Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I saw a poll in the news the other day saying that only 1 in 3 Americans said that 2022 was a great year. There have certainly been a lot of struggles happening around the world inside and outside of our country. However, Kathryn and I looked back through 2022 and considered on the amazing progress our kids have made, and the good things we’ve done and the places we’ve gone, we both felt that 2022 was a great year for our family. We are mindful of all the the people struggling and feeling sad and pray that their situations can improve and that we can be agents of good in our spheres of influence to lift and help those that we can.

One of the ways that I love to count my many blessings is through pictures. They help me freeze special moments and remember the joy and excitement of each moment.

Placing the star on the tree. This year, it was Zoey’s turn. She did a wonderful job.

Gingerbread houses

Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It was a wonderful program and a really cool moment to have everyone light up their phones for one of the numbers.

Cute girlz

Compliments to the chef!

A Christmas Carol presented by the Hale Center Theater. Wonderfully done and very touching.

Caramel sauce for days. Actually all for neighbors. Highly praised.

Wikki Stix craftiness

Behind the scenes Christmas magic making caught on camera.

Christmas Eve with the Hawkers. Amazing dinner and party hosted by Suzanne and Tim.

Christas Eve jammies

Darling

Grins and dimples

Elegant

Holiday Cheermeister

Christmas morning anticipation

Wide eyed wonder while soaking everything in.

Wide eyed excitement dreaming of being a super star

Making doggy treats

Sharing doggy treats with all the neighborhood dogs

Read-a-thon

Sledding

In-n-out outing

Spanish Fork Festival of Lights

Lemon-Blueberry Streusel Pie

New Years Eve dance party

Fashionistas

Kacho Dawg

Welcome 2023!

Watch out for this one

Good night. See you next year.

Thanksgiving, 2022 with Grandma Nancy and Gerald Tews.

Through some extenuating circumstances, this year we had a really special opportunity to spend some extra time with Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Gerald over Thanksgiving break. Mom was sick and couldn’t host and Kevin wasn’t feeling well, so Stan stayed in New Mexico to be there with him. And then Ashley and Eliza slept over at Josie’s house. So, we had lots of special time with Grandma and Grandpa.

The shooting crew.

I remember eating Thanksgiving dinner at this table when I was this size.

And then graduating to this spot when I was a little bigger.

And then finally graduating to the adult table.

Dessert time!

YUM!

Playing a Thankful game after dinner. Some tender time.

Cousin veg out after dinner.

The Geralds napping after dinner.

Zoey and Aunt Josie.

Card games in the loft. It’s so fun to see our kids do some of the same things we did.

We are so thankful for our family. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t all be together, but we really enjoyed this special opportunity this year.

Kathryn made such a lovely cake. And that 3D printed topper is pretty cool too.

Zoey did not think it was appropriate to eat cake on the floor.

Once placed in a proper eating spot, she was much happier.

November is a double birthday month now. Zoey has turned 1, and Ashley has turned 9. On Zoey’s birthday, we whisked her off on a long car ride down to see cousin Lily get blessed. She was amazing and such a good girl in the car.

Here we are opening some presents before heading out.

Then her birthday cake the next day at Stan and Mel’s house.

Ashley quite enjoyed the ride down to New Mexico. Landon and Eliza rode the whole way down with Mom and Dad, and she and Zoey came with us in our car. That meant she basically had us all to herself for the day, and she took great advantage of opportunity to plan a pretty cool science themed birthday party.

Ashley’s birthday morning. In a twist, we did not have German Pancakes for breakfast, but instead had chocolate croissants and scrambled eggs.

So stylish.

Instead of cake for the party, we had German pan-CAKEs. As one of the friends was asking for seconds or possibly thirds, she said this was the best birthday cake she had ever had!

We learned about the periodic table, elements, and played with carbon dioxide in it’s three states. Solid (dry ice for the root beer), liquid (dissolved in the root beer), and gaseous (cold white clouds, fiz, and blowing up balloons with vinegar and baking soda reactions).

The other thing we did that was probably my favorite experiment was to boil a red cabbage and collect it’s purple juice which is a pH indicator. Then we experimented with different acids and bases changing the color and then changing it back. I practiced ahead of time and had a bit of a show I went through. So fun!