If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

This day came to a close at the spa (thank you, Mom) and there isn't much more I need to say.  The end.  Woke up to a beautiful sun rise at the beach, hung out with my family, hot stone massage at the end.  YES!!! We are having a great time here.  We all needed this break and we are all enjoying it!  Hays has been golfing with Andy and with my dad.  They have all been total beach bums in the ocean and the pool has been fun but definitely holds a distant second to the beach this year! Gabby has lost two teeth since all of these pictures were taken (yesterday) and all of the sudden I have lost my last baby.  It is unbelievable.  Yesterday she was still a little girl and today she is so grown up and I hate it.  I can't believe the difference baby teeth make.  Yesterday she had a couple and today she has none (she still has a few, but most of them are either big teeth or gone and I'm so sad).  My babies are all growing up and it is happening faster than I could have ever i

What a great Christmas Day we have had in Cabo! Gabby went to bed tonight and said, "this is the best Christmas ever!" Nothing in the world beats a day in Cabo with family. We are all so happy here and enjoying vacation with Braner Party of 7 and my parents! Today was a perfect blue sky day and the kids loved playing in the water--pool and ocean! I feel like we all really needed this time away and together so much this year!  Andy has been gone to far off lands and we've all been going in different directions with work and travels and middle school and gymnastics and dance and drums and whatever else.  It has been so nice to just "be" as Andy would say!  I got to get up this morning before the crack of dawn to save chairs (I know, that doesn't really sound like vacation) and it was so beautiful and peaceful hearing the waves and watching the entire sunrise all alone.  It was amazing.  Then I got to hear the kids laugh and laugh with the

BeBe and PaPa (Andy's parents) came to Durango this weekend for a Braner Family Christmas and we packed their time while they were here!  They drove in just in time for Maggie's sixth grade chior concert and we didn't rest until they pulled out of the driveway this morning!  Friday was filled with three Christmas parties, a sixth grade hot air balloon launch and an eight grader who skipped school to hit the slopes!  Saturday was "Christmas" and it was filled with presents and laughter.  After presents, we headed to an art studio where the whole family painted.  It was so much fun!  I think that was one of the highlights of my year!  Last night we danced the night away to Wii Just Dance 4.  It was magical!  We moved all the furniture, found four working remotes and had a family dance off for hours.  Overall, it was a fantastic Christmas weekend and I am so thankful they made the effort to come!

Since this blog will end up being my memory book, I wanted these pictures to make it. They are from Andy's trip to Iraq. This is another picture of Andy being interviewed on Iraqi TV.  Andy had some great conversations with the reporter and I think she is going to send her kids to Kivu this summer! Andy and Andrew taking notes (maybe?) during one of the general assembly sessions. These are the guys Andy traveled with.  The man standing by Andy is Carl.  Carl was the moderator for one of the sessions and he wrote this on his blog afterwards.  Well I managed to make some secular left-wing Europeans angry as $@&# today. Haven't seen someone that mad at me in a long time! All I did was talk about God and the power of forgiveness found in Jesus. They were horrified that I'd bring "that stuff" into a political conference and use my "Chairman" position to do it. Guess who lined up to tell me thank you? Yep. All the Muslims. Strange world

Well, the Nutcracker was a two day event as was snowboarding!  So, I have pics from Day Two!  I have to thank Lesley for the snowboarding pictures because I didn't get to go up with the kids and I have to t hank several other moms for the Nutcracker pictures because I am a rule follower and I was too afraid to take any pictures! Gabby and I had a pre-show lunch date while the kids went to the mountain.