It was a Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas. I always think the best part of Christmas is getting together with family. Mark and I are both blessed with awesome families that we enjoy spending time with.

The kids seemed to enjoy what they got from Santa. Devin got a Zune...in my day they were called Sony Walkmans and could only play tapes or the radio!! His can download music, movies, & TV shows!!! Hello. Never in my wildest dreams! When I see him with those earphones in it brings back lots of memories! Sam got an iCoaster. He has been asking for one for a couple years now. It is a big roller coaster for marbles and it comes with an MP3 hookup so you can listen to music as the marble does all kinds of cool tricks. Ty got a Glo-Doodle, and Noah got more trains and train tracks for his train table.

I have had more of a post-Christmas let down then I usually do...not sure why. But, I think a lady in our ward put it best-"Christmas is to the year what Sunday is to the week" There is just something special about re-focusing on the Savior and serving others that makes Christmas such a wonderful time. I really want to extend that into the next year.

Us Against the World!!!

Happy 14th Anniversary to us!!
Fourteen years ago today Mark and I were married in the Bountiful Temple. It was the best day of my life...and the best decision I ever made! One of my favorite things is to sit in our front room after the kids are in bed and just talk with Mark. He is very honestly my very best friend. It makes me happy just to be with him.

Last night we were talking about how we first met and the first time we saw each other. It is so crazy to think about those good old CHS days and then realize where we are now! I'll be forever grateful for good friends who knew Mark and encouraged us to go out. We've shared just about every experience imaginable, including missions, college life, children...and more children :)

There are times when life gets to me...but it is so amazing to know that I have a partner and friend who is there to face it all with me. Heavenly Father must have known I would need someone patient (:)), strong, faithful, and funny to help me make it through.

There are lots of times when I feel like it's us against the world...us against the kids :)...us in it forever and always...and I'm so thankful. Words can't do justice how grateful I am for Mark. When Mark was in Jr. High his dad was in the Air Force. They wanted him to transfer to Germany, but he didn't want Mark and his sisters to have to leave their schools and friends, so he retired instead. It is crazy to think that if they would have moved, we would have never met. In fact, it is a little freaky how our paths have crossed...even before we were born! A few months ago Mark's mom discovered that she and my dad were in the same ward at BYU for a semester. It was the only semester Karma attended BYU! When Mark was in 9th grade and I was a sophomore, his Drama class came to the high school to watch a play I was in with my Drama class. During one song we had to pick a guy and a girl out of the audience to sing to...the girl who went out into the audience picked Mark and I stood right behind him, singing. My Mom got it all on tape. I had no idea who Mark was...and didn't for another two years!!

From high school, to five kids, a mortgage, and blasted student loans...We're weathering it all together. Sorry, ladies...but, they broke the mold...no one else like Mark! And just the fact that he'll still love me after posting such a sappy post, is evidence of what a great guy he really is. By the way...this song makes us laugh now, but it was one of the first songs we danced to...Christmas Dance 1990...so, it was "our" song...sorry if it makes you ill! :)

Happy Anniversary Mark! I Love your guts!!!

Christmas Cheer

"The new star of Bethlehem would have had to be placed in its precise orbit long, long before it shone so precisely! By reflecting such careful divine design, it underscored what the Lord has said: "All things must come to pass in their time" (D&C 64:32). His planning and precision pertain not only to astrophysical orbits, but to human orbits as well. This is a stunning thing for us to contemplate in all seasons!...There is a personalized plan for each of us. Like the Christmas star, each of us, if faithful, has an ordained orbit, a priesthood path, as we pass through this second estate." -Neal A. Maxwell

I'm not sure if it's the postpartum emotional roller coaster I'm on..or if the Lord is making sure I realize all I have been blessed with this Christmastime, but I have definitely been more emotional than usual the past few days. I have always loved Christmas..everything from the shopping to our traditional manger scene reenactment. But, for some reason, this Christmastime I feel especially close to my Savior and my heart feels like it may literally burst because of all I have to be grateful for. It seemed to start last Saturday when I was sitting in the car at Syracuse High, feeding Drue and watching Mark and the boys sled down the hill behind the football field. Despite the sign that read "No sledding, tubing, or snowboarding on school property", there were at least 50 people there enjoying the snow. I happened to be listening to The Forgotten Carols, and as one of the last songs played-a song I don't remember hearing before-I started bawling...the chorus went like this:

"All I ever wanted, all I ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for, couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given, I've been given what I need."

Then last night we had our annual Christmas Family Home Evening where we each write down a gift we want to give the Savior this year. We read the book "This is the Season, Beloved of the Year", wrote down our gifts, sang carols, and bore our testimonies. Despite the expected moments of teasing, laughing, and general lack of reverence, the spirit was there, and I was so impressed by the quotes by prophets and apostles found in "This is the Season", there were so many I wanted to include in this post...but I picked my favorite-the one by Neal A. Maxwell. I know we all have a personal plan, and that God is not only aware of each of us, he is deeply interested in what happens in our lives and loves us beyond any love we can comprehend. I feel so much joy this year, not because we have a perfect life, or because we will be able to buy our kids what they want for Christmas, but because I know God lives and that he sent his son to earth to live and die for us. There is nothing in the world that means more to me.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Birthday Ty!

Happy Birthday Ty!! He turned the big 4 today and could hardly stop smiling! Here are just a few things we love about Ty:
*When he says to Mark or I, "You should be ashamed of yourself!".
*When he holds his cheeks together with his hand to try to keep from smiling
*When he gets in the car after preschool and insists that I wait until he shows me every paper he has before we go home
*When he says, "I'm not cute! I'm awesome!!"
*His long eyelashes that literally touch the tops of his eyebrows
*When he says, "You're the best mom in the whole woold"
*The fact that he doesn't understand length, time, or distance and says things like, "I can ride my bike real fast, like five inches".
*"My name is T-Y Ty".
We Love You Ty-Ty!!!