"Son-shine" Easter Package for Our Missionary

Easter is in just a couple weeks, and I wanted to make sure that my sister Corrie had some Cadbury Mini Eggs down in Chile. :) But I didn't want them to be the only thing in the package (even though that heavenly candy would have held its own;) so I searched the web for creative Easter packages for missionaries...and I scored when I found this post about a cute mom sending a "Son-shine" package to her boy serving a mission. LOVED that it was fun and festive, but emphasized that Easter really is about God's Son and the miracle of His resurrection. It was so fun gathering yellow treats and trinkets I thought she'd enjoy, and a few things for her to read as spiritual food-for-thought. Rolled up and tied with yellow ribbon, I put in an awesome devotional about the Atonement by Elder David A. Bednar called "In the Strength of the Lord." And I shrunk down a copy of an inspiring passage called "The Fellowship of the Unashamed" that she can keep in her scriptures. It is SO powerful. And right before I sealed and taped up the box, I slipped in some pictures of Brooks and Ava for good measure. :)

 I can't believe this week she will have been serving her mission for 7 months. Still crazy for me to think that she's been living in Chile for most of that time, AND she speaks Spanish fluently! We miss her so, so much...but we are beyond proud of her. It's been incredible to hear from her in her weekly emails about how she's doing, inspiring experiences, the hard days and lessons learned, and how the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is touching peoples' lives. If you want to read and keep up with her journey in Chile, you can check out her blog here. I'm managing it, and I share her emails she has said can be public. :)

In case anyone wanted to send an Easter package full of "Son-shine" to their missionary, family member, or friend that lives far away this Easter, I wanted to pass on the idea. I sure hope it makes Corrie smile when she gets it!

^^ Brooks was so excited to send our package to Aunt "Co-wee!" ^^

Christmas Advent in a Box...on it's way to Chile!

We finally got Corrie's Christmas package (with her insanely belated Birthday goodies) in the mail to her yesterday...it's on its way to Chile!! :) I hope she enjoys some American sweets every day leading up to Christmas, along with scripture verses and uplifting quotes in Spanish from this past General Conference (in lovely print form from this site, they come in English, Spanish, and French!). 

In case you have someone you love and miss and you want to send them a Christmas count-down, here's how I sent ours to Corrie in Chile! :)

We love and miss that girl...but we know she's having the time of her life serving in Chile. ¡Te queremos Corrie!

Miss you already sis...

Yesterday Brooks, Ava, and I (Adam had to be at work) picked up Corrie up from the airport. It had been just two days since we said goodbye in Washington, but oh it was so good to see her!! We grabbed a couple vanilla bean crème frappuccinos and, in-between the heavenly sips, we talked and laughed on our drive down to Provo. I loved every minute. We then put more delicious sugar into our bellies, in the form of Kneaders' french toast. Brooks even did some dancing for us while we ate. :)  

Then we headed to the Missionary Training Center...the place where Corrie will be spending the next couple months learning Spanish and growing closer to the Lord before she heads to Chile to represent our church and serve the people there. As soon as we pulled in, the tears came.  Some were sad, knowing that Adam, the children, nor I will see her for a year and a half, but most were happy and excited and proud tears knowing what she was embarking on! I haven't served a full-time mission, but from what Adam tells me, she is about to experience the most spiritually, physically, and emotionally exhausting time of her life. Yet, the personal growth and the chance she has to help people feel the love of their Heavenly Father will outweigh it all. 

We said our goodbyes, and gave plenty tight hugs and sweet kisses. That girl is going to move mountains in Chile. :) Miss you already sis.

"Your journey is unfolding exactly as it should be"

{ via }

My sister Corrie may be younger than me, but I look up to her.  She wants so badly to lead the life that Heavenly Father wants for her...the life that will help her become the best person she can be.  And all along the way she impacts people because of her genuine, giving heart. Adam and I think she's a rockstar, and the kids absolutely adore their Aunt "Co-wee". So knowing that she's going to be in another country for the next 18 months is hard to swallow. BUT, like the lovely print above says, I know her journey is unfolding exactly as it should be.  And knowing that she'll be serving people and sharing a message of hope and love and happiness through the Gospel of Jesus Christ puts the biggest smile on my face!

She was in Arizona when she got her mission call (she's been working at Anasazi, an experience she absolutely loved!) and it was so fun joining in through facetime. Our parents and all of our siblings were linked in through phones or computers, thank goodness for technology!  It was awesome when she read that she has been called to serve in the

CHILE SANTIAGO NORTH MISSION!

Corrie waving "Hi!" with sweet Emri on her lap, before opening her call...

I love Indi's reaction :)

Her mission call!

I'm so happy that tomorrow Brooks, Ava, and I are heading to Washington for a couple weeks so that we can soak up some good Corrie-time before she leaves. And Adam will join us next week. :)

There are some good times ahead!

Welcome Home Danner!

MISSIONARY:

Someone who leaves their family for a short time,

so that others may be with theirs for Eternity.

Adam's younger brother Danner, the last of all seven children in his family to have served missions, returned home from serving a mission for our church.  He was gone for 2 years in Fresno, California...sharing the Gospel and inviting people to learn of Christ and His plan of happiness for us. Can you tell the family was pretty giddy at the airport waiting for him to come down those stairs??  It is awesome having him home! He was such a good kid...and now such a good man. :)  When he left 2 years ago, Brooks was almost exactly the ago of Ava now. So Danner came back to a big-boy Brooks, and got to meet his niece Ava for the first time. :)  We can't wait to catch up more and enjoy his time home before he heads to school in the fall.

Welcome Home Danner!!

Corrie's going to Brazil!!!

You may or may not remember the picture of Brazil I put in the post of our little trip to St. George. Well, here's why it was there:

My little sister, Corrie (a stellar 21-year old) got her mission call!!!

Many of you may have heard of, seen, or met a pair of Mormon missionaries...well she's going to be one. Corrie has chosen to dedicate 18 months of her life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. She wants to share how she has found true joy in knowing that our Savior lives and loves us unconditionally, and that through Him families can be together forever. Corrie will be serving the people of CURITIBA BRAZIL, woot woot!! I am beyond happy for her and the chance she has to grow as an individual, make an impact on Heavenly Father's children, and to learn the Portuguese language (how sa-weet is that??).

Knowing she'd be in St. George when her "call" (a letter from the president of our church telling her where she'll be serving and when she begins) would be sent...she requested it be mailed to my brother's home in St. George. It was SO great to have most of the family together as she opened it up and found out where she'll be going. Here's a little photo-story of the whole experience...

{That is our little nephew, Walker, that she's swinging in the air cause she's so EXCITED!}

{so SO happy}

{looking on the map...Curitiba (pronounced coo-ri-chi-ba) is just south of Sao Paulo...right on the beach!}

{i love this girl...the best sister/friend you could ask for}

Adam and I are so proud of Corrie...she is a light to all she meets and such an example for good.

Yay for missionary work around the world!

Welcome Home Sharla!

Yesterday was full of hugs, kisses, happy tears, lots of "I love you"s and "Welcome home!"s.

Sharla is back from her mission.

She served the people of Bahia Blanca, Argentina...and has become quite the woman in the process. She's always had a huge heart and been the type that manages to put a smile on every person's face she comes in contact with. The Argentine people were lucky to have her...but we're so glad she's back home!

{brothers and sisters excited to see Shar!}

{A few of the nieces & nephews ready with their signs}

Here she comes!!!

{Big hug for Mama Kjar after 18 months...so sweet}

{Mom and Dad Kjar with their Sharla again!}

{Shar's first time meeting Brooks and Samson}

It was so good to hear her talk about her experiences on the mission. The classic, crazy dog stories. Funny food stories. Her different companions...some sweet, some sour ;) Learning the language. (i LOVE Argentine spanish) Touching stories of realizing how blessed she is to live in the USA. Some of the best stories of bringing the gospel to those searching and ready.

And we know there are more she still has to share...we can't wait to hear them :)

Jumping for Joy!

There's a lot of jumping for joy

at the Kjar household =)

First reason:

This sweet KSL find for $10 (yea baby!)...lots of jumping! And those smiles are priceless!

{Brooks getting the HANG of it! heehee}

And the best for last....

we'll be painting a banner tonight that says,

"WELCOME HOME Hermana Kjar!"

Adam's sister is coming back from serving a mission for our church in Argentina!! It's been 18 months since Adam & I have seen her...but Brooks will be meeting his sassy Aunt Sharla for the first time tomorrow morning.

We. Can't. Wait.

We love that girl!!

I hope you guys have a reason to jump for joy tonight :)

We're going back...

...WAY BACK!!! ;) My last blog post was me catching up on our adventures in November...and this one is going to top that. This post will be catching up on December, January, February, & March. Wowza!! But I really want to get caught up...so here's a summary (most recent first...) of what Adam and I have been up to...and we've enjoyed every minute of it together!

MARCH

Just last weekend was General Conference...it was so good to listen to the voices of God's servants with my sweetheart :) It was so uplifting...so comforting. The way world is going...well, it's scary. But I know that if Adam and I follow the Prophet of the Lord, together, everything will work out for our good.

During the Priesthood Session (just for men, so Adam was MIA) I went to dinner with my sister & her adorable family who was visiting from Spokane. We ate at

TEXAS Roadhouse...note: their rolls are amazing!

* My sister, Natalie, and her hubby, Duane, with his parent and their

cute kids at Texas Roadhouse *

* Our niece, Amanda, and I *

...then we went back their hotel to change into our swimsuits for a dip in the pool :)

* Our little nephew, Aaron, is the cutest thing alive!

(he's wearing my shoes by the way, heehee) *

Our little Pool Party was a blast!! ;D The kids were all SO excited to play with their new Uncle Adam! (because they live in Washington we don't see them very often...so we SOAK up every minute with them!)

* Jason, our nephew...cute as a button! It's crazy how young kids

are when they start loving technology ;) *

A couple weeks before that, was the church's General Young Women Meeting. Even

though I have been out of Young Women's for a few years now, my sweet mother-in-law

invited me to go with her and some of the Smoot ladies (other side of Adam's family).

* We started out with a delightful luncheon put on by Grandma at the

Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake...it was delish!

And so sweet to talk to the girls:) *

INTRODUCING: Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Baker!!

A good friend of Adam's, a great guy I've gotten to know through work, got married last month! His wife is a great girl...awesome actually!! Jeremy & Camary had a beautiful wedding day...we were so glad we could be a part of their special day :)

* Camary & Jeremy...their first dance *

* Their AmaZiNG cake! Camary had the Bird of Paradise for her flowers...

they were gorgeous & very unique :) *

Sorry to all you basketball folk, but when the Kjars get excited about "March Madness" we

don't mean the "college basketball" :O) Actually, there is a different kind of March

Madness in the Kjar family...it's WRESTLING! For the past 9 years Adam & the

men in his family have gone to St. Louis for the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

They eat, drink, sleep wrestling...their own boy-heaven. ;) Mama Kjar

went this time...to keep the boys in line, haha...is she a trooper or what?!

They had a great time!! I'm so glad Adam was able to go :) Here are some

pictures of Adam's St. Louis trip...

* Here's Adam a

nd his family, with Jeremy (the friend who I

mentioned just g

ot married), at dinner in St. Louis...

...they love t

heir food! *

* Adam at the championships! *

* This picture shows just a glimpse of the many seats that fill up with

TONS of crazy wrestling

fans...gotta love it! *

And, while the boys are away...the girls will PLAY! So while Adam was away, I went

up to Rexburg to be with my sister (Corrie), my sister-in-law

(Sharla), and my old roommates (Kersie & Shauna). I was expecting a weekend full of fun & lots of girl stuff...but it

exceeded my expectations!! It was a bLaST! Here are just a FEW of the pics capturing the

MANY fun memories :)

* Corrie & I out to eat at

Bajios... !delicioso! *

* we're a little goofy...okay maybe more than a little. haha! *

* we went swinging...the "spider" is the way go ;) *

* SHAUNA'S 50's BRIDAL SHOWER...such a cute theme! (The bachelorette

is the gorgeous one in the middle in the black dress) *

* all of the "hott-smokin' wives" blowin' kisses *

* Here's Shauna opening up her FUN presents ;) heehee *

* Kersie, me, & Shauna...my girls :) We were roommates last year (Shauna

was my room-roomate both

years at BYUI...love her like

a sister, both of them actually) *

* Out to a yummy Thai dinner with Corrie, Sharla (sister-in-law),

and Sharla's roommates! *

* Corrie, Stefi, & Katie...just before their AMAZING performance! These 2 cute girls

are Corrie's roommates, and Stefi is from India. There was a multi-cultural performance put on at BYUI...so Stefi taught

Corrie & Katie a beautiful & fun dance...and after many hours of practicing...they put on quite the show! I was so proud

of them!! *

* I was her biggest fan!...hope i didn't embarrass her with all the

yelling and shouting,

"Go CORRIE!! I love you Corrie!" ;) *

* Later that night was Guitars Unplugged

(a big show with lots of bands made of students @ BYUI)

The show and the dance after was such a blast!

...what a great time with all the girls! *

* Even later that night, we decided to do some facial masks :)

I realize this looks more like football face-paint, but

it's 2 kinds of masks (mint julep & chocolate mud...

the combined smell was just like a Thin Mint cookie! haha) *

Another bridal shower I went to was for Natalie Archibald...soon

to be Mrs. Smoot ;) She's marrying my AWESOME cousin-in-law, Brady Smoot. I

was lucky enough to get to know Brady pretty well while dating Adam, they were

roommates :) He is one of the sweetest, funniest guys...she is a lucky girl :) Adam & I are so

happy for them!!!Just about a month 'til their big day!

* Natalie is so beautiful she can even pull off that

gift wrap bow in her hair! I love silly traditions ;) *

FEBRUARY

Such a fun month! First of all, it was ADAM'S GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!!!! (23 on the 23rd) For his birthday we went to the Cheesecake Factory (cheesecake is his favorite:) and then off to the 3D-iMAX movie "Under the Sea"...I got tickets for it because I wanted to get us pumped up for our scuba lessons we were planning on taking! (we just finished the lessons last week actually:) The movie was AWESOME!! We highly recommend it :)

* Adam with his Tiramisu cheesecake & his "23" candlesI brought for him to blow out :) *

* We took this picture just before the 3-D show started...the glasses were so much fun! *

* A kiss for birthday boy! *

Adam's main b-day present was actually given to him a few days after his birthday...it was a SUSHI CLASS!!! Boys are kind of hard to shop for...but I'm pretty sure I picked a winner :) We had a blast learning how to make sushi!...and eating ALL we wanted :) We're excited to take an advanced class in the near future :)

f* If you like sushi you'll LOVE this class!! This picture is of Adam & I

with our instructor/sushi chef Jonas Otsuji...he was a great teacher!

Jonas has a company called Sexy Sushi --> check it out on www.sushisexy.com *

Valentine's Day was just before Adam's birthday...i used to really like this holiday :) But I tell ya, it's now one of my favorites :) A day devoted to love...and to spend it with my sweetheart, I couldn't have asked for more <3

* We had a delicious dinner at Market Street Grill...one of our favorite restaurants in Salt Lake *

* The next day we got together with my side of the family for my

Grandpa's 90th birthday! He has quite the sweet tooth ;) so we brought

him some cookie-flowers my Mom taught me to make growing up...

So we took a picture with our sweet tradition;) *

JANUARY

January is always a great month :) Lots of New Years resolutions...lots of snow...lots of cuddling while watching movies in our cozy bed (we don't have a TV, so we set Adam's laptop on our laps & watch DVDs in bed:)...and it's my birthday! woohoo! It started out by waking up to a text from my boss (which just happens to be my brother-in-law, & Adam's co-worker as well) that says "you & adam can have the day off...happy birthday!" IT WAS THE BEST B-DAY PRESENT EVER!...which Adam then topped as the day went on ;) We took full advantage of having a special day with just the 2 of us:) We had a yummy breakfast, went to the gym, showered & got ready for the day, went to lunch at Paradise Bakery, Adam went with me to get my nails done, went shopping for a new digital camera, got massages (60 minutes of heaven), went out to dinner, and came home to watch a movie...I'm one lucky girl! I know I probably won't have another birthday-day all to just me & my sweetheart for a while, so I want to record it to look back on & smile :)

* I turned the big twenty-one! so of course we had to get margaritas!...virgin ;)*

* Adam giving me a sweet birthday smooch *

Sharla (sister-in-law) received her mission call in January!!! We were all so excited for her...lots of friends & family gathered in the Kjar home to watch her open & read that she would be

serving in the...........ARGENTINA, BAHIA BLANCA MISSION!!!

She reports on April 26th, right around the corner. We'll miss her like crazy,

but we know she'll be where she needs to be...in Argentina, serving the Lord.

* Adam, Shar (soon to be Hermana Kjar!), & me *

Super Bowl Sunday...my first ever! I grew up in a home that enjoys sports, but didn't really watch them on TV (we're more the out-door, hiking sort;) So we never watched the Super Bowl. But we were invited to Adam's cousin's home for an awesome super bowl party!! Hailey & Eric Kandell were the hosts, & boy do they know how to put on a party! There was awesome food, a theatre room to watch the game, and lots of great people :) Thanks for a great time Hailey & Eric!

* Here's just one of the many goodies at the party...

Aren't these cupcakes awesome?! *

Adam & I have been serving in our ward (church group) with the Scouts :) I'm a Cub Scout leader over the Wolves (ages 8-9) & Adam works with the Weblos Scouts (ages 11-12). We've had a great time getting to know our boys...learning lots, and loving it! Here's a fun picture of one the activities I did with my boys...icecream sundaes, with no bowls!!! We ate straight of the table :) (I just used a cheap plastic table cloth & threw it in the trash when we were done:)

The boys had a blast!

Not just another love story...

ANNOUNCING: Mr. & Mrs. Ben Kjar!!!

At the beginning of the month my awesome brother-in-law (Ben) and his sweetheart (LaCol) were married and sealed for time & all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. We are SO SO SO happy for them both! They are perfect for eachother! And we're so glad LaCol is part of the family :) They did their wedding celebration like ours :)...having the reception the night before the sealing, then have the sealing the next afternoon, followed by a beautiful dinner. (It's so nice to dance the night away at the reception!...and then go home & and be able to get lots of sleep before the really important day with the sealing. Different from the norm, but it works :) Here are some pictures of there special 2 days ;)

*Adam & our sweet niece Emma dancing like there was no tomorrow! *

* oh the cake-shove ;) *

* He is SO happy! *

* Adam & Shar sang a sweet song for Ben & LaCol at their wedding dinner *

DECEMBER

December ended with a bang!!! New Years Eve is always a blast with the Thompsons! (family on my side) We have special black-bean soup (a southern tradition), lots of goodies, a slide-show of old family pictures, games (this year we played an awesome version of Charades!), and after midnight strikes we have a dance party! haha They're a riot!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! (a little late, i know;)

* Adam & I drinking our little cups of sparkling cider after a new year's toast :) *

* "Jump on it! Jump on it!" haha Dancing the night away... *

My family from Vancouver was able to come to Utah for the holidays! It was SO good to be with them!!! I love it here in Utah :) ...but I miss my family like crazy sometimes! We're all pretty spread out, so we make the most of every get-together =)

Here are a few pictures of our adventures!

* Some of our nieces and nephews, my sisters, my dad, and my brother...

They had a blast on their sled-train!! wootWooT! *

* Snow bunnies :) Celeste, Mom, Corrie, & me *

* Ali (our cute niece who lives in St. George) & I made some yummy

french bread pizza for everyone after sledding! *

* It was by brother Nate's 28th birthday! he's excited to blow out those candles!! ;) *

This was our first Christmas married...and was it a great one! We soaked up the Christmas music (Josh Groban's "Noel", Kurt Bestor, & "The Forgotten Carols" are our favorites)...had lots of hot cocoa...decorated our first Christmas tree (which was so sweetly given to us by our Grandma Kjar:)...and enjoyed spending time with our families.

* On Christmas Eve Adam and I went with his family to go

caroling to some family and to a few elderly-care homes.

...a great tradition :) like our hats? *

* A couple weeks before Christmas, the Smoots (Adam's mom's side of the family)

put on the Navitiy Play, we were 2 of the shepherds:) *

* Here's another picture of the Nativity, with some of our cousins

as Mary, Joseph the Wisemen, and [not so baby] Jesus

who was played my our adorable nephew Ashton:) *

* We went to dinner at The Roof before a special surpise I planned

as one of Adam's early Christmas presents... *

* This was after the surpise...6th row seats at the Kurt Bestor Christmas Concert!

I love that Adam appreciates beautiful music!!! It was quite the performance!

* Here's our Christmas tree :) Very humbly decorated, just with lights,

red berries, & popcorn strings...so fun to see what you

can do with just a little $$ *

**WHEW** Welp, there you have it...a summary of the past 4 months of Adam & Haley Kjar's life :) Life has brought some surpises...some bumps along the way...but together we've smoothed them out and smiled the whole way :) We really are blessed to have such great family and friends to make these amazing memories with.