Best Christmas Present Ever....

Facetime with Elder Hatch

(thanks for the picture Kim!)

It was awesome!

He's doing great and loves his mission!

We loved being able to talk to him and see him!

Hopefully, the next 6-7 months will pass as quickly

as the last 18 months have!

...already looking forward to Mother's Day!

Things I am thankful for...

Elder Jacob Allen Hatch

Mexico Chihuahua Mission

Currently serving in Ciudad Juarez

(yes, that Juarez)

I am thankful for his testimony, hard work, compassion, spiritual growth, safety, example, love for the scriptures, love for the people he serves, love for his companion(s), and diligence.

I could go on and on...just say

I'm a proud missionary mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to the BEST wife, mother, grandmother and friend in the world! We love you!

364 (ish) days til...

Elder Hatch returns home... In case you can't tell...

He's having a wonderful adventure...

In the Mexico Chihuahua Mission...

Today is his 1 year mark!

In many ways it's gone by quickly...

But next year, about this time,

can't come soon enough!

Just because it's so funny....and cute!

Our ward has "Conference Jeopardy" after each General Conference.

It's always the young men vs. the young women.

The "winning team" gets a dinner of their choice served by the other team.

This time, (actually after the October conference) the young women "won".

We had yummy Mexican food.

The young men took our orders....

Young man to Lori Hamblin: "Sister Hamblin what would you like?"

Lori to the young man...

"I would like a tortilla, chicken, cheese, and peppers with beans on the side...."

Take a closer look.... Maybe you just had to be there....or be sitting next to her!

Elder Hatch

Just a quick update on Elder Jacob Hatch:

He's looking good! Here he is eating dinner

"Tripitas Tacos"

"Yes it is intestine tacos. It's a little weird but its not that bad actually."

...this from a young man who

"didn't even like chicken"

before he left on his mission!

He's working on his 9th month...

time is passing quickly, most days

...just not today!

But, I get an email tomorrow! :)

and

BTW I can't wait to see the other changes

he will make in these two years!

Feliz cumpleanos!

Today is

Elder Jacob Hatch's 20th birthday!

He's celebrating it in the Mexico Chihuahua Mission.

It will be his P-day.

I hope he has a Fiesta of some sort...

His birthday package is sitting in Customs

in Monterrey, Mexico.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

We love you Elder Hatch!

What a Party!

Friday Night we were invited to Josh's & Becky's home for a party.

This wasn't any regular party!

The main feature was provided (somewhat) by these guys.

Yep! It was a party to find out what kind of baby this family is going to have:

What's in store for them?

It's a boy!

Needless to say, we are all thrilled and can't wait to see him in person!

BTW: The experience with "Wombmates" was incredible!

They were so much fun, kind, and very generous with their time and talents!

I would highly recommend them!

Snow Day...Arizona style

We made a list of things to do while everyone was in town for the holidays.

This was our fun day at Freestone Park.

Nixon loves trains so we went to the Freestone Railroad.

Waiting for the train... Keeping the kids entertained while waiting for the train... Paislee (in the turquoise sweater) and Nixon found "the button"...you know, the one that makes a really annoying, loud, buzzing noise...one that makes Grandma ask "What is that obnoxious noise & who is doing it?"!!! Look at the joy on Nixon's face!

Look in the pink jet ski...see I'm not the only one!

Still waiting for the train...Adi is being a daredevil here...arms up!

Yeah! Finally a ride on the train! (Seriously, they rode it more than once and this picture isn't the best but it was the only one where Paislee wasn't doing her (really) cheesey smile!)

Of course they rode the carousel too (at least once....ok maybe more!)

And to top it off...a snowball fight...Arizona style. Premade snowballs (from the drive-thru) in an ice chest, on a sunny day, no coats, or gloves....

the aftermath...

and shoes optional...