Santa Claus is coming to town...

Not one..but two.

Little boy...

My sweet Austin brought these to me today. Even at almost age 16, he still shows that little boy love that warms my heart.

Lucky number 19...

It's been pretty festive at our house the last two days. We celebrated Chris turning 46....the age my dad was when I met Chris...gulp. And today we celebrate 19 years of perfect bliss together. Ok, I lied about the "perfect bliss" part. We have had ups and downs just like any normal married couple, but I love this man so much, my heart could burst. The last two years have been crazy with me going back to school. I didn't know how we would navigate through the stress. But in all honesty...it's made me realize how supported I am by friends, family, and most of all, Chris. He's been there and hasn't complained. He's taken on kids so that they don't feel the stress of me being pulled in different directions. I can truly say that I am a blessed girl and so thankful that despite things being tough at times...I wouldn't change a thing about this man that took me to the temple and married me 19 years ago. 

Austin's girl...

This boy, loves this dog so, so, so much. It makes my heart swell to see it.

Prayer requests...

I've noticed lately that nightly prayers with my family have become a true chore to everyone involved, but even more so...the words have become monotonous and repetitious. I had the idea to have "prayer requests" every night. Everyone gets to throw in a request to the person chosen to pray. It's made things so much better. The kids love it...even my teenagers are getting involved. If you haven't tried this...you should! It's fun, and it works...for now at least. :)

Nerd alert...

You know that dangly thing that hangs down at the back of your throat? The correct term would be the "uvula"...well, I guess somewhere along the line the kids have heard me use dental terms as I've been studying because tonight when Scarlett and Grace were in the bath, Scarlett says "Grace, I didn't even know I had a uvula in my mouth, did you?" I think I'm turning my kids into dental nerds...oh dear me.

Hot chicks...

We got ourselves 7 little chicks today and my oh my, are they cute. The kids haven't stopped checking on them every second. They even named them. There's something that brings happiness to be able to take care of something that lives. And when it will eventually bring delicious eggs?? Even better.

Memories...

I will admit, this is not our first vacation, but this was the hardest one to leave. Halee leaves for college in the Fall. I had the feeling this may be our last big one together for a while. It's also hard to come back to school, and work. Cooking, cleaning. Gosh, I sound like a baby. Oh well...we all feel this way to some degree, right? I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to go do this with my kids and husband. We worked hard to make it happen...and it was worth it, tenfold. I don't want the nicest house, I don't want the fanciest cars...I want memories. Lots and lots of memories. Hawaii or no Hawaii...Family times are the greatest thing in this entire existence.

All good things must come to an end...

Just heading to Honolulu airport. I'm sad to go. I've thoroughly enjoyed this time with my precious family. I can't take Hawaii home but I can take my family...so I'll be okay. I'll post pics soon.