No Plans to Become a Child Photographer

Despite having adorable kids, I couldn't create a successful photo shoot with Charloe's family. They were good sports and got dressed for the event, with our intentions to get a good shot for her Christmas cards. After half an hour of what the kids thought was intentional torture, we finally gave up. Corban tried hard, but most the time that came through in his smile. Brynn just wanted out of there unless she was getting photographed inidividually. I'd give us an A+ for effort! Thanks for the chance anyway, Charloe. Maybe next time we can do your kids more justice!

Tear-Inducing Photos

Who knew an ankle could get so ugly? John came home from basketball over a week ago, writhing in severe pain from rolling his ankle during a church ball game. A doctor was playing with them and had wrapped it in ice before sending him home. We decided to go to the Urgent Care to make sure it wasn't broken. The swelling has caused quite a bit of pain for my kid, but it's hard to get him to take anything for it.

The first few pictures are from the day he got the sprain. The really scary ones are from over a week later, taken Sunday evening. Yikes!

Visiting a Land Far, Far Away

Hello from Utah! It has been such a nice week so far. My brother decided late Sunday evening to accompany my Dad and I to Utah to visit my sister. Charloe has two cute little kids (Corban and Brynn), one of which I hadn't seen since my wedding! John is busy with school and work, so I justified running away to Utah for a few days! We left early Monday morning and made great time, though I didn't enjoy the drive as much as I should. It was beautiful scenery, great snacks and fun company, but I just can't sit that long and be normal! We arrived in Annabella (a tiny town just outside of Richfield where Charloe lives) at 3:15 PM, even after stopping for half an hour for fuel and food. Charloe and her husband, Brian, built their gorgeous home about four years ago. She has it so perfectly decorated, and it's HUGE! This was only my third time seeing it, but it never ceases to amaze me at how beautiful her digs are!

I told Charloe to have a list ready of projects she wanted help with while we were here. Luckily, she took me up on it and put us to work! Tuesday was full of projects inside the house and out, including organizing her storage room, cleaning out the laundry room, organizing the pantry (not forgetting to categorize and alphabetize, of course...you know me!), and recreating the linen closet. I had an absolute blast! We got so much done, which really helped her day-to-day life! And it is so fun to finish projects that give instant results and satisfaction! Thanks for putting me to work, Charloe!

Wednesday was an absolute dream, of which I will write separately.

Thursday, I went to work on the exterior door trims that my Dad had scraped and sanded on Tuesday. When painted the first time four years ago, the wood was still green and would not keep the paint. So I spent the day putting two coats on the trim of her deck door and garage door! They look so nice, and I can say I am officially not a painting virgin any more!

Friday was our lazy day, with all projects completed. We went into "town" and ate delicious Chinese food before going Christmas shopping for the kids so my Dad could get their presents. The Mexican postal service isn't exactly stellar, so he gets everything for them while he is in the States. After arriving back at Charloe's house, we had Stouffer's lasagna with corn and homemade garlic toast. It was a very good meal, but I swear we have eaten constantly. My type of vacation!

Saturday was our drive home, but it seemed to go more quickly than the trip to Utah six days earlier. I was able to get some of my belongings out of my parents' way, and now I have my high school yearbooks again! I am still debating whether to show John...

It was an incredible trip, and I sure enjoyed time with family. That really is why we are all here.