SMALL PRAYERS ANSWERED!

From mom:

Hey! Just thinking of you and hoping you get your baptism this Saturday! 

Love 

Mom 

From Eli:

Thank you momma I really appreciate it! Last night was rough and I prayed for support and just more strength in general, and you and Lydia both texted me today. Did you guys plan that?

From mom:

Not even in the slightest!!!! That’s the Lord answering your prayers!!! The thought came to my mind to email you, so I did! I went to the temple today with Sara and put your name on the prayer roll 

From Eli:

Thank you mom I really appreciate it and thanks for listening to that prompting. Love you guys so much! Talk to you sunday!

From dad:

I’m glad Mom follows her promptings. Hang in there Eli. The Lords loves you. You’re being refined to be a better servant for Him. Love you

From Eli:

Im glad she follows them too, also thank you dad, im working on being the servant I need to be and its getting better. Love you guys a lot!!

MY BIRTHDAY!

 My birthday was a good one like always! I got up and went to the gym with Amber, then after I came home and got ready, Jared and I took off to accomplish my whole page I had of errands to run! We grabbed some lunch, got some gifts, got some bday freebies, picked up dinner for me, Jared, Emma, Hunter & Tyson while we sat at home and watched Tyler's game live on tv! Then we got to talk to Eli for a few minutes on my day and ended it with an ice cream cake! Love spending time with my family! Especially with making Jared come with me on my lists with no eye rolls or sighing! BEST DAY EVER!

Email from Eli:
Happy birthday momma, I love you so much and cant wait to give you a giant bear hug in 1.5 years!! You are the best mom ever and a perfect example for me and what i need to be as a son! I dont wanna say too much because itll make you and me cry whole typing it but just know I love you! Almost ima use this picture and say happy birthday on messenger

THANKSGIVING!

 We were supposed to go to Nate's cabin for Thanksgiving, but with all the rain last week and everything we canceled it and just kept it at Nate's house. We dropped a turkey off at our neighborhood fire pit turkey so we could eat it tomorrow! Yesterday I decided I wanted to keep up the Turkey Trot tradition and talked Emma, Hunter & Della into doing it with me and Jared! We got up and did that and then came home and made food for Jensen Thanksgiving...went over there and ate food, hung out with family, watched Nash, Tyler and Tyson bond and then they all played Left, Right, Center - Hudson won the $66 pot! Then we came home, people took naps and then we got to talk to Eli! His Bishop's wife was outside so he hurried out there so we could talk to her and he translated for us...it was so amazing to hear him speaking spanish, to get to talk to this lady and I cried with a full heart getting to talk to her! Then it was time to hang up with Eli and I cried....I miss him! 

DELLA UPDATES!

 Just cute pictures of our cute little Della Girl! Hanging out with Pop Pop, holding Elder Eli's picture & Gam Gam helping her suck her thumb! 

ELI'S PERU MOMMAS!

 I am missing Eli very much lately... probably with it being the Holiday season and all our family traditions....Well these 2 ladies have my whole heart as I know they take care of my boy in Peru when I cant. I wanted so badly to show them some small form of my gratitude for them and so Jared and I ordered flowers for them and he was able to deliver it to them for me. I cried tears of joy when I got to see pictures of him with these ladies. I have never met them, but I love them so much! 

Hermana Mimi (the Bishop's wife who lives above him and makes him Sunday dinners and then every once and a while her 15 year old son will bring Eli a plate of watermelon or beans and rice at night when he is starving!) and Hermana Alida (his pencinista who cooks all his lunches for him Tuesday - Saturday and does his laundry, she even made sure to treat him to an extra nice lunch on his birthday! 

TYLER'S MISSION PREP COMPLIMENT

 At mission prep they made the youth pair up with another person and you had to go into a different church classroom and share your testimony with 2 adult strangers to practice speaking to them Obviously Tyler didn't want to go, but he went when we made him since we were going to help too. He paired up with Mikey and this is what Julie sent me afterwards:

"Yesterday in Mission Prep we went over the positive feedback from the go and do activity… But this one was specifically for Tyler, and I didn’t read it out loud, but I wanted you to see it and to maybe share it with him…this is what it says…

Tyler Jenson, you have a great spirit. It comes through in your demeanor and eyes. This is vital in communicating your thoughts to those you are teaching. You are humble, but not shy, which is again, a great trait! You are genuine and need to continue to express who you are as that is what we, and other people find interesting!

He was the only one that had it personalized to him!

It’s hard to know if when they leave a class or activity like that if they think it was stupid or if they had a good experience! I know it’s awkward and out of most of their comfort zone, but hopefully it wasn’t horrible for them lol"

This text warmed my heart! I was so proud of him for doing it AND for letting strangers see who he really is! 

TRADITIONAL UNCLE JARED PIGGY BACK PICS!

 One of my fav traditions! Year 10 baby! Almost peed my pants laughing so hard this year...a lot of smashed "jingle bells" this time around! ha ha!