December highlights!

The holidays felt a bit different this year with Sage being away on her mission and Ty and Ash being away in Idaho, not to mention there was a bit of a dark cloud over us having just learned mom's cancer diagnosis. But we tried not to let any of that stop the holiday cheer from being alive and well in our home!  Here are a few of the highlights!

It wouldn't be Christmas without our annual photo with Santa! What was supposed to be a tradition that ended once Sage graduated from high school continues which has made me very happy!  It was only meant to be a shopping trip before saying goodbye to Ty and Ash before they took off to Idaho for the holidays but somehow we ended up at Cabellas's which happens to be where we have gotten our photo the last few years. It must have been meant to be though because when I had checked online for a photo appt. there were none available but the kind young man confirming reservations allowed us to go standby and within a few minutes we were in!  I was so excited they were able to accommodate us that I forgot to ask them to also take a photo with my camera!  So here is our photo of a photo.  Boy did we laugh when we saw Ty with his hand on Connor's shoulder.  hahaha!

The view from our home of all of the holiday lights with a beautiful sunset in the distance...

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Connor feeling like an only child for the first time in his life! ha! (besides the two minutes he was with us before Ty entered the world...)

Dinner and a doze...

Sean making his appearance just in time for a photo...

A great week full of family gatherings. How strange it was to not have Boston and Preston and Sage, Ty and Ash with us!

New Year's Eve! And mom getting a bit excited over the sparkling cider!  Oh what would we do without mom's happy spirit and positive attitude. She truly is the glue in our family.

Praying 2026 is the year mom kicks cancer's butt. So grateful for each and every day we have with her. "Each day is a gift, that's why it's called the present."

A getaway to Florida...

Sadly, our trips back to our Florida home continue to be few and far between. It seems hard to believe knowing how much we love it there but between a dog, Jack's job, my parent's health, and how much we enjoy Utah, it really has not been as easy as we had hoped.  In fact most of our visits have felt a bit more forced where we've needed to get out there whether it be to check on something or fix something. Not to mention we can't help but ask ourselves when we do have some time to get away, is Florida at the top of the list?  But each time we return we are quickly reminded how much we do love it.  Whether it be the weather, the memories that flood our minds as we arrive, or the fact it feels like we've returned home, it has our hearts and we have not yet gotten to the point that we are ready to part with it.

So with only one week in Florida under our belt this year it was time for a visit and what not a better time than in November when Utah is looking quite drab, with no snow, no leaves, and cold temps! 

Now if only all my flower planters could figure out a way to take care of themselves for the 95% of the year that I'm not there.  But until I get that figured out, the backyard blues will have to be the primary focus!

Fall fun!

 From fall football to fall colors...it's a great time to be in Utah!

Always so fun watching the boys play flag football.  Even a little more exciting when they are teamed up against some of our dear friends' twin boys who are freshman at BYU.  Old men against the young ones! 

Taking mom and dad for a drive through the canyon to see the fall colors... 

Tis the season for pumpkins and parties!  Love how Ty organizes fun get togethers at the house!

And of course there is always time for fall golf...

A road trip to Flagstaff!

We did it. We surprised Linda for her birthday! It just worked out that her birthday fell on a weekend that we didn't have anything going on and Connor was back from his internship so we jumped in the car and made the drive to Flagstaff. Jack and I can count on both hands (if we're lucky) how many road trips we've taken since we've been married that have been longer than a couple hours and this would count as one of them. Connor and I had never been to Flagstaff and it was a nice drive with some cool things to see along the way.  While the trip was quick we had a nice time and I have no doubt Linda enjoyed her surprise!

As we made our way to Flagstaff there were a couple ways that branched off that you could take to get there, this way looked a bit more interesting.  This area is called Marble Canyon.

Grandma Roddy's home in Flagstaff!  Thankfully she didn't suffer a heart attack when she opened up the door and found us all there.  After taking her out for a birthday dinner, doing some yard work and surprising her with some outdoor landscape lighting it was time for our journey back home!  

On the way home we came through Lake Powell.  So crazy how different the landscape can be within a few hours of driving.

And I'm pretty certain it had been since before Jack and I were married that I had seen the Manti temple!  How beautiful is this!