Easter Celebration

This year for Easter we were invited by some dear friends to celebrate with them. The Johnson family has become very near and dear to our hearts. After church we drove over to Aubree's mom's house for Easter dinner. We didn't know what to expect, and we were so very pleasantly surprised. Her mother, Kay, is a wonderful hostess that made us feel right at home. From hugs and Easter baskets to yummy food and great conversation. She invited us in and we stayed til after 7! Such a lovely afternoon of chatting with Mr. Bob and Mrs. Gladys, Mrs. Shirley, Stacy, Kay, and of course the Johnson family.

We have been celebrating Easter with the Bonus family for several years now. We were sad not to be in Washington with them yesterday. We're so glad, however, that Kim enjoyed her 40th birthday celebrations as well as Easter all in one day.

Christmas ~ in our new house!

We had a very lovely Christmas in our new home. The kids enjoyed our usual traditions with pizza and sleeping under the tree. We also went caroling, spent a fun evening with the Baethge's, and hosted a neighborhood Christmas party. Then on Christmas Eve we went to a potluck at the Johnson's. We had a great time and we were very glad to celebrate with some new friends, the Johnson and William families.

Christmas morning was really nice, just hanging out and opening presents. It's so much fun watching the joy in our kiddos. They have been contentedly playing ever since. This week off from school has been super nice for all of us!

Caroling crew at the "after-party" ~ caroling was such a blessing to my soul!  I plan to do that every year now.  

Aftermath of our neighborhood Christmas party ~ I didn't take any pictures during the party unfortunately.  

Gingerbread house making at the Baethge's

Singing at church during the Christmas Eve morning service.

Merry Christmas! 

Lunch potluck at the Johnson's home after church ~ thanks for a fun time, Aubree!!!  Delicious food!

Sleeping under the tree ~ Christmas Eve.  The kids actually slept really well and slept in until 7:10am!

Opening presents Christmas morning. 

Vivian in her new leotard, with fake nails and a bun!

Josh installing my under-cabinet lighting!  :)

We walked a trail and then went to the park today ~ happy kids with walkie-talkies (thanks Bonus fam!) and Jared with his [cap] "dun" (gun).

Luminaria Nights

Last night the girls and I went down to Luminaria Nights in Tubac. The girls sang Christmas carols with our church. Shelby had a solo, the third verse of "Away in a Manger." That little town was filled to the brim with people of all ages and all cultures (lots of snowbirds!).  It was a fun night, indeed.

Abby and I had fun wearing our earrings from our sweet friend, Tammi!  

PS ~ Abby and I had the same wedding dress!!!  So fun!

Vivian is 6!

This birthday, along with every other one, has been long awaited! Vivian is so excited to be 6 years old! And we are excited too. This sweet little lady surely is full of life (Vivian) and a great companion (Ruth). She had a very fun birthday with yummy food (NO veggies, per her request), some new special friends, cake and ice cream, presents, and dinner out.

It happened. And she LOVED it!

After waiting over 2 months, and having several letdowns, Shelby was finally able to start horseback riding lessons today! She had an absolute blast caring for the horse and riding a horse. This horse's name is Lexus.

Hiking and decorating

Just before Thanksgiving last week we went hiking at Madera Canyon. It was in very nice day for a hike and we enjoyed being outside. We saw Mount Hopkins, that made us remember our sweet friends in Wenatchee. We miss you Scott and Jenn and Caleb and Ashley! The girls wanted their pictures on the log... Which turned out to be funny when Vivian got off and fell in the little bit of water we found.

Yesterday we decorated for Christmas! It was fun to get everything out, even though it doesn't feel like Christmas since it's still in the 80s down here. We also went to get a Christmas tree... That was a little bit of a painful experience. Let's just say we found out if you want to buy a cut Christmas tree here in Arizona you are going to spend a lot of money! Hence our shorter tree. But it's beautiful nonetheless in the kids and daddy did a good job decorating it!

Thanksgiving 2017

What a Thanksgiving! Josh was able to take some time off this last week and through next week, and we have sure enjoyed having daddy around. Our Thanksgiving was super special because my grandpa got to come spend it with us. He is the most joyful man I think I've ever met. He's very loving, kind, giving, and caring. I really enjoyed his stories from his younger years. Just spending time with him has been super special to me. I got to go grocery shopping with just him, which is always fun! We enjoyed playing games as a family here at the house. And we spent a day at the Pima Air and Space Museum. This will definitely be one of my most treasured Thanksgiving holidays.