Gather, Gather, Gather

What a month it's been! We feel like the luckiest people to have made such special friendships and connections in our short time here. I'm so grateful for the feeling of belonging that comes from gathering. Small moments during the day, and intentional gatherings in certain places. Each help me feel more sense of family while were far away from loved ones.

I get to serve in the Relief Society, which means spending lots of time with these ladies! We met at the church & put up the Angel Tree for our ward.  

Another friend from church invited Logan and I to a Disney Christmas baby concert. It was in a part of Spandau I hadn't been to yet. The building was beautiful red brick surrounded by a moat. A pretty cool place for a concert.

Logan was in his happy place surrounded by babies and music. It was such a fun event & there are so many similar opportunities for families all over the city. Lots of people comment on how kid-friendly Berlin is. 

I loved getting to know my friend Clarissa and her daughter Olivia better. They're the sweetest family from Honduras & she was introduced to the church & baptized a couple of months ago!

Later that evening, we got to gather yet again with some of our Relief Society sisters for our Friendsgiving & Family History activity!

I love hosting & truly love the sisters in our ward. We're a diverse group who bring different perspectives, experiences, and goodness to one another. 

We talked about the importance of us recording our own personal and family history & what that can look like. These were two quotes from Elder Soares that we discussed.

I love those words. We read a story from President Eyring who had the impression that our experiences are not given to us just for ourselves. We need to record them to help others learn from them as well. Lots of ideas were shared for what recording history can look like. Journaling, blogs, writing letters to yourself, a keepsake box, video and audio messages, etc. 

One sister created an email for her baby boy and shared it with her extended family. Whenever they have an experience they want to share with Matteo, they send him an email to read when he's older. I loved that idea. How special to have messages from your family members to draw strength from throughout your life.

Everyone brought a holiday dish that's meaningful to them. It was such a fun night!! 

This next "gathering" was a miracle to me. For months, I've wanted to get to know our neighbors Ludwig and Marlies better. We brought them cookies last year and have smiled and exchanged "hellos" in our coming and goings. 

It's not the German way to be close with your neighbors and I considered the language to be a barrier. That's not an excuse though because now we're pretty good friends with them. <3 

I was going out to the post office and some other errands and happened to run into them on my way out. We walked together for about ten minutes and had the best conversation! Their English is great and I was so grateful for the interaction. We brought them cookies again that night & they invited us in to see their Christmas decorations a few days later. 

I was on cloud nine. Such a miracle & I LOVE them. Marlies sent us home with some cheesecake and we set up an appointment for her to teach me my first German lesson. 

I loved our lesson! I showed up and she had my booklet and worksheets all printed out. Thankful for high school Spanish and Portuguese for giving me a head start on knowing how to conjugate verbs. 

I learned more about her family and got to show her pictures of ours too. We have our next lesson scheduled for next week. Again, such a miracle and answer to prayer to have that friendship I've wanted for so long. 

Thanksgiving!! <3 Thanksgiving was honestly not on my radar until the day before. So much of the excitement around holidays for me comes from the anticipation and talking about it. Since Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Germany, no one was asking or talking about their plans for Thursday! We got to celebrate with some of our best friends & Brazilian family. 

I felt so comfortable and like I was at home. Another miracle to have that type of comfort and friendship. We ate some good food and enjoyed everyone's company. 

Justin had a game that evening but the pressure of performing wasn't there due to the broken wrist. We've talked about how this time of recovery could be viewed as a really difficult time with Justin not being able to do everything he normally does around the house and with Logan. Instead, we've felt so blessed to spend so much time together and truly know we've been enabled by Christ to handle the situation. 

Lastly, we got to see these two one more time before they head back home for the holidays! Sara and Joe match our personalities so well & we're so grateful for them!! 

There's my gratitude post for the month on gathering. So grateful and so blessed. Can't believe it's December 1 tomorrow. Rabbit Rabbit!

Happy Birthday Justin

We got to celebrate Justin last week and it was the first time we were home together for his birthday!! He was supposed to be gone again, yet that broken wrist keeps giving us silver linings. 

I love this boy so much. He's my everything and I can't imagine doing life without him. He supports me in everything - big and small, is the best partner as a husband and father, loves God and is constantly striving to strengthen his testimony. Justin puts his whole heart into what he's doing. Right now that's basketball & our family. He makes me laugh & brings out my goofy side like no one else. I'd rather spend time with him than be doing anything else in the world. 

I love, love, love you forever, Justin!! Here's a few of my favorite moments from the last year. <3

The day he landed in Utah last summer. We had the funnest evening all together in the backyard. 

Stadium of Fire on the 4 of July, dancing to the Jonas Brothers.

Our own family temple trip to Freiberg. 

Another one in Oklahoma. :) 

Watching he and Logan interact each day, laughing, reading, and doing just about everything together.

Checking off our Berlin Bucket List pt 2.

Improvising and finding Logan some breakfast at the top of an alp in a tiny Swiss store.

Always letting me dream big & doing new things together!!

We celebrated with some friends a couple of days earlier and had the funnest evening. Justin's quite the entertainer and came up with some fun party games. 

Annual birthday poster

My best, best friend forever and ever!! HBD <3

One Year Old!!

Logan is one year old!! Parts of this year definitely passed faster than others. I think the first four months were pretty hard trying to figure out how to care for and give this baby everything he needed. Now we're here, one year later, and having so much fun. 

& one year of being a mother. I love being Logan's mom. I've never done anything so fulfilling, tiring, or full of joy. He's our little boy who Heavenly Father trusted Justin & I to nurture and raise. What an amazing calling in life.

Having a front row to see Justin as a dad has been pretty awesome too. Forever grateful we get to do this parenting thing together!

Logan is pure JOY. Always smiling, laughing, and moving all over.

Things Logan loves:

Saranoni blanket, stuffed monkey named Ooh Ooh Ah Ah, blueberries, water, Old McDonald had a Farm, The Wheels on the Bus, FaceTiming grandparents, BOOKS, building cup and block towers, opening any and every drawer, playing "where's Logan" behind the curtains, sneaking into the guest room to strum the guitar, playing his drums, dancing to Who Let the Dogs Out, and any baby or other child he sees. 

He honestly gets so excited when he sees a baby or little kid. His voice gets really high and he starts to smile, laugh, and talk to them. Most babies are too young to acknowledge him, and other kids are to old to care for a one-year-old but that doesn't stop Logan from trying to talk to them. It's SO cute. 

I met a woman from Armenia at the park who told me about an English baby music class. Logan loves his music more than anyone I know. Before Alexa can begin playing the song, he's already swaying back and forth. 

We went for our first time the day after his birthday and it was a hit. There were five other babies his age crawling around and shaking rattles with music and singing. I couldn't think of a better place for Logan. He talked and laughed to himself the whole drive home. Definitely going back asap!

It was so fun for me too to connect with other moms in similar stages as me. I met ladies from Syria, South Africa, and other parts of Germany. Berlin is a true melting pot! 

Pretty leaves still hanging on in certain parts of the city. 

We got to celebrate with some of our Brazilian family a few days earlier and I think the Aversas might love Logan as much or more than we do. ;) 

& Justin was there to celebrate with us!!! (blessings of a broken wrist)

We really haven't given Logan any dessert except for a few licks of ice cream and pieces of a cinnamon roll. When he had his birthday cake in front of him, he didn't know what to do with all of that goodness. He picked up the whole piece and held it in front of his nose for about 50 seconds, inhaling and exhaling. Ha!

Guess you have to use all of your senses to enjoy the good things of life. He ate it up pretty quick and let us know he was ready for his second piece. 

We love you sweet, sweet boy!!!

xoxoxo, Mom & Dad

New Friends & Unexpected Time Together

Logan and I have made some new friends at the basketball games. We love sitting by some Alba season ticket holders Norman, Bergen, and their family. They've been coming to the games for over 20 years! Reminds me of going to BYU games every week growing up. 

Bergen's mom, Anneliese, turned 100 years old and was recognized at half time on the court! She received the jersey of her favorite player & got a standing ovation.

Logan and I got there late, but we heard all about it from Norman & got to see these cute pictures on social media. So amazing & such a nice family.

Then something not so awesome happened & Justin broke his wrist during a game. Far away in Bamburg!! Grateful he had good people to help him get the help he needed until he could come back to Berlin & have surgery. 

& grateful for good friends who watched Logan so I could be with him during all of that craziness. I didn't think we'd have anymore overnight trips to the hospital! 

On the bright side, no traveling for a little while & we're loving the extra time together as a family while Justin's wrist heals. 

A New (Cozy) Berlin Winter

It seems like just last week we were going to the park in blue skies and jackets!!

Then daylight savings came and we have 40 degree weather forecasted until further notice! 

I haven't minded the early dark hours though. I have lots of memories of eating at the dinner table with my family during the winter. I loved that all we could see in the windows was our reflection since it was so dark outside. We were together as family, safe and cozy in our home. 

I feel the same way now. Instead of being sad about limited daylight, we're embracing hygge! Christmas lights on, winter candles lit, and some fake plants around the house to help it feel a little green. 

And the cold makes for a pretty cute, bundled up baby! 

AND... It's Christmas market season!! We have a list of 24 markets to visit in Berlin. We'll see how many we can hit before early January. Let the winter season begin. <3