Favorite Movies 2021

Shantel and I were talking and though it might be nice to write down our favorite movies as a family right now. 

Togo: We have watched this movie numerous times and love it so much. It is such an inspiring and heart warming story. Lydia especially loves it since it is about a dog. TOGO is the true story of one of the dogs who led the 1925 serum run to save the children in Nome, Alaska. Balto is the most common dog known in this story, and while he was the lead dog on the final leg, Togo ran by far more than any other dog as the lead dog. It is truly a miraculous and awe inspiring story. I love that it is very action packed, but also has really good story development and brings you in to the story emotionally. It also has some really good humor and gives us a chance to laugh. 

VIVO: We wrote about VIVO in August when it was released. Brooklyn was on the art team for this movie and helped design the characters. In addition, we loved the movie and felt like it was really well done. My favorite part is the music in the show which is really fun and vibrant and make for a fun show. We also love the friendship that is there and of course the art. 

Raya and the Last Dragon: We also really have loved watching Raya and the Last Dragon. The story is really entertaining and well done. There is a lot of humor and plenty to laugh about, however, there is also some good action. It tells the story of bringing people together and we love that as well. I'm pretty sure that Shantel cries at the end every time (and we've watched this a lot of times). We've loved being able to watch this. 

Bolt: This is another one Lydia loves because it has a dog in it. We also really like it because there is not really a bad guy in it. The story is really well done and it brings us in emotionally every time. Again, this is another one that definitely makes Shantel cry every time. However, to be honest, I'm pretty sure I cry at the end of this one every time too. Bolt saves his little girl from a fire at the end and it just fills your heart when you watch it. 

As a bonus here are some favorite shows that Shantel and I have been watching the last year or so:

-The Chosen: This is a fictional (but scriptural based) telling about Jesus from the perspective of the Apostles. We've really enjoyed watching this and even though it is fiction, it is still inspiring and so well done.

-Shark Tank: This is one we've been watching a long time and is still one of our favorites. We just love to discuss business and business ideas and we are constantly pausing the show to discuss and I really like that. 

-Dwight in Shining Armor: This is a BYUtv show that we really enjoyed watching it is really fun and light. 

-Hallmark Movies: We have especially liked some of their murder mystery specials. We enjoy that it is a feel good story line and love to watch with a bowl of popcorn. 

Sunday and matching dresses.

I love Sundays. I love matching clothes.  I love the Christmas season. I love when neighbors drop off treats to celebrate the Christmas season. All in all, I would say this was a pretty good Sunday. 

Fun fact: I bought this dress when I was about 38 weeks pregnant with Lucy. It was on clearance but only had one size - 3T. It matched a dress that I owned at home perfectly and so I bought it. I've been waiting 2.5 years to match with this lovely little girl in our red dresses. I wanted to snap a picture of our dresses so I set up the camera on timer and we were having fun. The other kids realized what we were doing and came to join. (We look pretty rough most Sundays lately, but everyone was in nice church clothes still and miraculously the boys hair even still looked mostly done.) I love this set of pictures, so I'm posting them all. Ha. 

Plus a few snapshots of these handsome boys to prove that sometimes their hair is done even if it only stays that way for less than 10 minutes. 

 Happy Sunday! 

I'm handing out CDs of the Living Christ set to music with accompanying flashcards for Christmas because memorizing the Living Christ was such a treasure to me. I really love the connection between the Living Christ and Christmas Celebration/Worship.

As Latter-day Saints, we rejoice in the blessing of continuing revelation through modern prophets and apostles. We are thankful for their inspired words of counsel, warning, and encouragement. But most of all, we are blessed by their powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ—at Christmastime and throughout the year. These are more than just stirring words of skilled writers or public speakers or insights from scriptural experts. They are the words of God’s chosen, called, and authorized “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23).

---

In 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 49). Years later, President Russell M. Nelson noted that “it was this very statement of the Prophet that provided the incentive for 15 prophets, seers, and revelators to issue and sign their testimony to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the Lord’s birth. That historic testimony is titled ‘The Living Christ.’ Many members have memorized its truths. Others barely know of its existence. As you seek to learn more about Jesus Christ, I urge you to study ‘The Living Christ’” (“Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 40).

New Blog Header

 I just wanted to document the change in blog headers. It's about time because Caleb was only ONE in the previous header. But I finally took a few minutes and updated to a fresh family photo for this special little space on the internet where we blog the things of our heart as we live "the peaden life."