Merry Christmas!

Sean was only here for 5 short days but we lived it up while he was here. On Monday I surprised him with a trip to the Salish Lodge for a night. It was much needed! Although it was a little spendy, it was worth every penny! We had the best Italian dinner at a little Italian restaurant in Snoqualmie. It was seriously, the best Italian food I have ever had. We also had a very tasty breakfast that we ordered the night before so we could wake up to breakfast in bed!

 

 

 We got home Christmas eve! We grabbed the kids from the Gailey's and then went home to prepare food and get ready for a day of fun family time. We started our festivities off with the kids making  gingerbread houses. It was fun for them all, even the older kids. Chance and Kaylee really got in to it while Connor's was pretty much a flop.

 

 

We then had our first annual White Elephant exchange. It was fun for almost everyone. Brooke had a few tears when she thought someone was going to steal her gift.

We then took a drive to a near by neighborhood to see some really nice decorations. Some people go all out! As for us, we didn't put up any lights this year. We were lucky to get a tree up. I wouldn't have bothered if the kids hadn't insisted. I wasn't really in the Christmas spirit this year and really just tried to focus on my family and the true meaning of Christmas.

 After the kids went upstairs for the evening,(37 out of 38 of my Christmas eves have been spent sleeping at my parents house) Santa came and did his magic! Brooke was very excited to hear Santa as he came to the house. He called everyone by name and ate the cookies and was off!

 The next morning the kids woke up at 5 to start the morning! Unfortunately they had to wait until 6 and even then it was too early for me! This was the line up this year. They picked numbers out of a hat to see who went first!:)

 And the unwrapping begins! Everyone got everything they wanted and more!

 Mom got a new hat that fits her perfectly! She will need it when she comes to Utah to visit us!

 We always go out to breakfast afterwards. We were there by 8 o'clock! We got in and out pretty fast. Kaylee and Connor went with their dad and the rest of us hung out for the day. We ate and maybe took a snooze and just enjoyed each others company.

This would be Sean babysitting for Brookie!

 Brooke made a haul on the pet shops and was very excited to set them all up and play with them.

 Yes, he always sleeps with his hood on!

 After we got home we sang a few carols at the Conner's with the missionaries.

 Then Ellie stopped by so they could exchange gifts!

All in all it was a very Merry Christmas. I could say it's my last Christmas in Washington, but that is not true! We will be here or my family will be in Utah. But I will have many more Washington Christmas'!  Merry Christmas as we celebrate our Savior! I'm truly blessed!

I'm so glad when daddy comes home......

The last few days have been wonderful! Sean was able to take a few days off and come see us. It was much needed. I didn't even realize how much, until he got here. He almost didn't make it either. His flight was suppose to arrive at 10:30 on Friday night and he finally got in around 2am. They closed the Salt Lake airport the day before he left, which really scared me but besides everything being delayed, he made it!!!

 

Brooke was promised a date with mom and dad to see Frozen. That was first on the list. We loved it! Such a good movie!:)

 

Then we took Brooke over to grandma and grandpas for a special day of seeing Fantasy lights and blizzards at Dairy Queen while we took the other 3 to the temple to do baptisms. It was Cierra's first time going since she turned 12 recently. She loved it and on the way home asked when we could go back.

We then took them to Red Robin for dinner and LOVED the family time we had. Cierra and Connor fought as normal but other than that, it was perfect!

 

 

This morning we went to church as a whole family. First time in 5 weeks. Oh, how I've missed this!

Kaylee sang with two friends and one of her favorite leaders. It sounded beautiful. Grandma and Grandpa and her dad and Stacy came to hear it. Connor, Cierra and Kaylee all sang together with the Youth as well and was very pretty. 

 

                                    
Definitely some of my most favorite people in my life!!

 This girl, I absolutely adore. Every time I see her she gives me a big hug. I don't think she knows how much it means to me! Love her!!!

And of course, I'm still taking pictures of Connor and Ellie. They are the cutest!

 Sunday evening is being spent being together with our family hanging out on the couch watching Christmas movies. I love them more than words can say. I can't wait for the day we are all together again. We will survive this short time in our lives! It is very hard but we are strong and we will be together again soon!

CIERRA

Cierra started do little runs back about 5-6 years ago. She would do 1k races just for fun. I think she did them because I would sign her up and she would have no choice. She never was a fan of running, but then again, either was I. I hated running until about 8 years ago. It's amazing how things can change.

 

Here is our family doing a 1k YMCA fun run

 

Cierra then did another 1k race the year I did my first ever 12k at the Sound to Narrows run. (Connor and Sean did the 1k also. I have now done 17 half marathons and 5 marathons with a few 12ks, 10ks and 5ks in between)

 

We had a little triathlon at our block party and I think Cierra started figuring out that it was fun to race. 

 

She joined a run club coached by Tiffany Shakespeare (an amazing runner and friend) and did the Turkey Trot in Snoqualmie in November 2009. I remember she didn't like it much but she kept doing run club and her mile was about 15 minutes at this time.

 

The next year she did her first 5k race down at the Orting Trail. She whined and cried the whole way and I was ready to leave her and go run my own race but she never quit!! I was so proud of her as I saw the look of pure joy when she crossed the finish line. I know that feeling well! You don't have to be fast to cross the finish line, you just have to finish!!! And that she did! (my sister did her first ever 10k race this day too.)

 Cierra went on to do the Christmas Rush with Shaylyn and Grandma and Grandpa. It was freezing cold but she did it. At this point, I really don't think she liked running but she continued on!(my parents decided they needed to get in on the fun and have done several 5ks, and even a few half marathons since this day too.)

 She did another race for the YMCA and the Puyallup Fair grounds. Auntie ran this one with her, while Sean and I did a 10k. We met up with her towards the end. (Chance did also. He wasn't a runner at the time but is now doing a 21 minute 5k-He's amazing) 

 We did the Lise Faith Memorial run for a girl that had been hit running while she was 8 months pregnant. This was held at Heritage field in Puyallup

 

Cierra ran the Reindeer run last year and although she was freezing, she did pretty well.

 

The last 2 seasons she has done track with her run club as well.They go down to Sparks Stadium on Wednesday afternoon for about 6 weeks and compete in different events. Cierra did the 100m, 200m, softball throw and long jump.

Cierra and I did the Color run in September! This was more fun than anything! I think it was her favorite race yet!

 

I'm sure I've missed a few runs that she did, but that about sums up her running journey thus far. Yesterday she did the Reindeer run and ran it with one of the coaches of the run club team. She got her fastest time and was definitely feeling it when it was done.  

 

 

Afterwards they had a run club awards ceremony where Cierra received the award for most improved. We she started this journey, she wasn't in the best of shape. She never gave up and kept continuing to improve. Her first timed was a little over a 15 minute mile. Her last timed mile was an 8:03. She works hard and has my drive for exercise, which I love! I know she will continue to improve and will be able to get the iron woman award for doing a timed mile in 7:30 or less.(an award that her run club does and is still willing to give to her when she completes it, even if it's after we move to Utah!)  I know she will get it by spring and I can't wait to see it!

 

I'm so grateful for the wonderful coaches she has had doing run club. Since we are moving this will be Cierra's  last season with them. We are both going to miss them so much. I will be forever grateful for these wonderful woman!

 

(on a side note: Cierra is just 16 days away from doing one sweet a month for the whole year! She has worked hard to change her eating habits and I am so proud of her. She started crossfit in September and her coach there as helped her to get strong but also to teach her about eating healthy. They did a food challenge in October and Cierra won first place.)

 

Love my Cierra girl even though she drives me crazy!!

~Jodi 

Wow! It's been a long time!!!!

I can't even believe it has been a year since I posted anything. I started a project life scrapbook where you take a picture every day for a year and write about it and it has replaced my blog. I think along with Facebook and instagram, blogs are kind of a thing of the past. Does anyone even read these anymore? I look at some every once in awhile but not like I used to. So let me see if I can catch you up with the Elwell's. We had a great year to begin with. Sean and I took a trip to Hawaii in May, which was so amazing! My parents watched the kids which we were so grateful for. In August we took a family vacation to Disneyland which was a different kind of fun!:)
This is where I brag a little bit about my kids, so if you don't care you can skip this part!
Kaylee-What can I say? She is perfect in every way. She really is. I wouldn't say that about anyone but her. She is the most sweet, kind hearted girl I know. She recently turned 16 and because of the high price in insurance and Sean not having a job(I'll get to that later) she still is not driving. She has a car, she has her license but no insurance yet. Has she complained about it once? Nope! Love that girl. She is keeping very busy with school, seminary, FCCLA (after school club), babysitting job, and spending time with friends and family. Connor- He's a boy that doesn't need much. He is so casual about everything. He has a kind and sensitive heart and just goes with the flow of having 3 sisters. I recently asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said, "It's ok mom, I really don't need anything!" He wears shorts everyday to school, including today even though it was snowing. Cierra- she is my feisty one.(you have to have one, right?) She has really taken a liking to running and crossfit. A girl after my own heart! She does run club once a week and is following a training program and then does crossfit 2-3 times a week. She has been off sweets for almost a year except one special treat a month.  She loves school and playing the flute as well. You will often catch her snap chatting her friends! Brooke- the baby of the family! How we love her! She is exceling in 3rd grade and loving to read. Her favorite thing to do right now is play with her best friend Baylie and a few other kids in the neighborhood.
So back to the part about Sean losing his job. It was the day after we got back from Disneyland. I was getting ready to hike Mt. Si with some good friends. Sean gets an email saying there is going to be some lay offs  and not 10 minutes later our phone rings. The dreaded call!!! Yep, after 10 years at Heinz they were laying Sean off along with 600 other employees. We were shocked, scared and really not sure what we were going to do. I ended up still going on the hike since it was for my birthday but had a hard day! Sean was dealing with it all pretty well and it really only took us a day or so to know that we would be just fine. We had faith that our Heavenly Father was going to take care of us! And that he did! We got a great severance package from the company along with 6 months paid insurance. Sean then started the job hunt! In 3 months time, Sean applied for 37 jobs. He had several interviews and even had a job offer or two. Nothing that we could even come close to living on though. So, about 6 weeks ago after much thought and prayer Sean and I  decided to expand our job search to Utah. He applied for ONE job and I really thought nothing would come of it but was prepared just in case. A company called Greencore called him almost immediately. They did an interview through Skype and then bought him a plane ticket to come out a few days later. Before he even got home from Salt Lake they had called him to have another Skype interview with the president of the company. That took place a few days later and then a day later on 11-11-13(there is some significance to that number-I'll explain in a few) a jog offer came through. They offered him everything he could have wanted along with a pretty good moving package. So after much prayer and discussion we knew this is where we needed to be. It was the hardest decision we have ever had to make but when things like that line up like they do, you know there is a reason. We really aren't sure why we need to be in Utah, but we trust our Heavenly Father to put us where we need to be. So then it was the dreaded visit to tell my family. It still pains me to think about that day a month later. There was so much hurt and sadness. I really didn't know if I would be able to get through it. But, we did and we are adjusting. I already feel homesick and I haven't even left yet. Sean ended up having to leave that next week and has been gone for a little over 3 weeks now. I miss him like crazy! I went down the first week and found a beautiful home. Unfortunately Sean found a different beautiful home. After days of trying to decide Sean said that I have been through enough already and that I could chose whichever one I wanted. I really liked his too but his was on a year round school and mine wasn't. That was the deciding factor so we put an offer on mine! They accepted and now it is contingent on the sale of our house. Our's has been up for sale for 2 weeks and nothing yet besides a few lookers. This is not the best time of year to sell a house so we are hopeful after the first of the year, we can sell and then we will move to Syracuse Utah where we can be a whole family again. I want to get there and be with Sean and be settled but I am also not ready to leave. I will miss my mom and dad, sister and her family and my friends more than anything. But I will be visiting often and we know we will see a lot of visitors there too. Who doesn't come to Utah at least once a year??  This last 4 months, I have had to rely a lot on faith and prayer. It has truly gotten me through so much. My testimony has grown so much and I feel closer to Sean than I ever have. The kids are adjusting. I worry the most about Kaylee, but I think she will be ok once she gets there. Moving is a hard thing and its not going to be easy but it's what we need to do.

Back to the 11-11 date. So, for the last several months I had been seeing 11:11 on the clock. I was almost seeing it daily. It was really weird, and then I was talking to my sister about it and so had she. Then one day my mom mentioned it and had no idea we had been seeing it all the time too. We thought maybe the world was going to end (which it kind of did) or something really crazy would happen on November 11th. Wouldn't you know that was the day Sean got the job offer? Chalk it up to a coincidence, but I know better. I was being warned.....;)
Sean is coming to visit on December 20th and we are anxiously waiting. We will have one last Christmas living in Washington. We will do all of our traditions with my family because next year will not be the same. We will be Utah and my nephew Chance will be serving a mission for our church. We will come back for Christmas or my family will come to Utah but either way, I feel like I really need to soak it all up this year.
I know with all we have been through, I am truly blessed. I am watched over every day along with my family. I know that God listens and answers my prayers and I am forever grateful.
Thanks to a good friend (Kathryn Briggs) asking me if I would keep up my blog after we move, I am more than happy to make that happen! I would really like to post at least once a week. Hope you will comment here and there so I know you are all out there!
Much Love Jodi