HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Today Jonathan and I celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary! It's a momentous occassion, but then not so much when you think we've got eternity to go.:) Jonathan said to me the other night (after I asked if he thought we were still the same people after 5 years of school and 2 kids in 4 years, plus one crazy residency) and he very honestly said, "No. I think we both look worse!" Well, I had meant it in a more emotional sense, but he's probably right about that. I think we both agree though that we love each other more than we did this day, six years ago!! Now for a walk down memory lane:

The night before the wedding!

Coming out of the Boise temple, where it was windy and FREEZING!

Officially sealed for time and eternity.

Mr. (he wasn't a Dr. then) and Mrs. Cardon at the wedding lunch.

A Merry Little Christmas!

We had a really nice Christmas, and hope all who are reading this did too! As I mentioned before, this was really our first Christmas we've just spent as a family on the home front. Jon has had such bad luck flying across the country in the wintertime throughout the last few years that he made me promise we could just spend the holidays at home without the stress and expense of traveling.

Lucy and Zach patiently waited all 24 days of December for the last and final piece of the nativity: Baby Jesus! They were both so excited to open it that we had to do it twice so they each got a turn pulling him out of the pocket.

Since it is Jonathan's "year" for Christmas he got to decide what traditions we would do to celebrate, and we had hoped his parents would be able to join us from Washington, but due to some conflicts with work and other things, they weren't able to come. So, we tried to do our best at recreating their traditional "Holy Supper" which is probably Jon's all-time favorite Christmas tradition. We watched the "Nativity Story" right before so Lucy could understand better what they dressed like and where they lived and what they ate. We had a simple meal of fish, cheese, flat bread, hummus, and grape juice-- the foods Joseph and Mary would have eaten back then. It's always a really special feeling to turn out the lights and by candlelight eat dinner, sing Christmas carols, and read Matthew 2. After dinner we wrote our letters for Santa, left out some cookies and milk, and then it was off to bed (but 6+ hours of putting together toys for Jonathan)!!


Bright and early the kids woke up and we let them head downstairs to see if Santa had come. Lucy was ECSTATIC to get her Ariel talking salon, a toy dog (sorry, not a real one per her request!), Tea Cup piggies, and a princess scooter, plus lots of other fun stuff.


Zachary got his very own car to scoot around in, and a huge dump truck and lots of other fun cars and trucks and Toy Story toys.

But the pies de resistance was their new TRAMPOLINE!!! They LOVE jumping on it, and with the 60 degree weather we're enjoying, why not? It's the perfect size too-- low to the ground so they can climb on and off, it has the safety netting so they can't fall off, and it fits right under our patio so it will be shaded in the summer.

Christmas breakfast of cinnamon twists, deviled egg casserole, sausages, and hot chocolate. Jon's favorite!

Basking in the afterglow of being terribly spoiled by Santa and grandmas and grandpas. THANKS!!

I worried we would get bored Christmas day and need to go see a movie or something, but the kids played ALL day with their toys and out jumping on the tramp, and by Christmas dinner they were still happy campers.

Playing with what has ended up being Zachy's new favorite toy.:) Both these kids are desperate for a dog and I don't know how to break it to them that it aint gonna happen anytime soon....

Ready for bed in their new PJs!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE CARDONS!!

Long Lost Friends!

The holidays often bring visits from loved ones and friends, and we've just been lucky enough to receive a few of those!

After the kids and I flew in from Boise we were able to meet up with the Kellys (playing with Dixon was the only incentive worth getting on a plane and leaving Whitney behind, for Lucy), our very good friends from dental school in Philly. Calli's parents live in Henderson, so while they were visiting for Christmas we got the added bonus of seeing them too! Monday afternoon we met them for lunch and were able to catch up, and then Wednesday night they came out to our place for dinner. Lucy and Dixon had a blast playing together again, and Zach and Taylin got reacquainted. We LOVED seeing these guys!

Anybody who's lived far away from family knows what I'm talking about when I say you really depend on your friends for everything--and the Kellys are like family.

Thursday morning we drove up to Cedar City to spend the afternoon with Jon's Grandma Cardon, which is always great to see her and all the various Cardon family who drop in and out. And that evening we were able to have dinner at my Aunt Kay and Uncle Ken's house in St. George, UT, where we got to see my cousin Shonna and her husband Blake, and their baby Caleb-- who are visiting from Ohio.

Shonna is not only my cousin, but she was also my roommate in college at BYU, and one of my very best friends. I don't know what I would have done without her while in Provo! She was my "kindred spirit," and even after she graduated and moved out my new roommates and I adopted the mantra of being "Shonna Hinton nice," because she was just that likable. After a nice dinner we were able to spend the night with Jon's Grandma Del Toro who also lives in St. George. It was wonderful for the kids to get some extra attention, they loved playing with all these long lost friends, and it was wonderful to spend time with family. There's just nothing like it!!