Road Trip to D.C. On The Last Weekend Of 2019!

The holidays continued to glow for us as we ventured out to Washington D.C. to see the temple lights and the People's tree on Capitol Hill. We try to go before Christmas Day but since Lexie flew in two days before Christmas went over the weekend. We are always so grateful to make time to come here along with eating at one of our favorite places! As usual I captured some moments of us during our day trip and it was exquisite! Even the blurry photos make this post perfect since our lives are not! Families are forever! 

Winter Glow.

One of the coolest and magical pop-up art installations we've seen this season is called Winter Glow. It is located at Intersect in the Lexus building. This is by far the best installation we've seen this Christmas. As soon as the elevators opened to the third floor everything was so bright and sparkly. If I had a backyard I would add all the twinkle lights, and hydrangea flowers. What a creative way to celebrate the holidays by adding a crystal reindeer, with gold and sparkle to the mix! This whole installation is set in one huge room and the best part of this exhibit is that it's free! It's open until January 5th for those who need some sparkle in their life! I snapped a lot of photos, and loved capturing the kids in them!

Christmas Morning.

And just like that, Christmas has come and gone. Ours was purely the simplest and sweetest Christmas. The kids didn't get too much gifts and they were totally fine with it which made our morning go by so fast! They all unwrapped they're little gifts and were done within 15 minutes! I loved every minute of this particular Christmas simply because it was filled with gratitude, humility, and simplicity. I captured a few moments of the kids but this pic is my favorite of the girls giggling. It is so nice for Chelsea to have one of her sisters home to laugh with. 

Chinatown, Philadelphia.

We hardly ever come to chinatown in Philadelphia but when we do it's such a treat. It may not be as big as New York city but at least parking is cheaper, and close to Market street where you can walk to Fashion District Mall where Candytopia was happening. The feeling of Philly is a total different dynamic than New York, but because we lived so close to Philly for eight years the city of brotherly love will always hold a special place in my heart! And we still love venturing out here! 

Gifting Our Kids With Experiences Instead of Material Things.

Growing up I didn't have many Christmases which is probably why I spoiled my kids with gifts when they were toddlers but now that they are all older gifts are becoming less and less. I have reminded my kids that although the things of the world are nice and all, happiness with those things won't last forever, and the memory of them will eventually fade. I love the fact that we live in an area where we are surrounded by endless culture and history which is why I love going to the city and venturing out to various places in the east. The kids seem to remember moments spent together as opposed to what they got for Christmas last year, two years ago, or even five years ago.

Santa At The Plaza!

     

Love the tradition of going to see Santa at the Plaza! Although I think Noah may be getting to that point where he feels he may be outgrowing Santa. (In other words he's getting too big to sit on his lap!) Oh, how I don't want our these days to end but eventually they will and then he will be sitting on the steps like his sister! Nonetheless the kids had a nice talk with Santa. I love how Santa tells them to mind your parents, and to be good kids. Gifts were mentioned but not as much as the gift of love he mentioned to our kiddos. Pretty much the same advice he gave to them last year. I love this santa! More pics below...

Today Is Our 25th Anniversary!

“There is no greater risk than matrimony, but there is nothing happier than a happy marriage.”

–Benjamin Disraeli, 1870

(in a letter to queen victoria’s daughter louise, 

congratulating her on her engagement, 

via the book committed by Elizabeth gilbert)

Today is our 25TH wedding anniversary, and it seems as if I married this Utah boy yesterday. I will always remember the day we joined hands in unity while then Bishop Lloyd was uttering those words of two people coming together in union. Although the ceremony was a civil one the words "till death do you part" didn't matter to me, because I knew that eventually we would be sealed for "time, and eternity."

And we were!

More of our eternal story can be read in this article I wrote that was published via Deseret News. 

Wedding Anniversary Weekend.

This weekend is our 25th wedding anniversary and sometimes I can't believe we've made it this far! It truly seems like we met yesterday and in between all the ups and downs, and makeups after arguments we treat life good, and each other the best way we know how. Not much to do on our weekend because it's been a rainy one, and because Jon has been working the past couple of Saturdays due to the holidays prevents us to venture out to the city which has always been somewhat a tradition since we moved here. Nonetheless we will make our 25th a special and simple one. Even if it's eating a simple dinner and watching a movie. I'm just eternally grateful to have Jon by my side to vent to, laugh with. Raise my kids with, and do this whole parenting, and living life together. Marriage can be hard at times especially when we are faced with trials, but without those challenges and choosing to find the joy in each situation, this 25th year together would have never come. 

Cheers to 25. 

Candytopia in Philadelphia!

For months I've been seeing posts about a place called Candytopia and as I was scrolling through instagam another image popped up and the posts seemed much more elaborate with adults and big kids having way too much fun. I then read about what it was and the fact that they were in Philly decided to check it out and count this fun event as one of their Christmas gifts! 

Dear Santa, I Still Believe...

At 10 years old Noah still believes in Santa Claus and in writing letters to him which makes my heart burst! Even though he sees different Santa's in different locations he still believes he is real. I think watching movies like Santa Claus and Home Alone helps Noah believe in miracles. I know eventually he will grow out of the Santa phase and will most likely stop sitting on his lap as gets older, but I'm enjoying this time while he's still little.

Lexie Lately- Her Mission Call.

Next year, on February 28, Lexie will be heading to Mexico City where she be learning the Spanish language at a training center where our church missionaries are taught to speak the language. This will then lead her to Tempe, Arizona where she be living for 18 months. Her hope is to build relationships in reaching out to those who are in search of comfort and love by sharing with them the purpose of life that The Lord has created. I have to say that I am super excited knowing that I will soon have another member in our family (besides my mom and sister) to speak Spanish with! We are so proud of our second oldest coconut. We just know she will bring light and sunshine to those around her who are seeking healing and the light of the world. 

First Little Snowfall Of The Season!

When we heard that we were expecting snow on Monday the kids got excited. Little did they know that it was only going to be a couple of inches. We literally got nothing but a small blanket but that's better than nothing. I'm sure we will get hit with a lot of snow come January but oh beautiful and fun it would be if we actually had a nice snowfall on Christmas Day! Nonetheless Noah had fun running through a grove of trees pretending like he was in a scene from the Lord of the Rings. I blame that on his sister Lexie. He has grown to love those movies, and always thinks of Lexie when he watches them. It was a fun moment capturing him in action...

Tree Hunting!

We had so much this past weekend going to Wyckoff's tree farm again. We debated on getting a colored tree this year, but oh what a mess it would make in our living room especially when we haul it in to our house! I noticed that last year when Noah and I first discovered this place. So we decided to stick to the traditional green. It's always fun to go the farm to pick and cut our own tree. A tradition we started back in 2013. I captured a few moments of our outing, and once again had so much fun making memories with my shrinking crew...

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade '19.

What a fun and wonderful thanksgiving parade we had this year! Love this tradition of going to the Macy's parade since we moved here. We never take our New York minutes for granted. Going to the parade and watching it live is as thriving as it is televised. I mean, the tv version doesn't do the live experience justice! The kids are getting older and continuing these moments with them has developed a stronger meaning of what tradition, and 'family bonding' really means to them. I'm so happy that they have already mentioned that they are going to do this when they have kids! Not sure where they'll end up living as they grow older, and move away but how fun it would be to even tell their future posterity stories of what traditions they had on holidays when they were kids.