December 2023 - Orem Temple Open House, Giving Machines, New Year's Eve

Orem Temple Open House

December was packed full of so much goodness that I would be sad not to record it. The Orem Temple Open House went for many weeks in November and December. I kept telling myself I needed to find a time to take everyone and go, but it was a crazy, busy month. The older two boys went with their Young Men's group, so it was just Jonathon, Hyrum, and me that still wanted to see it. The days passed, and finally it was the last day of the Open House. We were busy that day too, but at 5:00 in the evening, I told Jonathon I was going to be spontaneous (for once in my life), and I was going to the Open House right then. If they wanted to come, awesome! They decided to come along, so we quickly got ready. The boys weren't even in their church clothes, which I usually insist upon, but I knew if it didn't happen right then, it wasn't going to happen. We found the parking lot where the busses picked up visitors and caught a ride to the temple. 

It was the most beautiful evening... not too cold and a stunning sunset. The pinks and purples that filled the sky were gorgeous, and I decided that our wait was totally worth it. We got our picture in front of the temple before we went in because I knew that we only had moments left with the perfect sky. 

The inside of the temple was beautiful as well. What struck me most were the cherry blossom stained glass windows. The lower levels only had cherry blossoms, but as you got to the upper levels, bright red cherries began to appear in the glass. They were really lovely and memorable. I'm so glad we made time for the best thing in the midst of a lot of other good things. 

2023 Christmas Card

The Giving Machine

Visiting the Giving Machines at Christmas time has become a tradition for our family. The first year we did it, be bought a goat to help families in Africa. The following year when I asked Christian what he wanted for Christmas he said he didn't really have any ideas for himself, but he really wanted to buy a goat. I loved that so much! We made sure that we bought that goat, and the tradition was born.

This year we waited to go to the Giving Machines until after Christmas when my parents came down so they could go with us. When we asked the kids what they wanted to buy, we weren't surprised when they said a goat. Christian pushed all the buttons on the machine, and when it came time to pay, I was shocked when he pulled out his wallet and bought it with his own money. What an amazing boy he is! We let the other boys choose something, and they both wanted to buy chickens. The vending machines usually don't dispense anything to take a picture with, but there was a worker re-stocking all of the items, and he let us take a picture with our goat and chickens. Such a great Christmas memory!

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was pretty chill this year. Mom and Dad Hill hosted and invited all of the family that live close by. Several people ended up being sick, so the group was smaller than normal. We played games, ate yummy food, the kids watched a movie, and we drank sparkling cider at midnight. If I'm being completely honest, I fell asleep on the couch for about an hour before waking up for the ball drop. The kids, however, made it to midnight... even Hyrum. I think it might have been their first time staying up the whole time because we like to sleep and usually just celebrate at 10:00 pm with the ball dropping in Times Square. On the way home, we got to watch fireworks go off all around the valley. That was pretty neat. 2023 was such an amazing year for our family that I don't know how we can ever top it, but we are going to try. Welcome 2024!