Mission Call

We are so excited!!

February at a Glance

February turned out to be a pretty busy and crazy month.

It snowed Two times in February. Yes, TWO TIMES. Everyone was very excited and enjoyed the time off. The first time was a dusting, just enough to cancel school for a day. The second time was ice and snow, so the kids missed 4 days of school!

Ice leaves

We also had an earthquake here in Georgia...not a very strong one, but I still felt it. Crazy!

Cody received his acceptance into to BYU. Woohoo!

Kaitlyn received an interview in New York at the Guggenheim Museum(she's hoping for a summer internship) - So Exciting!!

I spent two days in the hospital after having surgery for a hysterectomy. Still recovering. It's been a very slow and painful process. Thankfully, my mother was able to come and tend to the needs of the family and care for me the week following surgery. We've had wonderful friends stop by with meals and gifts, which has also been a huge help and so nice during this time of recovery. Very Thankful!

My view

The pain pill that allowed me to eat, sleep, breathe, walk, shower, dress, and any other detail that required any sort of movement of my body whatsoever within the first 7-10 days after surgery...Thank you percocet.

The beautiful flowers that arrived to my room and brought color into my view.

A fun chalkboard a sweet friend made and brought over along with a few sweet rolls, that were consumed way too fast for a picture to be taken.

The delicious cinnamon rolls that my mother made for us to munch on. They were SO GOOD! Mothers are the very BEST!

Selfies with Grandma - Thank you for your help!! We love you and miss you TONS!!

For the most part, I'm glad that February is over and March is here with the promise of spring. I'm looking forward to a warmer, more active lifestyle these next few months.

Snow and Ice

We had more snow in our forecast this past week, but this time we were a little more prepared. They predicted a few inches of snow, combined with ice, so everyone flocked to the stores and emptied the shelves. It was highly likely we would lose power, and they were using words such as: crippling, catastrophic, and historic to describe the approaching storm. I heard comparisons being made of previous ice storms which resulted in many fallen trees and left a path of destruction along the way. The kids were out of school for 4 days. We anticipated the worst, but were hoping for the best. Thankfully, we didn't lose power or experience any extreme weather related issues. We were able to enjoy the time together while we waited, watched, and took a lot of pictures, of course.

The ice made way for some really great sledding the first day.

We also found some frozen leaf fossils that were pretty cool.

The next day it had snowed a couple of inches during the night, so in the morning it was beautiful. Kaitlyn, Ryan and I got out early, around 7:30 and took a walk around the neighborhood.

It was so quiet and peaceful. The snow was fresh and the neighborhood was still asleep. I love those rare opportunities when mother nature seems to bless us with an unexpected moment of tranquility in the beauty of the season.

And then came the eruption of snowball fights

Followed by a few portrait shots.

The snow offers such great lighting. It's really fun to take pictures.

We loved our snow week. They don't happen very often, so when they do we try and enjoy every single moment!

Christmas Pictures

I'm a little behind I know, but combined with the rainy weather and busy schedules we didn't get pictures taken until after Christmas. It's always such a fun time for everyone, and they can hardly wait. They beg, kick and scream for photo sessions with mom...not really. I hesitate taking the pictures any other place but our yard, because certain people require wardrobe changes or hair fixes, so into the house they go. I guess it would work out either way, but we did manage to make it through, yet another fun photo hour(Cody thinks it should only take a few minutes)for our Christmas/Happy New Year's cards.

It really wouldn't take that long(maybe just a few minutes, Cody) if each person looked into the camera and smiled at the exact same moment, but that doesn't always(ever) happen.

And these are always the favorite ones and most abundant. We usually get 3-5 good shots(card worthy)out of the 50-100 pictures taken.

After awhile, they become weary and decide they want to appease me with a few good attempts, so that we can end the session quickly.

Thanks kiddos, I appreciate the effort! And yes, (Cody) it does make me happy!! Happy New Year everyone, cards are on their way!

Snow Day!

This was our forecast Tuesday afternoon, when the kids were let out of school early.

This doesn't happen very often, not even once a year often. So, everyone was pretty excited at the prospect of having a few inches of snow to play in, and of course, not having to go to school the next day was their biggest hope.

It didn't come down very fast. In fact the majority fell after dark. So, they went out for a couple of hours to play in the newly fallen snow(the best kind) in the dark. Unfortunately, the 1-3 inches of newly fallen snow caused extreme chaos along the highways and interstates. People were stranded for hours, walked for miles abandoning their cars to find a warm place for the night - some even spent the night in their cars. It was not a very restful night for many individuals and families. Thankfully, there were a lot of businesses - Home-Depot, Kroger, Publix, and many more organizations, churches, and schools that opened their doors for people who found themselves stranded for the night. Here are a few images I found online of the Atlanta area GRIDLOCK during the snowfall:

Amazing stories of kindness and generosity came out of the woodwork. People helping people in ways unthinkable. Here are just a couple of them:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kimberlyt/the-silver-lining-of-atlantas-snowpocalypse-2014-w6l

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/29/chick-fil-gives-free-food-to-motorists-stranded-in-southern-snowstorm/

As for us in Athens, thankfully, we were safe and warm. Ryan woke up early to enjoy his snow day home from school.

Unfortunately, they only had a two hour delay this morning. Ry was bummed.

It's not even February yet, who knows...maybe more snow is in our future!

Throw Back Thursday

I found these gems while going through some photos with my mom this summer during my trip to Oregon. I love these two ladies with all my heart!! They have made me who I am today and continue to influence who I am becoming. I am thankful for a mother and grandmother who were, not only my biggest supporters, but also my very best friends.

Saturday Night Shenanigans - LOTR

I don't remember when it first started, but we all love hearing Cody do his Gollum impression from The Lord of the Rings Movie. I have wanted to capture it on video, but Cody has not been willing to share his talent...that is, until now when Ryan decided(and has been practicing) he does a better impression than Cody. So Kaitlyn suggested a voice off...Gollum style---

In case you don't know who Gollum is(mom).