;)

 Everyone tried to sleep in the next morning until it was time to clean up and get ready to go ...

 And of course I couldn't leave until we had a Christmas tree set up for the next time we would be visiting the cabin for the holidays!

I just love everything about this place that we have invested in that is being used to bring our family close together.

We have so much to be thankful for and when I try to count my blessings each day, I am continually overwhelmed with the love and the abundance that Heavenly Father is always pouring out on me and my family...it is so much. And that motivates ME so much to want to do more to give back to Him in return.

What a blessed Thanksgiving it was indeed. 

I am eternally grateful and full of love.