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. 

For Tradition & Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of year is filled with traditions, and I love that we have created some of our own with our family. In our third year of living in Jersey we decided to "not cook" on Thanksgiving, and to go to the parade in NYC instead. I honestly don't know how long we will continue to go to the annual Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, but we've been going for the past five years or so, and it never gets old! 

Attending The Temple Helps Us To Be Better.

With a new year starting attending the temple is always a priority in our life. I don't ever want to say "it's at the top of our list" because it isn't something that we just check off on a handwritten note pad. Attending the temple last weekend was a great beginning to both our daughters birthdays. It is a tradition that we have started since our oldest daughter turned 12 and one that I hope will keep going even when they're on their own.

Being "Booed"-A Fun, Random Act Of Kindness.

I had never been "booed" or ever heard of a "boo" until I moved to Utah, and I thought it was the funnest thing ever.  Recently I had a friend from Texas ask me what a boo was and I explained to her what it was. I was shocked to learn that she didn't know what it was so for any of you out there who aren't familiar with what a "boo" is it's basically receiving treats with a note inside saying to pass it on, and boo two other people or families within 48 hours. Or for a specific example you can read this! 

Spiritual Traditions.

^^^ Daddy & the girls, Orlando, FL Temple-circa 2007 ^^^ 

I failed to mention that a couple of weeks ago Jon gave the most amazing talk at our church in regards to family, and his talks are always meaningful, and good, but this one wowed me to the core of my heart! It was amazing and by far one of the most spiritual and uplifting talks ever! The words were the ones I needed to hear, and I know for a fact that he wrote that for himself as well. Without sharing his whole entire talk on this post I'll just share some of the most important parts of his talk that are really important to me. In his talk he mentioned how we as a family have grown in testimony when it comes to family time, and finding spiritual traditions in building a strong family unit.

One being temple trips. 

Back in 2005 way before Noah was born, and before moving across the country we did this huge temple trip where we saw four temples in four days...in three different states out west, and attended all the temples in Utah a few months later. All the temples in Utah except Vernal & Monticello. That was the most amazing, and funnest time in my life spent with my family. Ever since I got a craving and taste of the temple back when we were sealed in 2003, and having seen all the blessings that result from going I always yearn for more, and never want to stop going. To this day we have continued the tradition of attending the temple no matter what. Whether it's for a purpose, doing work for our ancestors, or just going without any major issue, knowing that our minds are geared towards the temple on a road trip gets the kids more excited. We never need an excuse to go. We just go. Back in Utah it was so easy to just wake up, and drive anywhere from an hour to ten minutes to any temple in the salt lake valley so going twice a week was easy for us. Now that we are two hours away it's kind of impossible to go every week. We try to attend once a month, or every two months, but sometimes that's impossible. It's crazy how the months just fly by, and when we're at the tail end of the month we're like, "we didn't make it to the temple this month (frown)." I know God knows our circumstances in knowing that we can't just drop everything and go. He knows our heart, and desires, and I'm grateful to know of the testimony I have for the temples so that I can pass that on to my kids in hopes that they will always have the desire to attend the temple. Even when they get older, and make dumb mistakes (and they will) I want them to know that it's never too late to fix yourself to keep your goal in knowing that they are WORTHY enough to enter in the temple. 

I'm so grateful that my husband gave this talk because I feel that every single person sitting in the congregation needed to hear that and I hope that they were inspired. Family is the most important thing on this earth, and oh how true that is! I feel it every day as I wake up, and see my daughters off to school. I see it when Noah comes into my room and jumps on my bed with an immediate kiss, and uttering the words "I love you mommy", and having a daughter living 2100 miles away with all the things she is enduring makes me feel it even more. 

The temple is crucial in my life, and out of all the things I have learned in the this church that I belong to, attending the temple is my number one! 

Building and keeping 'spiritual traditions' can really strengthen a family in helping them build their testimony to have so much love for their families, strengthen their personal testimony, be able to endure any trial they may be in, and have an even deeper love for the temple. I'm happy to hear that all my girls have a goal to marry in the temple so far, and my hope is that someone chaste, and worthy will take them inside because they deserve someone who sees them as something of divine worth...because they are. 

our first real tree.

In all the years I've been married I have never thought about buying a real tree. Ever! We have always bought them. The first year we were married we were so poor that my in laws gave us one of their old   artificial trees which we used for the first five years of our married life, and then we decided to buy one of our own at Garden Ridge when we moved to San Antonio. I had also purchased three trees which varied in height to represent the storybook The Three Trees and have always put those up as a tradition. We have had the same trees for years, and you know what? I'm kind of tired of them. The fact that they are artificial, and almost 14 years old is no good. They are falling apart, and so this year we bid farewell to all of them except one (we kept the smaller one for Noah.) Glad to have fond memories of our three trees from past Christmases.

While we'll still read the book about the three trees, and keep our mini artificial tree we have started a new tradition in buying a real tree! Sad that I'm starting this late in my married years while having an 18 year old, but I have always learned that it's never to late to start traditions. 

So this past weekend we went out to go tree hunting, and the kids were excited! 

I can't even begin to tell you how emotional I was while being out with my family while choosing it. I had no memories of my own ever picking out a tree with my mother because she mostly owned an artificial one. Then again there were times when we had no Christmas. Seriously...none. No cookies for Santa, no christmas stories to tell, and no gifts under the tree. The fact that I'm doing this with my kids now is my memory telling me that I was okay with hardly having any Christmases. Truly okay, because I'm making Christmas happen with my family. 

But I'm so thrilled that we got a real tree y'all! I mean super duper thrilled! I had to convince Jon into buying a real one though. I think he was a little nervous about the whole keeping it watered, fire hazard thing. I'm sure it's not that hard to maintain a live Christmas tree for a few weeks. 

^^ little red moccasins ^^

One memory I do recall my mother having a real tree was when i was in my teens (can't remember what age.) I was really impressed at how green, and alive she kept it. She probably could have planted it in our backyard clear after Christmas and into the new year if she wanted to. One great thing about my mother is she had a green thumb like no other! That woman could plant, and keep anything alive! 

I am just so happy that we finally have a real tree, and that she's up and ready to show herself off. She smells so good, and I am so pleased that I have started this tradition with the family. Why, oh why I never started this earlier is beyond me. Wish I started this tradition when we first got married instead of now while having two teenagers, but I've learned that it's never to late to start traditions. 

And on this day we did! 

My kids have now told me that once they are on their own with families that they too will also start a tradition of going tree hunting as a family. 

traditions matter.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYC-2012

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and no matter how busy times can get for us with baking, carpooling, shopping, tending to sick kids, attending numerous school concerts, piano/violin recitals, church parties, church activities, doctors appointments, a two and a half hour drive to the temple, a trip to NYC, weddings anniversary, birthdays, visiting teaching, seeing the Bishop for Tithing settlement, attending all your church meetings, etc...we always manage to squeeze in a family photo to send to our dear friends and family.

I remember when I was a little girl I would always see my mother put pen to paper to write letters, and send Christmas cards to her friends and family. She would write her heart out to her cousin in Las Vegas (still does to an extent), and in return would retrieve numerous family photos of friends. I was impressed, and learned from her example.

Seeing numerous cards on a mantle made us feel loved, and it still does when I receive them today.

As each year passes we seem to get fewer cards (I have to blame technology for that), and as that happens I always tell myself that I am not going to send out as much.

Wrong!

Even though I put our yearly Christmas photo on face book, and on my blog, I still manage to send cards to those we love, and the ones who don't do the whole card thing can just view it through social media.

Sending cards has always been a huge tradition in our family, and I will never stop sending them. Even when postage increases I will find a way to afford that! I have cards galore saved in a box from previous years, and it's so interesting to see how much our friends, and families change throughout the years.

That tradition matters to me, and all of those photos are priceless memories.

May we continue to build more Christmas memories this year. It truly is the best season of all!