Trip to Hurricane, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s!! :)

Our vacation post, and four holiday posts in one! I got a bit behind. 

We went down to Hurricane for two weeks before chaplain conference this time. Jeremy was on TDY for the first week in Washington D.C. When he got back back we took our kids and went to the St. George temple open house with Grandma and Grandpa Brown and Aunt Kathie. It was amazing to be able to take our family there! I had always thought that we'd have to wait until all our kids were endowed to be in that temple together, so when they decided to update it and re-dedicate it, we were so happy to take our kids there and show them the celestial room and the sealing room we were sealed for all eternity in. Jeremy showed them the altar we knelt on, and we stood in front of the mirrors and showed the kids how our family goes on for eternity. We explained to them how we were sealed in that very same room. I got so emotional because that temple holds so many special memories and to be able to take our kids inside and feel that together was really incredible. We also celebrated Roslyn and Jeremy's birthday, did some mountain biking, and spent a LOT of time out on Grandma and Grandpa's porch in the incredible weather, watching the kids play. It was just what we needed. Then we headed up to Wolf Creek to stay in a condo for a few days for chaplain conference and General Conference. 

Thanksgiving was really nice and low-key for us this year. Everyone helped with some part of dinner, our turkey turned out absolutely amazing, and so did the other healthy and clean sides we made to go with it. Jeremy and I spent the day cooking together in the kitchen, and it was just really fun. We also read all of the slips of paper we put in our gratitude jar during the year. We loved it. :)

Christmas is always a busy time of year for a chaplain family. There are so many extra events around the holidays that it can start to feel out of control, but this year we said no to a lot of the extra parties and spent more time at home with our family and we really needed that. I finished shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, which helped reduce stress, and the two weeks before Christmas Jeremy and I spent some time wrapping while watching Christmas movies on Pureflix, and we loved it so much. We don't often watch shows anymore, so it felt extra special. :) We had all the wrapping done by the 23rd this year and we were so excited to relax and go to bed early on Christmas Eve! But then I decided that since Jeremy is the chaplain over the base side security forces we should bake 37 mini loaves of bread for the people on duty on Christmas Day, haha. So Christmas Eve afternoon I spent baking bread, and that night we made them look cute with ribbon and tags and after setting up Christmas ended up going to bed at like 1 AM. :l But it was worth it! 

This year the chaplains on base had their Christmas Eve service on the 22nd, it was a candle lighting service and they had a band and some members from a local baptist church sing and play for us, it was SO good! It was also nice that they had the service early, because then we were able to have our traditional family Christmas Eve which we've missed the last couple of years. That night we Facetimed Grandma and Grandpa and all our family down South and did JINGO with them, which the kids loved. Then we said bye to them and gathered in our living room. I played a couple of carols that we sang out of the hymn book, Jeremy played a beautiful song on the piano, Roz sang a song and danced for us (Jingle Bells, she sang one part over and over until Jeremy helped her end it, haha), Benson played hot cross buns on the piano, and Bridger and Beckham both played songs on the piano. Then, we finished our 25 Days of Christ. We'd gotten a little behind with the daily readings, so we had several to read that night. We started at Christ's Atonement and it was so powerful. The Spirit was so strong as we read the scriptures of his resurrection and of his visit to the Nephites in America. Our kids were all so quiet, and when I asked them about what we were reading, they were answering and I knew they were listening closely. I cried as I read 3 Nephi. And after, I bore my testimony of our Savior. It was a really beautiful evening, and exactly what we needed. Afterward, the kids were so calm, just sitting in the living room with the tree lights on. It's usually crazy and loud during our lessons, so this was a big change! ha ha. I'm grateful. 

The kids were so excited in the morning (of course!). We got up around 7, but Bridger came in and laid on our bed, so I chatted with him in the there for a bit while our little ones got breakfast. After a family picture, we took turns opening presents to make the Christmas morning feeling last a little longer. :) It was a beautiful morning. 

Later that day, Jeremy delivered the loaves of bread, he ended up being gone for almost three hours, but when he came home he said the bread was received with so much gratitude. One airman immediately took a bite of his loaf and gave a thumbs up, and he heard another say they couldn't wait to get home to eat it. It just made everyone happy, and we were told later that it was a hit. So when I say all the work was worth it, it truly was. It's a way I can help minister as a chaplain spouse, and I'm grateful. 

We had a yummy Christmas dinner that night after a day of playing with new toys and building LEGO's. And Grandma and Grandpa Brown came to visit on the 27th! 

New Year's!! 

 Mom and I made some yummy snacks and then Benson, Anderson, and Roslyn had fun eating their snacks and playing a game of Monopoly Jr. with me. Then we tucked them in before we played games with our older kids and Mom and Dad. 

We had the hardest time staying awake!! haha. But Bridger and Beckham joined the adults for games and we celebrated the new year together before going to bed around 12:30 AM.