Christmas 2015 and New Years 2016

Christmas is always highly anticipated around here.  We did our best to celebrate in all the right ways. 

 

We made cookies and tried to keep up with our 25 Days of Christ.

We had a party, the only pictures of which are of two of the smaller guests.

We were the lucky recipients of a pretty elaborate 12 Days of Christmas.  One night we opened our front door to find a bowl of 5 goldfish.  The kids were ecstatic but Dan, picturing the high probability of tears at the first floater, immediately told them the life span of a goldfish is about a week, just to head off any future disappointment.

By Christmas Eve we flushed the last one.  It was fun while it lasted.

The kids in their Christmas Eve jammies.  

And on Christmas Morning, before going downstairs...

I don't know what happened but I didn't take many pictures of the present opening action.  But I did get Jack in his pool of balls when he finally woke up.

Finn's greatest treasure was the garbage truck from Grandma Linda and Grandpa Don.

We were so lucky to have my parents with us.

The only thing I wanted from my parents for Christmas was for my mom to help me with the basement.  So we dressed up in our shower caps and painted the ceilings.

And the walls, and an entertainment center.

My mom is seriously the best though.  We spent an evening scouring the Goodwills nearby for items that could be decorative but not fragile, since the basement is home to a lot of roughhousing and football throwing.  We found some wreaths that seemed promising but decided to sleep on it.  By morning, when we decided they were perfect, and the only thing that would work, and that we just had to have them, and we showed back up at the Goodwill, they were gone! After sadly walking through the store in disbelief, I spied them in someone else's shopping cart.  

And that's when the magic happened.  I begged my mom to try to go buy them off of the woman and she agreed to try.  But I was literally so embarrassed I hid in the shoe section and after about 5 minutes, she showed back up with the wreaths hanging off her arm.  

My basement and I will be forever grateful.  These after pictures would be way more awesome if they were sitting next to some before's.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take them.

Besides the painting, shelf hanging, wreath stealing, and pillow sewing, we made decorative shutters that we ended up using more like cornices because we liked the height it gave to our low ceiling-ed room.

We also managed to squeeze in a date to the new Star Wars movie.  My mom was a fan of the recliners.

Luke finished his Kylo Ren ship in just a few days.

Ava enjoyed getting to hang out with one of the young women in our ward who gave her a little makeover.

And then we rung in the new year with games, food, and friends who have become very dear to us, the Manuele's.

The next morning Max looked how we all felt as he laid like this for a good 30 minutes.

But life is good.  I haven't yet gotten tired of our house being the track for all the plasma cars we got for Christmas, especially when they pass through with a chubby shirtless hitchhiker.

Sunday (Monday) Sermon

I've been feeling for quite some time to get back to recording more of my spiritual feelings because those are the things I really want my kids to know about me.

Last week at our YW presidency meeting, the agenda read:  

Spiritual Thought-Elise

I had written the agenda days before so it wasn't as if this was a surprise or anything. But minutes before the meeting, I remembered that I had not prepared one and I racked my brain for something to share. 

I came up completely blank. I had nothing. I was tired. Dan had been gone for 4 days. Of course Finn had been plagued by nightmares since he left and the night before, even though she hasn't missed the toilet in a few years, Ava threw up all over the tower of books beside her bed. Have you ever cleaned chunks of vomit from the metal coils of your child's precious spiral bound sketchbook in the middle of the night? I can't recommend it. 

There I stood in the kitchen before the meeting, devoid of nearly all thought and especially those of a spiritual nature, ready for the first knock of arrivals, and decided that tonight was my lucky night since I was running the meeting, we would just skip Spiritual Thought-Elise. 

And we did. 

But in the morning, my heart wasn't happy. It's not that I felt those who attended the meeting had missed out on my "valuable insight". Valuable or not, I had missed out on it. I had missed out on the opportunity to be taught by the spirit.

I like Spritual Thought Elise way better than No Spiritual Thought Elise.

Without even much effort (and probably more like a little present from God) my mind landed on a little picture I had recently seen. And I composed the following text to my dear comrades:

I woke up feeling guilty about not having a spiritual thought last night. Yesterday was not my finest day in many ways 😑 I came across this meme a week or so ago and I have thought about it off and on ever since.

 It reminds me of a quote that I heard in an institute class when I was in college-"most people only accept enough of the gospel to make themselves miserable." I have no idea who said it but it has stuck with me all these years. It has helped me maintain a perspective about the commandments, the meetings, the service, and my overall commitment to Jesus Christ. The majority of the time, I am happy for all of those things. I love the gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. My service to them does not feel like a burden it feels like a privilege and opportunity to express my love back to them. And to meet and love people along the way. But that is not to say that occasionally I don't have feelings of irritation or of being overwhelmed by aspects of the gospel. However, it has been helpful to me to be able to remember that quote and the idea behind that meme, and realize, if I'm feeling miserable about any of it, I'm not doing it right. Not only that, when I recommit myself, not only do I change my attitude, I open myself to more direct access to the atonement and am more fully open to receive the power I have been endowed with by God in the temple to help me accomplish my desires and feel peace along the way. So there you go. A day late spiritual thought :) 

And then I hit send. 

They were appreciative and kind. 

And best of all, I learned some things. 

A late thought is better than no thought. 

The times we feel far from the spirit are the times to dig in deeper, even, no especially, if we don't feel like it. 

 "If ye will draw near unto me, I will draw near unto you"

And with infinite patience, even if we are tired, or lazy, hurt, or obstinate, He waits for us, always. 

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

The fact that this card exists is its own Christmas miracle! We love you! And we have loved receiving your Christmas cards over the years.  Facebook and Instagram help us keep in touch but there is something fun about opening your mailbox and finding more than bills and advertisements.Your friendship and love, as well as the love of our Savior Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate, keep and sustains us through our days.  Merry, Merry Christmas!

Dan reached his 5 year anniversary with his current company this year and earned a handheld Dyson vacuum cleaner.  He was actually really excited about it and so was I.  If that is not an indicator of the current status of our life, I don't know what is. He maintains the title of Best Dad Ever and serves in the Elder's Quorum presidency at church.  And while most of his other interests have been eaten by small children, he is still passionate about two things: Me and BYU football.  (The order varies by season.)

I am trying my darndest to keep 5 kids alive, homeschool Ava, and serve as the Young Women's president.  So far, so good.  Colorado is starting to feel like home and that is a welcome feeling.

Ava is 10.5 years old and in the fifth grade as we finish up our first full year of homeschooling.  She is simultaneously the troublemaker, the goody-goody, the class clown, and the teacher's pet.  She is an amazing artist and horseback rider and she is making my wildest dreams come true by being able to watch some of her brothers for short periods of time or while they're napping.  She's my right hand gal and I couldn't get along without her.

Luke is 8.  He is quiet and studious and loves school. He is a whiz at math, puzzles, and cup stacking.  He recently started piano lessons as his 3rd soccer season came to an end.  He got baptized this year and does a pretty good job at being the biggest brother.

Max, 6, is charming, and talkative, and oh so stubborn.  He started half day kindergarten this fall and think's it's pretty ok.  He is enjoying learning to read and write and leaves us notes taped all over the house.  He also finished up his 1st soccer season and loved it, mostly for the end-of-game treats and because it was a great arena for his pretend play.  He never knew where the ball was or what was going on, but he ran, and jumped, and yelled, and loved to watch how fast his own feet were moving.

Finn is the epitome of 2.  He's either wooing us with cutest, funniest little sayings and voice or he's making us want to pull out our hair.  He loves to pretend and sing and go to Costco.  He LOVES nursery at church and says he's ready for preschool.  He colors on the walls and still won't use the potty.

Jack is one! His first year has flown by.  He just barely started sleeping through the night.  He finds crawling very efficient and seems to have no interest in walking.  The kids keep begging for a dog and I keep trying to point out that Jack basically fits the bill.  In fact, I don't think we'd ever find one as cute.

We hope this letter finds you all well and happy.  Please know that we are sending along our best wishes!

Much Love,
The Coltons

14 Years

At 19 and 22 years old, how could we have known what we were getting into? We've basically grown up together. Our last 14 years have been stuffed with so much laughter and they drip with so many tears (mostly from me and the kids.) This life has been more fun, more intense, more crazy, more difficult, and more joyful than I ever could have imagined. And that's all I want of you, Dan Colton--more. 

Happy Anniversary to us!

Old Pictures

One of my favorite things about staying at my parents was pouring through boxes and albums of old pictures. Here are a few of my favs.

Aaron.

Me at some school concert.  I loved my perm.

Me in the outfit my parents brought me from Hawaii.  I remember feeling absolutely beautiful.

Me, school picture, 1988  I think.

Me, again.

And again.

And again.

I'm not posting all of these of myself because their my favorite.  Mostly because I want them for my kids to see.

Here's baby Ava.

My great grandmother. The mother of my dad's mother. I can see myself in her face.

My grandfather and his sister, middle and left.

Me and my sisters.

All of us minus Aaron.

My mom and her grandfather, Ellis

My mom and her parents, Anne and Jewel.

My mom and her brother, sister, and Dad.

Me.

Aaron holding me.

All of us minus Bret.

Sideways with Mimi.

In Hawaii.

Me and my cousin Austin

Me.

My mom and her sister, Ashley

Mommy Vacation 2015

Dan is the sweetest little pumpkin around.  He sent me off to my parent's for some R&R.  It was blissful.


I got to see my Dad's new pride and joy.

I enjoyed my room with a view. And slept in as long as I wanted.

We walked around the farm and it had been quite a few years since I'd been there.

 After quite a bit of searching through the overgrowth, we finally found the initial tree.

I love my parents so, so much.

There are just a handful of people on this earth that know the good me and the bad me and fun me and the sad me and the nice me and the mean me.  And these are two of them.  And they love me for it. And I love them for it.

Wintertime still boasts beautilul sunsets on the lake.

Mom and I worked on this family tree she wanted for her upstairs room.

I think it turned out pretty great.

The other wonderful thing about my trip was that I got to spend a lot of time with my Mimi.  Dementia is stealing her from us one day at a time.  And I am ever so grateful for each of those days I get to have with her before she goes.