Home For The Holidays - Part 2

Being back in Nebraska for Christmas was wonderful! I was hoping for a little snow but the nice weather was welcomed too. Some things we accomplished:
Looking at Christmas lights
Christmas Eve Mass
Lots of movies
Game Nights (Girls Ruled BTW)
Making Christmas Cookies
Christmas crafts
More catch up with old friends
And just overall quality family time!
Thanks Mom and Dad for making this an AWESOME Christmas!

Catching up with some great friends from high school. I hadn't seen many of them for close to 10 years so it was awesome to catch up. I could have stayed there all night! Let's not wait that long again :)
Christmas Eve at Uncle Gary and Ginny's - A Stanzel Tradition

Christmas Morning!!!
Logan checking out his stocking from Santa
Santa even brought lottery tickets to all the adults!

Our little bow boy
If that's not a "Christmas Morning Look" than I don't know what is! :)
Uncle Jack playing cars with the boys

Our Homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. As you can see I didn't get the picture taken soon enough :)

Home For The Holidays - Part 1

This year I am feeling so blessed!! I was able to go home to Nebraska on the 15th with the boys. It has been so great being back although we have been missing Jeremy. With this trip I have been able to already see several high school girlfriends and 2 college girlfriends and still have plans to see more friends this trip. I can't even explain what seeing all those wonderful women again does for my soul. It is so nice to "pick up where we left off" as one friend put it. Not only has our week been filled with visits for Mommy, it has also been lots of fun for the boys. They have been loving all the extra attention from Gma and Papa and Uncle Jack.

It was great to catch up with you all and I can't wait for the next reunion!
Mandy, Laura, and I
Playing at the park. It might have been chilly but they still had a great time!

Logan and Gma working the marbel set that Jack and I had as kids
Ok so after getting them undressed and ready for bath time, this is what I walk into the bathroom to find. I am sure they will appreciate this picture in the future. Aahhhh Mom!
More digging in Gma's cupboards

Watching Lion King with Gma. She was in Heaven!
Logan and Gma at the Children's Museum plaing with the Ball Maze. It is really neat and in the next picture, Jordy trying to gather/hoard all the ball he could get his hands on. :)

Logan and Papa playing with the camel
Mommy and Logan on the carousel
Gma and Jordy on the carousel. Always a hit!


Now the next part of our vacation begins as Jeremy joins us! We are very ready to have him with us to share Christmas together. I am truly blessed!

Breakfast with Santa

This weekend we had breakfast with Santa! Logan was so excited about it and we all had a great time.
The boys sitting in Santa's chair before he came out
Making an ornament with Dad
We got to meet Mrs. Clause! Logan thought that was pretty neat and he decided to go up and talk to her. Or should I say he walked up to her but got shy and couldn't say anything :)

He walked right up to Santa and said "Hi Santa!" He wasn't shy or scared at all.
Logan sat and listed to the story time for about 2 min . . .
And then decided he needed to stand right in front of Santa. I had to go up there repeatedly and get him to sit down. I think he was just too excited to see Santa.

Boys' Christmas Pics

HP Christmas Party

This year Hensel Phelps's Christmas party was themed "Western"! Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about that but it turned out to be a really fun theme and night!

Before we dropped the boys off at the daycare we got a family "western" picture. They look so thrilled don't they!?!?




Yes Jeremy rode the bull!!! And if I weren't in a dress I would have too! It looked fun!

Random Thoughts

For days and days now I have had random thoughts that I wanted to blog about but they just haven't quite made the priority list on my to do list. Apparently tonight, as my house is a mess and my list has barely been touched these random thoughts are getting to cut to the front of the line. Maybe because I am tired and just don't feel like doing anything except hang out in my bed or maybe because I just feel like writing. By nature I am a writer but I am also extremely scatter-brained (and even more so with 2 small children) so bare with me tonight.


Random Thought 1.
Every year for the last 6 years at this time of year I am flooded with emotions from my past. A past I never in a million years thought I would be this far from. It is so cliche to say that life takes you places you never imagined" but for me it is true. I was an athlete to the core and still am whether I look it or not. But I am now a wife and mother who lives in California. Another thought I never had until it happened. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade a thing that has happened in the last 6 years but man do I miss a lot from back then that I truly took for granted. The smell of sweat in the gym, feeling the burn after an awesome workout with my fellow teammates, the unbelievable passion and drive to win every point, every game. And after watching my Alma-Mater just beat my home state's team in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament I am that much more taken back to those days. I know I shouldn't live in the past but on this night I am living in those memories that I will cherish forever. And somehow, some way I will figure out a way to incorporate my past life into my present in some form or another. We'll let God steer me on that one because right now I am too busy being a mom! ;)

Random Thought 2.
I have been battling whether or not to blog about "x" and for a while I thought I had jinxed "x" because I hadn't mentioned it yet but today "x" did a lot better and so now of course I'm worried that if I do blog about it then I will jinx it. So I won't. That's all I'll say about that. ;)

Random Thought 3.
Tonight I was reminded by someone I am close to how easy God works though us. Simple acts you think no one notices can help someone else and for that I am Thankful. I am reminded that it is not "OUR" plan but "HIS" plan and that we have to trust in that and He WILL take care of us even when we don't understand it. If only this came more naturally. It sure would alleviate a lot of stress wouldn't it?!

Random Thought 4.
I am so super duper excited for Christmas this year. We have had a lot going on lately and I can't wait to get on an airplane (with 2 boys by myself . . .eeeek!)and get to Omaha and then down to KC. Jeremy won't be joining us until the 23rd and we will miss him like crazy but I am beyond ready to be there. With all that has been going on I am not quite in the full Christmas Spirit as I want to be with my little guys. I am working on it and it will for sure be on once we get there! I can't wait!

Be Patient With Yourself

I saw this the other day and it touched me. Although it is not from my faith it is of my faith and a good message for all. It is a reminder to be patient with ourselves.

Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

Our Thanksgiving was very low key this year which was fine by us. We spent the weekend doing lots of leisurely family things, watching movies, going to breakfast, parks, Partyopolis (a jump house place), walks, and starting the Christmas season off with a gingerbread house and Frosty our Elf! It was a wonderful long weekend!
Meet Frosty!!! He arrived at our house about a week ago and we have been so excited to have him here. Logan named him and has been having a blast finding him in his new location every morning. You see Frosty heads to the North Pole every evening to report whether the boys have been naughty or nice that day to Santa. He then returns to a new location in the house the next morning. When Logan does something he shouldn't and I am disciplining him, he says "Frosty don't do that". To him that means that was naughty and I shouldn't do that because Frosty might tell Santa. ;)

Fun times at Partyopolis!



Logan and Mommy making the first Gingerbread house of the season!