Elders

I am so grateful for them...how can anyone turn them away?

Miss you little brother.

Christmas and New Year's

Chip and I were able to retreat from the horrible cold for 2 weeks, it was so nice! We spent a week in both Texas and Arizona, Christmas with my family and New Years with the Prices. We have been so lucky to have been able to see both sides this year for the holidays. Hopefully we can do it every year. This Christmas was my first at home as a married gal and it was different than other Christmases. Usually the entire (or close to) extended family is over, but this time it was just my mom, dad, Alexa, Fabi, Oscar, grandparents, Chip and I. I loved it! We got to have a very nice and quiet dinner which allowed for conversation with my grandparents, followed by a little spiritual thought/fhe style and then some games. I loved being able to spend time with my mom and dad, and it was really neat to see how Alexa and Chip bonded (he and Ariel would pair off but now that he is away, chip and alexa spent some quality time together playing games or just teasing each other). The highlight of our Christmas Eve was getting to talk to my little brother. He is such an amazing kid. I did pretty well holding back tears (everything makes me cry these days) until we said our last goodbye. He asked to be put on speaker so that everyone could hear him. He said "I want you all to know that the second reason that I am here is you guys. I have come to understand that missionaries leave their families for 2 years, so that other families can be together forever. I am here because I want to be with you all forever too." Hearing that was my memorable moment for this Christmas. On New Year's Eve we returned to Phoenix and had Christmas all over again. Mom and Dad Price are too generous! I am so grateful for their generosity towards all their children and spouses. You guys are awesome.

Reflections of Christ

If you have not seen this art exhibit, you are indeed missing out. I got to walk through it in the Mesa Temple visitor center, and it is just amazing. The spirit is so strong in that room. The entire thing is about Christ, with wonderful paintings that reflect his life. I found this link to a slideshow of the art accompanied by music which is just as moving and powerful(http://www.reflectionsmg.com/reflections-of-christ-videos.php ). Take a minute to watch and listen, and remember that "He is the reason for the season." Merry Christmas!

Reflections

I haven't had such a bad night in a long time. Last night I had to study for my Math final (you would never guess how hard math for elementary teachers is), put together a presentation for Children's Literature, finish 4 sections of Math homework, and feel very pregnant on top of it. We ended taking a break from my crash studying and accompanied our cousin Danielle for her birthday dinner at Pf Changs and it was so nice to see the girl cousins and not think about rational numbers for one. As we returned home, the craziness resumed and I was in bed by 11:30 (way past my bed time). I tossed and turned till 1:30. I could not stop thinking about how blessed and loved we are by our father up above. I could not survive without my darling husband. I am so grateful for his desire to serve and to be the best companion and friend I could have. What would I do without him?
The idea of charity has been on my mind alot lately. How easy and how hard it can be to be charitable. It is so easy to be selfish, especially this time of year. My little brother is on a mission and I get to correspond with him every week, religiously. He is away from home, freezing to death in 8 degree weather, and yet all he says to me is "Kris, I love this work. I am so happy here!" It just melts my heart. In one of his emails, he mentioned that one of the sisters in his ward who is a new convert, made some mocassins for my baby when she found out that Elder Chavez's sister was having a baby. This woman, who doesn't know me, out of the goodness of her heart is making something for my child. I can't express what I felt. This is what the Christmas spirit is about. It is so comforting and uplifting to know that there are good people all around us. Its the simple things that make this time of year so special and yet they are the things we overlook to do. I hope that we can all take the time to do the small things that make a difference in other's lives as well as our own.

Tis the Season for Giving

For those of you with little ones who devotedly write to Santa in hopes of a splendid gift, you can drop off those letters at your Macy's department store's Make A Wish foundation mail box. For every letter received, Macy's will donate $1 to the foundation. Maybe its time I rekindle my relationship with Santa for a good cause...and so should you!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great. And I was SO grateful just for the opportunity to take time off from work and school...pregnancy makes everything so much harder to do! Kudos to all you girls who have kids and are expecting (Jessi, Heather, Stacey, Katie), because its tough! How do you do it?! Anyway, we spent the holiday in Scottsdale, I got to see my parents and little sister a couple of times :), went to a Suns game where we got lucky again and scored excellent seats (Hey- they won this time!), went to see the lights at the Mesa Temple, etc. I always love being in Arizona and this time was probably the hardest to leave. Why doesn't life just work itself out the way we want it to?

Little Update

Here is our little one! I am so excited to reach my second trimester(finally)--thx heather ;) and hopefully feel better. Although I am sick as a dog most of the time, our baby seems to be doing just fine. We get to find out the gender in a couple of weeks! Yay!!