2015 three hundred sixty-five

Mick & I chaperoned the youth New Year's Eve dance to celebrate the changing of the years!  We were in charge of the dart throwing game & had fun with hundreds of awesome teenagers coming in & out all night trying to earn candy or gift cards to Taco Bell by popping one or more of the balloons with a colored paper inside.  Abby rode over with us & was the hugest trooper trying to get to know so many new faces.  Cade held down the fort with the littles at home & they were all fast asleep well before midnight.

I cannot believe another year is over.  The sun has set on 2015.

(Thanks for the photo credit earlier today, Abby, it is perfect!)

One of my all time favorite poems (I'm not sure who the real author is...) sums up the wonderful life I'm living in spite of the many necessary hard times! 

The Weaver

My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me.

I cannot choose the colors

He weaveth steadily.

Oft' times He weaveth sorrow;

And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper

And I the underside.

Not 'til the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Will God unroll the canvas

And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the weaver's skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;

Nothing this truth can dim.

He gives the very best to those

Who leave the choice to Him.

2015 three hundred sixty-four

Weaver Girls Favorite Things Breakfast!

Thanks for the idea, Rhonda, & for picking up the tab for all of us, Mom!  We need a sisters trip.  It's been way too long!

 

2015 three hundred sixty-three

I've lost count of how many of my nieces & nephew's weddings I've had the privilege of attending, (one was even before my own wedding by a few months!) but today I kind of freaked out because Sammy is my "peer" sister's son.  That means this kind of huge event could be right around the corner for us!!

Anyways, how cute are these two!
Mr. Sam & Mrs. Emma Pollock

Sammy's going in for another kiss! 
Breezers & Brooklyn are front & center!

 
Even though it was freeezing, Bree looked so cute we had to brave the cold for a quick photo shoot.

Cutest Cousins

 We're going to have quite the collection of pictures for these girls someday

Yes, those are hoverboards at the temple. They didn't ride them on the grounds, but they made an appearance at all the wedding events!  Cal didn't understand why he couldn't ride one when they were just sitting there!

Abigail the Great

Me & my girl

 Cal sporting his favorite-the orange puffy coat.

 Reception Fun!

These two.  Incredible incredible girls who looked way too grown up all weekend! 

Emma is so talented!  She knows how to combine thrifty & classy.  I admire that quality a lot.  The whole reception down to the last detail was planned by her.  The girls loved coloring her hand drawn pages about them.

Sparkler send off!  Congratulations, guys! Have fun in Mexico!  We're excited to see what life has in store for you!

 

2015 three hundred sixty-two

Twinner cousins with some hoverboard moves

& Stunting Success

 

2015 three hundred sixty-one

Farewell for Elder Ryan Sutch
Buenos Aires, Argentina Mission

His talk sounded more like a Homecoming one...
He really is special & we LOVE this guy! (he's the one in the back right corner)

 These creative cousins worked on a melodrama all afternoon.
They always manage to end up wrapped in Grandma Margaret's fabric/dress ups when we're there.

After coming up with an original plot & filming every scene until it was perfect, they finally sat down to watch the final version.

 One big bonus about visiting the Sutch's is they're bound to have puppies around since they breed dogs.  This works out well for our Puppy Lover!

2015 three hundred sixty

This morning my Mom, the kids, & I got up early & made the long, icy drive to Utah for Sammy's wedding & Ryan's farewell. When we made it-we were all so excited to see each other we could hardly contain ourselves.

Anny's house was busting at the seams with guests.  A few cousins received these mini segways that were the HIT & really fun to ride!

2015 three hundred fifty-nine

Christmas 2015

The kids all slept in Cal's room & thankfully stayed in their room 

until 6:55 am, as instructed!  

Breelyn has been begging Santa through letters for two years straight (yes, even in the off season) to wrap the presents that he brings.  Although this is not how he prefers to do things, he listened to a little girl's constant plea & wrapped every last gift the Tomany kids received this year! (4 sleds, 2 bikes, a fishing pole, you get the picture) What a guy!  I bet Mrs. Claus helped a WHOLE WHOLE LOT!

 Opening Presents...

 

 This fuzzy coat was her favorite!

 Cal picked Abby's name & he worked hard to find the movie, The Giver, that she wanted really bad!!  
He was so proud of her reaction.

The kids pooled their dollars for this garbage can on wheels for Mick's shop.  They ordered it on Amazon so it was nearly impossible to keep a secret when it was delivered haha!

He was pumped!

It was so nice having Grandma with us!!

In the early afternoon, we were invited to go to the Hymas's house (around the corner) with a few other families for 4-wheeling, sledding, driving the Razor, & hot cocoa.  It was dreamy with all the fresh snow & nothing on the schedule but being together.

Bree's first time!  She was a pro.

Abs is lookin' too cute there!!

Cal, another first timer, was a maniac, & after one break inside, he was the last one to come in!  
He loved it so much.

It was tough to get a clear picture of Cade zooming by.

When the kids were worn out hiking the hill to sled, we pulled them around behind a four wheeler.

 The Carters got this razor for Christmas (today) & were so amazing to share.  They even let Cade & Abby drive all over the mountain.  Such a fun memory for them!

It's always hard to believe when another Christmas comes & goes.

We have been so blessed & although this move has been excruciating for a few of us, we're so glad we have each other & a loving Heavenly Father & Savior, Jesus Christ, beside us every step of the way.

Merry Christmas & I'm sure I'll barely blink & I'll be catching up on next year's Christmas post on the blog!

2015 three hundred fifty-eight

Christmas Eve on Cloverdale Ct.

Getting ready for the big dinner is a LOT of work

(for some of us)

These two puzzle lovers started in the morning & had this one all put together before we had to set the table!

Dinner is Served!

Traditional ham, funeral potatoes, asparagus & homemade rolls

 Looking fancy & ready to toast our Martinellis Sparkling Cider!

Costco Ham with the yummy glaze! 

I was very excited to use this china tonight!  My Dad bought it when he was in Japan in the army & I grew up eating Christmas & Thanksgiving Dinners off of it.  I feel lucky to have it passed down to my family!  I LOVE it, the story behind it, & all the cracks & missing pieces.

I don't have even one picture, but after dinner we had a great program!  First, the kids did their prepared piano pieces, poems, etc.  Earlier in the month we found a Christmas program online that was a twist on our usual Nativity reading from Luke 2.  It had different quotes, scriptures & songs & was supposed to move along seamlessly.  A couple weeks ago everyone was assigned their parts & all of us were practicing & preparing for the real deal.  It turned out incredible & the spirit was so strong!  At the end, we had a testimony meeting that just naturally focused on the Atonement.  It was one of those rare experiences where heaven & earth collided for just a moment.  I hope we can recreate it again next year!

By this time, the kids were dying to find out their reindeer names & open their one present!  Ok-here we go! Mick-Blitzen, Me-Vixen, Grandma-Cupid, Abby-Prancer, Cade-Donner, Bree-Rudolph & Callahan-Comet

Youngest to oldest, we opened our Christmas Eve jammies

Ta Dah!  Everyone says TWO thumbs up with their new jams!

This picture is a keeper!

 

After the kids had been asleep for hours, Santa, Mrs. Claus, & the reindeer were hard at work.  They earned every last bite of carrot and cookies/milk!