David's Birthday 2022

 I feel I do good by David and the boys on their birthdays.  I make sure they are memorable in experiences for the boys and gifts for David.  I put a lot of effort into making sure they are special, probably because my parents always did the same for me growing up.  I realized I was behind in this journal and needed to document David's birthday.  So I look for the pictures from his birthday and all I find is this picture.  It shows the gift I gave him (customized beanie and hoodie with his company's logo).  While I did research on the best way to display his company on clothing I knew he'd wear to work, I couldn't remember much else about the picture.  I had to really think hard to remember that he and I were at the Olive Garden celebrating his birthday.  Did I even get him a cake?  Why couldn't I remember?  Oh yeah...that was a tough week emotionally.  I'm good now but I sure wish I remembered more about my time spent with him the night of his birthday last month.  Because he is my world.  He truly is.  I was reminded of that tonight as I was texting back and forth with a friend whose husband is in the hospital in the ICU.  I don't want to think of my life without him.  My mind wanders off to my boys and strangely goes to thinking about them leaving the house one day to start their own lives on their own or with their own families.  Their own families...boys seem to follow the wife.  As it should be.  But I have all boys.  No girls to stay close knit with their mother.  But oddly enough, this thought didn't make me sad.  Maybe it was because of the way my thoughts got me here but even as I was thinking of my boys leaving, I was thinking about how I would always have David at home.  I would always have David to talk to, laugh alongside, and have deep conversations with.  And while it is natural for my boys to leave, it will never be so with David.  Even on my rough weeks when I forget almost everything about what we did for a birthday.  He will always remember me.

Christmas 2022

Ruger wanted to help Brigham make the hamburgers on Christmas Eve night.  I was grateful that Brigham let him and watched him carefully as he helped.

Ruger thought it was only fair that the animals get hamburgers too.  It was Christmas Eve, after all!  We knew Neve would never eat it so Ruger just made a teeny tiny hamburger patty for Okayu and a full, but tiny hamburger.  The fixings and all!

Funny thing about this Ronald McDonald plate.  When Elton was here a few weeks ago, he pulled out this plate to use.  Took one look at it, said it was creepy, and put it back.  Ha!

After we ate, we watched a video of the reading of the "I Believe in Santa Claus" book and then started to open up gifts.

Ruger was excited when he opened up his drone gift but his face lit up when he realized that Nanny and Poppy had gotten him one with a camera!  As I was taking this picture, I heard Hyrum behind me say, "That's what the rich kids get."  Ha!

Hyrum knew he was getting this scarf but the company it came from said it wouldn't come in until after Christmas so he was genuinely surprised when he opened this one up.

My gorgeous son holding up his money gift from Uncle Chuck and Grandpa.

My face-making boy holding up Nanny's homemade creation of a money holder.  That face.  It's my own doing.  I was a terd like that growing up with my parents taking pictures of me too!

David was impressed with his man self-care box I got him.  We all really loved the sandalwood smell.

And this is the picture I got when I let Ruger take a picture of me with one of my gifts!

Christmas morning I found Levi in this getup!  He cracks me up!

Grandma Adams came over for Christmas dinner.  After we ate, David convinced the boys to watch the old "Willow" movie with us.  I know the special effects and stuff is nothing like what they are used to but they watched the whole movie.

A little reflection:  When I was saying the prayer over our meal it came to my mind to be grateful not just for Christ's sacrifice that would come after His birth but our Heavenly Parent's sacrifice in allowing Him to come for us.  That is a sacrifice that I don't think  about often enough.  But I am grateful.