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If we take care of the moments...

 


...the years will take care of themselves. (Maria Edgeworth)

What a reminder that life is full of little moments. It's the collection of these moments that make my life extraordinary. And this space reminds me of all the ordinary moments I treasure so much. Another year is coming to a close. 

Winter break is upon us. In years past it was easy to miss the joy of the holiday season. With little ones, we work hard to create holiday magic for them. Things like Santa and our Elf on the Shelf, Finland. With a house full of teens and young adults, Finland didn't appear till Christmas Eve when I realized the shelf looked oddly empty. 

My favorite reminder of time gone by is the photo just behind Finland of the kids so little. Lorelei is just eight months old in that photo. My sweet babies are now kind and caring young people. 

November was filled with many of the usual Boyen activities. We are creatures of habit. 

Thanksgiving...Food, family, puzzles, and conversation at my parent's house. 








The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas blur by. We squeeze in so many things: holiday celebrations, shopping, doctor's appointments, and more. But I'm most excited to share Savannah's big news...

She's finished with her BS in Neuroscience and we couldn't be prouder. She treated herself and Jandro to a celebration vacation in San Francisco. Her last official day of class/finals was December 8. Then she and Jandro headed to the West Coast. They had a fabulous time in San Francisco!




Earlier this week we headed to Austin to see lights and to grab her graduation gear. UT Austin only has one ceremony a year in May, so that's when she will walk, but we wanted to mark this month as her completion! She graduated in 3 1/2 years and that first year was virtual from home because of Covid! She sure did persevere!



One of my favorite parts of winter break is time with each of the kids. 




We squeezed in multiple doctor's and dentist appointments. Lorelei is doing amazingly! She got the go-ahead from the orthopedic to come just once a year now for her scoliosis. Her spinal fusion is looking great, no broken rods. 



Christmas Eve and Day were full of tradition and family.  We spent Christmas Eve at home during the day, wrapping presents and prepping food for my parent's house. We headed to Nana and Papa's for fun appetizers (10 with cheese) and just hanging out. 

Look...with the girls' help, all the presents were wrapped before we left for my parents. That's only happened a couple times. 










Savannah pre-made cookie dough so they could roll out some freshly baked sugar cookies. 



We opened stockings and a few small gifts.




When we got home, Lorelei couldn't wait to give Savannah her gift! A super cute dog lovers blanket from Natural Life, one of our favorite online stores/brands. 


All is calm, but not so bright! Darn tree lights died! 


Christmas morning included John now. He had to work Christmas Eve. We had a slow morning. No one is up at the crack of dawn anymore. 





John won $5 on his lottery card from my parents. 


Savannah put her new milk frother to immediate use. 


My family and Jandro came over in the afternoon for Christmas Eve leftovers and more presents.
 





I gave Bailey a Christmas haircut! He wasn't sure, but the rest of us loved it. Jonas loved his satin pjs too. 


It was a very, merry Christmas. 


We headed to Austin (as mentioned before) after Christmas for a quick visit. I just love it there and take every opportunity to go hang out with Savannah there. 




Lorelei loves a good couch, no matter where it is!



John and I celebrated 27 years of marriage on December 28! Talk about time flying by...
Look at these babies. I was barely older than Savannah and younger than Bailey when we got married. 


There are just a few "moments" left to fill this year of 2023. It's been quite a year. I always cherish the moments in my extraordinary life, the good, the bad, and the ordinary. 

Happy New Year friends...take care of those moments. 

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