Simplify

It's finally Christmas season, my favorite time of the year! It always seems to go by too fast. And that may be because of how much I try to pack into it. Listening to the Christmas devotional last week, one speaker, Pearson?...talked about simplifying our Christmas. Instead of worrying about buying everyone the perfect gift and making it to every single holiday event and sending out the cutest christmas cards, we should focus more on our Savior and allow time to feel the peace that can be found during this season of Christ.
With Rigdon being born right in the middle of it all, I've been feeling a little sad that I won't get to go to all the parties and activities that I had planned. But thinking more about it, I am grateful that I will have the opportunity to slow things down a little bit. To spend more time with my family at home. To focus more on my Savior and his gift to me. To put more effort into feeling the peace and joy that come from true Christmas spirit.

Our Savior's Love

I feel like I post a lot about hard days, but the reason I do is to show our Savior's love for us. To show how quickly our Savior can answer our prayers and calm our fears.
I'm so grateful for a Heavenly Father who is aware of me and my needs and my feelings. I received a phone call today right when I needed it with a compliment that picked me up in the way I needed. Then I read through some journal entries that gave me strength and courage to be who I am and to be better.
I know that our Savior is aware of each and every one of us and I'm grateful for His presence in my life.

Happy December

Hiked Wolverine Pass..part of it anyway. What a gorgeous hike. It meanders through mini canyons and across creek beds with a watering hole along the way. Now we have to go back and finish the hike one day.

Travis relishing his beard. How many zip ties can he fit?

Hunt loves the Christmas present we got for Grandma..haha

Donated some vaccinations, pacifiers and food to families in need at the giving machine!

My goofy boys.

                    Teaching Hunt young.

 We played Mary and Joseph (and baby Jesus) for our ward's Christmas program. Sweet experience.

 Christmas Sunday. Hunt was not cooperating for a picture. But the ward gave all the choir members cute little boutonnieres to wear for our program so I had to get a picture.

Christmas! Spent it with Travis' family this year up in Taylor and it snowed Christmas day! 

Poor Hunt also has his first run-in with throw up over the holiday break. It was the saddest thing ever. Especially the couple days after. He was so weak and lethargic and wouldn't eat anything. It scared me that he wasn't getting enough fluids so we had Evan come over and help Travis give him a blessing. So thankful for them and for the priesthood and for a loving and caring Heavenly Father. Hunt slowly regained strength and started to act more like himself over the next few days and what a relief that was. Being a mother to a sick child is heart wrenching. I ached for him and wished with all my heart I could take the sickness for him (and then I got the sickness myself anyway and almost changed my mind..haha). But it truly is one of the hardest things about being a mother. I am grateful for faith and for blessings and for loving family members who help us get through tough times. Even when I overreact. 

Cousin Love

Hunt loves his baby cousin Brooklyn. Well, really he just likes to eat her. It's a constant battle to keep him from slobbering and smothering her but she doesn't seem to mind.

Travis turned 29!!! Whaaat. I know, it doesn't seem right to me either. That's probably why I wrote 23 on his birthday card instead of 29...haha. Though to be fair, it was super late when I wrote it and my brain wasn't %100 awake. 

Never Grow Up

   Today was one of those good days. Cloudy skies, cooler temps and lots of rain. It was full of playing, cleaning, dancing, napping, hiking, running, cooking.. and the list goes on.

I was giving Hunt a bath after a stroll through the muddy pond that is our backyard and the song Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift came on. It's a sweet song about motherhood and growing up. I'm so thankful for every little moment that I have with him. The tears and the giggles, the tantrums and the snuggles. He makes everything worth it. I'm so grateful to be his mother and to see him grow up. The song ends with Taylor saying "I wish I'd never grown up". And as sad as it is to see my baby grow up, it's also the most rewarding thing to see him learn and progress. I'm thankful for a knowledge of the plan of salvation and the blessing it is in my life. I know that we have the ability to eventually grow up and be Kings and Queens and to live with our Heavenly and earthly families for eternity. And what a joy and comfort that is.

Catwalk Recreation Area, NM

Last minute vacation anyone? I think this roadtrip was thrown together in about 2 days, I chalk it up to our indecisiveness but we can say spontaneity to make it sound better.

Travis had been trying to plan a trip to Catwalk Recreation Area for a while and now I see why. Talk about unique! The catwalk itself was a walkway suspended above the river that meandered through the canyon for about a mile. Super cool. At the end of the walkway the canyon continues for miles. We, with some encouragement/bribing, led the family up the riverbed to explore the narrow canyon for several hours. We crawled over boulders, across logs, and down narrow slots which became quite the adventure with a baby in tow. Occasionally we saw sections of the old catwalk which were destroyed by flash floods years ago. I'd say the best find was a waterfall hidden behind a rockface that Travis, my dad and I found at our turnaround point in the canyon. 

We stayed the night about an hour from the Catwalk in a little house. To give you an idea of the place, it was labeled "Class A dump" by one of the previous vacationers. I don't know that I would be that harsh. Quirky or funky sure, but dump probably not. We had dinner at the only restaurant open in town and went to bed early. 

We had planned to spend the next day or two in Show Low with Grandma but after sacrament meeting, Jessica received word that her mission call had arrived at the house. So they drove home, sent out an invite, and opened it that night. Can you tell she was excited? Before driving home to the party, Travis and I stopped at his parents house for dinner but we left a little later than planned. As we left Payson, we realized that we probably didn't have enough gas to get home. But Travis, being the ever optimistic, "we can make it" kind of guy, decided that we were going to try anyway. Plus we were on the clock, if we turned back for gas now we would miss her mission call opening. So nervously, praying all the way, we made our way to usery pass road..where our gas tank read 0 miles to empty.. Then we kept driving for several more miles...still reading 0 miles to empty..until we finally made it to the gas station on Brown and Ellsworth. We again prayed and thanked our Heavenly Father and made it to the mission call opening only 5 minutes late. Not too shabby. I'm so thankful Heavenly Father answers prayers even when they come from such imperfect children.

By the way Jessica is going to be serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission and I couldn't be more excited for her!)

Birthdays and Adventures

Melissa and I celebrated our 23rd birthday last week! It was a little different from normal..Melissa spent the majority of it in the hospital with Brooklyn who had a fever. So I had breakfast with mom at Joes Farm Grill and lunch and shopping with Stephanie at Someburros and H&M, then dinner with the rest of the family at Texas Roadhouse when Melissa and Brooklyn finally got out. Also, Travis got me a fitbit! And some suspension straps to workout with! Super fun. 

We also might have gotten a dog... Her name is Kaba and I am very allergic to her. But she's so friendly and sweet. I'm sad to part with her but it probably needs to happen for my sanity/health. Kristen doesn't know it, but she may be getting a new dog soon...Kailey looooves Kaba. We took them to the river and explored the other day where Kaba ran, rock climbed and chased lizards to her heart's content. And Hunt got eaten alive by mosquitoes; poor baby is allergic pretty bad.