I AM Loved

 Please bless the angels out there that watch over us...and please bless the sweet soul who was sweet enough to think of me yesterday and who served ME. 

I feel so LOVED.

New Year's Eve 2018

 New Year's eve morning at the beach house was our last day before we would have to head back home, and I woke up early to have some quiet time to myself listening to the waves come in as I finished reading the Book of Mormon. 

The women of the church were challenged by our loving prophet Russell M. Nelson to read the Book of Mormon all the way through by the end of the year, and it was very interesting to see just what we were capable of when we put our minds to it! Where there's a will, there's a way! No matter what the intent of the challenge from our prophet, I learned for myself that putting everything I have and all of my spare time into the Lord Jesus Christ would bring me closer to Him, and would help me more in my life than any earthly tool possible. With Him I can literally do ALL things.

It was such a good feeling to finish the book!

 Kierra and Riley were the next ones to join me out on the deck and together we soaked up the stillness and peace. It was heaven.

 The morning and the sun (for a few minutes anyway) found us all on the beach playing in the sand...

 ...and chasing the waves...

 splashing our toes in the water...

 ...and looking for treasures galore!

  Riley found his greatest treasure in a cute white floral bathing suit...;)  ;)

 I think Kesslyn found hers in all the sand castles that she made...:)

  ...and the boys had a ball boogie boarding and riding the waves!

 They would go out time after time trying to ride the waves in...

 Sometimes they would get crushed by the waves and then others they would ride it all the way in...but no matter the wave, they had fun doing it together!

 After we all got cleaned up, we walked down the beach to the where Ruby's Diner was way out on the end of the pier! We were all hungry for some lunch, but so was this pelican!!! :)

 After waiting outside for more than an hour it was finally our turn to go in and have lunch together. It was fun, and the food was good, but the atmosphere for me was worth the wait!

 Eating lunch together in a restaurant that is out over the ocean is definitely not something you get to experience everyday!!!

 The fries and the milkshakes were certainly the favorites, along with all of the crazy creations this balloon artist could make! He made Kesslyn butterfly wings and antennas too...

 He made Kambriella a rose (the prettiest one I have ever seen!), and the 3 stooges he made Pikachu's too!

 And since it was game day for the Utes here in California, Colby got a goal post in "Utah" red!

 On our walk back down the pier when our lunch was through I marveled at 2 things...the Seagull that was missing one foot, and my little Kesslyn (who always begs to be carried EVERYWHERE we go) "flying" like a butterfly ALL the way back to the beach house!!!

 I am not kidding! Those butterfly wings that were made out of balloons were somehow magical because they made that little girl FLY!!! She ran and ran and did not stop until we got to this gate that let us back into the beach house! It was so fun to see, and yes, I did capture it on video too! ;)

What a FUN week our Christmas vacation was. It was a meaningful gift, an opportunity to be with the people we love, and a rest for our busy bodies and soothing to our souls.

I am so grateful for all of the fun and the memories, and I look forward to the next time we will celebrate this way as a family again!

There is so much good in my life, and so so much to be thankful for!

As we rang in the New Year that night we had food and played games, but also had to start packing up for our early exit the next morning. The next day we said our goodbyes and drove home. We stopped in Mesquite and had lunch with my mom, then rolled into the driveway about 8:30 at night.

About 12 hours on the road, we crawled into our beds with happy hearts, some of the best memories, and our buckets filled for the New Year.

2019 is going to be another good one! We have big trips planned this year, more expansion to our business, and a missionary son that is COMING HOME!!! :)

Bring on 2019! :)

The Sabbath Day at the Beach House

The sabbath day while we are on vacation, to us, is as special as every sabbath day.

So, we were happy to honor that day together as a family. :)

We decided to attend a 1:00 sacrament meeting so that we could all take advantage of getting some rest, and while we were there, we were pleasantly surprised to find a sister missionary giving her homecoming talk! She was actually reporting from the same mission that our friend Abbie Walker just returned home from too! Her name was Sarah and she had a sweet testimony.

After sacrament meeting was over we decided to take the 25 minute drive to go and see the San Diego Temple. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

This is one of Clint's very favorite temples because when he was a missionary, he got to baptize Mark Ormsby, help set him up with a sister from the single's ward, watched them get married, and later after he got off of his mission, THIS is the temple that he attended their temple sealing. He said it was one of the sweetest experiences of being a missionary...watching someone go through the entire process of conversion and commitment. So, you can see why it has special meaning to him...He just loved seeing them so happy.

My hope and prayer is that each of my children will gain a similar love for the temple that their dad and I have. So far, they all seem to. They all love going there and the feeling they get both when they see it, and when they go inside. I think because they know what it represents, THAT'S why they love it.

I can't wait for the day when I will stand in the celestial room with ALL of my children at my side.

THAT will be a glorious day!

My sweet Dallin loved this temple so much that he told me it is the one that he wants to be married in! (I think it's because it is so close to the beach! ;) But, who knows! I told him that I don't care which temple they choose to be married in because they are all the house of God and will accomplish the same thing...the creation of an eternal family.

Kierra and Riley have a great understanding of the beauty of the temple and the work and service that is performed in there. They attend the temple every week in Colorado where they live and they LOVE going there too. They are an amazing young couple that will be happy and successful, in part, because of their love and commitment to going to the temple. I know there are a lot of other things that make people happy and successful, but I also know that the eternal things are what matter most, and so they in turn have the greatest impact.

This summer it will be our 25th wedding anniversary and I still can remember the special details of our sealing in the Logan temple. I remember crying because I felt the spirit so strong as we knelt together and made promises to each other...I also remember dropping Clint's ring and watching it roll all the way across the floor and being so embarrassed as I went to pick it up...;)

He has been so good to me all of these years, and I feel so blessed to stand by his side constantly in everything we do. He is my very best friend and I'm so glad that I am his and he is mine forever.

I am also very excited for my little girls! They haven't gone to the temple yet (other than an open house) because they aren't old enough, but with the recent changes in the ages of children advancing in their classes, Kambriella will only have to wait about 2 years from now (which will be about 6 months earlier than before) and then she will be able to enter the temple to perform baptisms too! She has that same love for and enthusiasm for going to the temple as my other children, and I'm excited to watch the excitement grow as those days get closer...

After we finished up our time walking around the beautiful temple grounds, we went back to the beach house and cooked dinner at home. We had lasagna and corn on the cob and french bread with chocolate mousse cheesecake for dessert!

We played games together both inside, and out on the sand...

We walked around and enjoyed the beautiful ocean, the waves, and the gorgeous sunset too.

It's so interesting to me that no matter how many times you watch a sunset (or even a sunrise), that the beauty and amazement that you witness continually testifies of God's never ending love for each of us, His children. The wonder of how it is all happening, and how beautiful it is each and EVERY time reminds me so much of that love...and it was literally one of my very favorite parts of being there on the beach every single night.

That, and listening to the laughter and conversations of all of my family that was together...

we sure did miss having Carew there with us, but I know that that beautiful sun was both setting and rising on him on the other side of the world as well...

We played on the beach until we couldn't see anymore...

the girls played in the sand and collected rocks building masterpieces and being creative and free to explore...

And the only reason they would come in when it was time was because they knew that we would continue the fun and gather around the warm fire out on the deck...which is exactly what we did, every single night. :)

I miss this girl of mine now that I don't see her everyday, so I wanted to take a "selfie" with her, but ONLY to remember the moment, and NOT because I like taking selfies...:)

So, after about 20 attempts, these were the best ones we could get! Now, I can remember these moments forever...
And did I mention how much I love my family???
I'm the luckiest girl alive! :) :)

Disneyland At Christmas!

 On Saturday of our Christmas vacation, we all woke up early to be at Disneyland when it opened!!! :)

On the way there everyone took a little nap too...;)

 It was so exciting to be with everyone at DISNEYLAND for CHRISTMAS!!! :)

 Everyone agreed that the first ride to go on would be Indiana Jones, and so as everyone went to go on the ride, Kesslyn and I ventured off to find some of our favorite people...

 Pluto...:)

 ...and MINNIE!!! Kesslyn's FAVORITE!!!

 We just couldn't believe our luck and that we were RIGHT THERE when Minnie headed out into the square to get pictures with everyone!!! It was our LUCKY day!

 Look at these cute sisters with Minnie...;)

 I think this was the point in the day where Kesslyn had her BIGGEST smiles,...

when she got to see Minnie! :)

 We all had fun going on the rides, and Kesslyn was such a trooper since she really wasn't feeling that well...

Buzz Light year...

 ...and Pirates of the Caribbean...;)

 ..and you should have seen the Haunted Mansion for Christmas!!! It was amazing!!!

(Well, almost as amazing as the Sugarplum churros we ate!!!) FOR REALS!!!

 Totally transformed...

 ...into the Nightmare Before Christmas!

 We had lunch and enjoyed being together...

 ...and watching the ships sail by while we ate...

 Kesslyn got a boost of energy from lunch and we headed out to more rides!

 We wandered through the Castle...

 ...and saw the story of Sleeping Beauty...

 We huddled together in the lines...

 ...and rode on the Teacups...

 ...and then Kesslyn crashed! She was sooo tired and fighting off being sick.

She was such a trooper though...

 We eventually had a fun time shopping for our souvenirs! 

 Kesslyn found her treasures of an Anna doll and a plush Baby Minnie Mouse wrapped up in a blanket... 

 Kambriella chose an Elsa doll and a Baby Bolt plush wrapped up in a blanket...

 And I just couldn't help myself with the pictures of the tender moments that these sisters were sharing while standing in the store watching the parade go by...

 The love of sisters is real and strong, no matter the years between them, and I LOVE how interested in her little sisters Kierra always is. And Kambriella is turning out to be just like her big sister too, always so sweet and tender and loving to her sisters as well. It just makes my mama heart sooo happy, and I just HAD to remember this sweet moment forever. :)

 (And the smiles got the biggest as Santa rode by..;)

 And then even Daddy and Kesslyn were feelin' the love! ;)

 We continued shopping around until all of our Disney money was spent, and these 3 sisters just looked too cute in these Minnie Mouse ears! If it were realistic I would want them to wear these glittery bows every single say!!!

And this just made me smile...:) like a lot. :)

... and we all were dying over this GRUMPY hat that fit Kesslyn's little attitude perfectly some days ;)

 The magic of Disneyland at Christmas was magical, and you could sure feel it as it got darker and all of the lights and music were going on everywhere...It is my new favorite time to go to Disneyland!

 It was a magical day at a magical park with some absolutely magical people...;)

 ..and I was so happy to share it with all of them!!!

 It was a very Merry Christmas! :)

 Right after we left Disneyland for the night, we drove to Joe's Crab Shack where Clint found some of his very favorite food...

 ..and where these 2 brothers are finding a new love for seafood too! They were in heaven eating their crab legs and shrimp! :)

 And although it was FREEZING in that restaurant, we brought in our Minky blankets, cuddled up close, enjoyed the food, but mostly the company, and made another awesome close to a wonderful night. One for the books! (Especially with Bella as our waiter! Waitress??) Anyways, it was a fabulous night!!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!