Hiatt Family Christmas Party

The Saturday before Christmas we have a big party with all of Lincoln's dad's side of the family. His family is HUGE & it is so fun to all get together. Lincoln's immediate family drove from Snowflake, Sanders, & Flagstaff to be there. We had yummy soup & then a pinata. The kids re-enacted the nativity story while Grandpa read from the scriptures & we sang songs. Then Santa came to visit the kids & gave each of them a present.

Our nephews Marcus & Jayten played the part of shepherds.

I think Alyssa is so pretty and I love spending time with her. She is so smart & sweet.

Do you think Claire liked the gift that Santa brought her???

It is 2am (don't ask!) & I am up thinking about what else...Primary! I LOVE Primary. I love all of the kids in our ward & am so thankful for the special spirit that they bring into my life. They are such great examples to me! Last week I gave sharing time & asked some of the senior primary children to get up & bear their testimonies about Jesus Christ. It was AMAZING!!! These kids know SO much about the gospel & they aren't afraid to share it! Of course I bawl like a baby every time they do. :) I think this holiday season I am most thankful for my calling as a counselor in the Primary Presidency. I missed Jackson SO much last Christmas. I still miss him this holiday season (like I always do) but being around children has really helped me. I am still able to teach children, interact with them, learn from them, etc. Every day that I was pregnant with Jackson, I thought about the things I would be privileged to do with my sweet little boy. I feel so blessed to be able to do at least a few of these things with other children. I know that we are all precious children of God & we each have a divine mission to fulfill. I LOVE PRIMARY!!!

Guitar Hero!!!

We love hanging out with Steve & Erica. They are such great friends & are so fun to be with. Last night we had an exciting night of Guitar Hero 3...we were pretty into it! :)

Putting on our game faces...


The guys jamming out...


Our crazy jumps...


We had way too much fun taking these pictures. Every time I look at them they make me laugh so hard. Thanks for the fun night guys!

Omaha Mall Shooting

The mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska hit way too close to home for our family. My sister Melissa is on her mission in Omaha. My mom heard the story on the news, but my sister had just emailed us two days before so we figured she had already had her P-day and wouldn't be at the mall that day. We found out later that her district had gone to lunch there. They were going to eat at a restaurant inside the mall, right next to Von Maur (where the shooting took place) but decided to go to a place outside of the mall instead. The place they were at when the shooting happened was right next to the mall. After lunch, Melissa & her district walked outside to find tons of police cars & ambulances. I am so, so grateful that the missionaries were protected and my heart goes out to all of the victims of this horrible crime.

Lincoln really knows how to get in the Christmas spirit!

Click to see the two hottest elves this side of the North Pole!!!

A Nice Gift

Lincoln worked last night from 7pm to 7am & didn't get home from school until 11am. After having had NO sleep he went to multiple stores looking for tulips for me (they are my absolute favorite) but settled on some roses instead (which I loved!) because he couldn't find any. He then wrote me the nicest letter anyone has ever given to me. He said he was falling asleep writing it. :) I cried so much when he gave me the flowers & note, that I am not sure he will do it again! I love my husband. He always gets embarrassed when I post stuff about him, but I want to always remember all of the nice things he does for me. The last 6 months have been pretty tough for us. A week ago I got an infection & now I have a pretty bad cold...so I am still not very useful around here. I am so lucky to have a husband who sees past everything that I am NOT doing (like keeping the house clean!) & acting like I am the best wife in the world. I'm sure that he has to dig deep to find things that I am doing well, but he manages to do it! I'm so blessed.

Lincoln the Superstar!

Lincoln informed me about a year ago that he played Tiny Tim in the play "A Christmas Carol" in Snowflake when he was a kid. I thought that was the funniest thing I'd ever heard...Linc is NOT the type to be in a play. So I was walking around the social hall in Snowflake & saw this picture hanging on the wall...and then I spotted Lincoln! If you haven't guessed, he is the cute little boy in front. Too funny!

I'm Obsessed!

I'm so obsessed with my nieces & nephews. They are all so cute & sweet & fun. Spending time with them is one of my most favorite things to do! The cutie on the bottom is my nephew Grant. We got to see him & Griffin and their parents (Holly & Jordan) this Thanksgiving...we hadn't seen them since last Christmas! Of course I had to post a picture of Jarod & I. I have a soft spot in my heart for that boy. I really can't get enough of him. We stayed with his family while we were in Snowflake, & when Linc & I were getting ready to leave he said to Lincoln: "Hey, why don't you go home and go to work & Aunt Anjane' can stay here with me? Good idea, huh?" It's nice to feel so loved. :)

A Visit to the Cemetery

I was actually able to visit the cemetery twice this past weekend & it was so great. I LOVE it there. I know that sounds funny, but it really is such a beautiful place. If it hadn't been so cold out I probably would have sat there for hours. :) I went to visit Jackson's grave by myself on Friday. I had so much fun spending time with Lincoln's family on Thanksgiving but it was also kind of a sad day for me. I couldn't help thinking that Jackson wasn't there. He would be 14 months now...I really can't believe that. So anyway, I decided to stop by the cemetery and have a good cry. That was the first time that I had visited his grave by myself, and it was so peaceful and uplifting. Lincoln & I went to the cemetery on Sunday on our way out of town, and put a Christmas wreath on his little grave. We love Jackson SO much & miss him!

Hanging out with family

Lincoln, Cody, Brittany & Brian are all the same age and grew up down the street from eachother. Brian left early so he wasn't in the pictures. Sorry Brian!
Lincoln's cousin Larenn & her husband Mike performed the Spartan cheer. It was hilarious! Really, they did such a good job at it! Then Kyle, Cord & Lea did a skit about a cow...hence the cow outfit. I was laughing so hard. It was definitely an entertaining night!

Da's 80th Bday Party!

Lincoln's grandpa (Da) turned 80 years old on Friday! We had a big party for him at the social hall in Snowflake. It was a lot of fun. All of the grandkids were able to come in from out of town for it. Da is a great man. We are so glad to have him for a grandpa! All of the grandkids wrote about something that they had learned from their grandpa, and Lincoln's cousin Katee compiled the stories in a book. It was awesome!
Since I didn't get to tell a story about Da, here is mine...Last time we were in Snowflake Linc was talking to Da up by the barn. I could just see their backs & I couldn't figure out who Lincoln was talking to. When I got up close I realized it was Da. So I told Da that he looks so much younger from behind. Right after I said it they just busted up laughing. So they tease me now & say that I think Da has a nice butt! Ha ha!

Aunt Jackie, Roma Lee (Linc's mom), Da, Grandma Rita, Uncle Lamar, Aunt Lea, Aunt Melanee.
Here are Lincoln's aunts and grandparents on his mom's side. I love them all...they are amazing! I love Da & Rita's story. They knew eachother when they were teenagers & both married other people. Then both of their spouses died. They started dating eachother & fell in love! They have been married for 17 years now. They have a really cool picture in their home with Rita sitting on Da's lap when they were like 16 years old. I love it! I was able to meet Rita's three kids and their families for the first time. They traveled from Idaho to be at the party. It was a great night!

Boys Know How To Have Fun

These guys definitely know how to have fun! They are always thinking of some exciting (and most of the time dangerous) thing to do in Snowflake. The little boys love it too! They get to hang out with their dads, uncles and cousins. On Friday they went shooting & then shot off bottle rockets on Saturday. Boys have all the fun!!!