Tennessee Time

On December 26th, we headed up to TN to spend some time with Patrick's side of the family. The ride there was long with damage to I-40 in the mountains, but made better with a stop at Big Ed's on the way to the farm. We were happy to bring our favorite pizza and were met at the house shortly after by Jessi, John and the kids who also drove in for a few days. That evening we exchanged our Christmas gifts and had a great time celebrating together. 

The next few days were a whirlwind of activities. Grandpa kept the kids busy with a list of things he wanted to do with them: get and decorate the Christmas tree, capture minnows from the creek, fishing, fort building, go-kart riding, driving practice, remote control car play, movie watching and general farm things. We were also able to attend church and visit Great Grandma Kelly who will be 100 next month. It was really nice to talk with her and I am always amazed at her overall joy and memory recall. And a quick visit from Aunt Brenda while we were there made it even better!

We were grateful for some unseasonably warm temps which meant some good time for the kids to play outside and some great walks for me and Jessi. We even got to sit on the porch for a bit before the temps dropped pretty dramatically. Anna, Patrick, Paige and John kept up with their daily running. Teddy and Kes held a mutual truce most of the time and also enjoyed the outdoors. Let's just say Teddy has been worn out from his farm dog life. 

One thing I loved was getting all the kids together to do Oreo gingerbread house building. I was really proud of how they all worked with patience and used kindness to share ingredients. It's not an easy task to work with little houses, but they had a fun time and an Aunt Heather craft was just what we needed on a chilly day. In fact, I loved spending one on one time with each of my nieces and nephews, chatting with them or reading or doing stickers, really meeting them where they were at and finding their interests. It's so cool to see them growing up and becoming their own people. 

We hit the road back home Tuesday to spend New Year's Eve back home together and get ready for a few things before school starts back up. Goodbye 2025!

We feel ya, Teddy! We're all worn out!

Me and Holden accidentally matched and I loved it!

Merry Christmas!

This was such a sweet and beautiful Christmas as we leaned into our time together as a family and the traditions we have made over the years. In fact, at one point over breakfast we talked about the things we have remembered from Christmases past. While I couldn't recount a ton of details, I always remember the feeling of Christmas day with my girls and Patrick. Over the years, we have gone from a bit of chaos to much calmer and more savoring. I'm loving these holidays with them, and I think they also greatly appreciate this phase we are in, realizing the beauty of what we have created. 

Patrick was first out of bed to get the cinnamon rolls going, Anna not much further behind him to help. I lingered in my bed and then got up to help out. Paige, always my reader, was found in her room snuggled up with a book. She cracks me up. We let the girls out to the living room to see their big gifts-a Kindle for Paige and Beats for Anna. Then it was on to retell the story of Jesus' birth and find Goody. After all the prep over the last six weeks, it's fun for me to sit there and just watch them. Afterward, we were able to open our stockings-a mix of practical and thoughtful small gifts. Who can get excited over a stapler and deodorant?! Anna and Paige!

Cinnamon rolls were finished and we were able to deliver some to the Powells, followed by the Soongs later in the day. It was a delicious breakfast and always a favorite. Next up, we unwrapped our gifts and while most of us took our time, Teddy was a little eager to find his new flock of toys. Let's just say he was a happy camper!

Some of the favorite gifts included: a running scrapbook made by Anna for Patrick, personal Paige and Anna Lego figures complete with letterman jackets with their names on them, a saw for Patrick to trim all the things, a tea organizer for all my teas and lots of college items for Anna. Of course the best gift is Jesus and our time together. 

Soon enough The Christmas Story was on in the background, the girls started building their new Lego set to add to their town, calls were made to family and a nap was had by Patrick. There's no day off for training, so my people went from a run and I got a couple of laps in walking around the neighborhood....in shorts and a t-shirt because it was almost 80 degrees! 

We took care of a couple of things we needed to do before our trip tomorrow and ended the day with a yummy dinner by candlelight. I know we're sad to see the day end, but I suppose that's because it was so good. Don't worry though, Anna is already counting us down to next year!