This is your 2018 holiday card! Cheers!

Happy Holidays!

The Laniel family embraced places of Light and Hope this year and we are so grateful for you to share in a few of these through this little holiday card blog post. 

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The Light

To me, Light is the unexplainable miracles that show us that life is bigger than what we see. It is the moments of joy that seem disguised at first. Light is that knowing that we are not alone and that
 life is good. 

Your kids are Light to us. It is becoming redundant, I know, but we sure love all the kids in our lives. Choosing not to have kids does not mean that we don't love kids. We do. Very much! And we are so grateful for the ways that our friends and families invite us into their lives so we can be Aunt Kari and Uncle Brian. We cherish these moments so very much and our lives are richer because of it! 

{New Year's resolution: Get more pictures of all the kids in our lives!}

The CABIN! will always be a place of Light for us. We are grateful for the many memories that get created there year after year. 

We celebrated 10 years of marriage this year--whoop! We didn't do too much outside of eating at a delicious restaurant in our neighborhood, but we did upgrade my wedding band! It's a family "tradition" to upgrade rings on the 10-year marker of marriage...
I'm not going to say no to tradition, right?

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The Hope

To me, Hope is tangible optimism. We look for something good--usually in a difficult situation--and when we experience it, we know it's Hope.

Our family experienced the loss of some very special and important people. Two of my cousins died in June and our family is devasted. Both of them embodied the idea of loyalty and they displayed a sense of generosity that truly can't be captured in words. Because of these incredible souls, I have found myself offering a helping hand where I can and doing it without the pretense of needing something in return. This is how they both lived their lives and it helps me see Hope.

We felt hopeless when we knew we had to say goodbye to our dear family member, Birney. We are truly heartbroken. This loss feels oceanic. We talk about him every day because there are a million little things to be remembered.

We are all trying to live in this "new normal" of life without Birney. We have tried to help Baxter cope by having him see Grandpa and Grandma a bit more--he loves that!

We know that our family will never quite be the same but we also know that Birney will continue to save us--always. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many people during this sad time. It has reached the depths of our souls and to us, this is Hope.
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We see Light and Hope in the little things that make us happy. Things like Trader Joe's or sparkly iPhone cases. We see it in those days that we really like our jobs and know we are being our best selves. We see it in our friendships with you and we know that this brings us strength. 

We hope that 2018 had places of Light and Hope you can reflect on and that 2019 is one of your best years yet! Cheers!

Getting my kid fix

My heart was full this last weekend because I got to spend it with these two gems:

  This year's Aunt Kari and Uncle Brian camp did not disappoint! 

We started the tradition several years ago to have my "nephews"
  {my best friend's kids} 
come and spend time in Denver with us. 
They live in WY so a trip to the city is kind of a big deal. 

This year Liam 

{my 15 year old nephew-on the right side of this fine photo} 

brought his friend Tommy and a Bucket List. 

The list included eating sushi and Indian food, going to  Elitch's, driving Go-Karts of some sort, playing Laser Tag, watching their first live MLS game,
 playing video games with Brian, and devouring Krispy Kreme doughnuts. 
They also attempted to speak in British accents in public as often as possible. They had a back story of living with us as exchange students playing American club soccer for the summer. It was amazing. 

We checked off every single one of the Bucket List items-- 

and then some.

Sadly, I didn't get pictures of everything but these capture some of the goodness. 

Ode to teenager-vacation food. :)

 

My very generous brother, who works for the Colorado Rapids, hooked these boys up! Free swag and then after the game they were lucky enough to have their new soccer balls 

autographed by one of the players! 

 Probably one of my most favorite times was when we played cards on our porch. 

It was very sweet of them to play BS and Slap Jack with an old lady like me. :)

 Boys and their video games...Uncle Brian learned a few new tricks, though! 

We went to Heritage Square and rode the historical Alpine Slide--good times!

The reality is that even if I had pictures of every single thing we did,

{I do regret not taking a picture of the 35+ rolls/pieces of sushi we ate...it was amazing.}

I still wouldn't have been able to capture what it meant for me to get my "kid fix"-- 

especially with kids like Liam and Tommy. 

Brian and my decision to not have kids has not been free from layered emotions.

We don't have regrets about our decision, but we both know that kids need to be a regular part of our lives to fulfill some of our wishes to have kids. 

We crave times with our nieces and nephews {related or not!} and we

 cherish memories we can make with them. 

For me, spending time with Liam, especially, fulfilled this craving.

Liam is like no other kid I know. 

He has a way of using his strengths to nurture my soul.

From his kindness, his wit, his intellect, his genuine spirit, and his overwhelming sense of gratefulness for all things, his insight, his honestly, his pure goodness 

makes me a better person. 

I'm so grateful for the uplifting time I had with these boys and

 I can't wait for next year's camp!

Kids, babies and family units

I am one happy Aunt. I am Aunt Kari to my blood-relative nephews, Teddy (9) and Tucker (7) but, I also have an extended family of nieces and nephews that make my life full.
Uncle Brian and I with my nephews. Can you tell we're related? :)

Brian and I have chosen not to have kids. It was a decision early on in our relationship and really, early on in my adult life. This is a touchy subject to talk about (much less, publically blog about!!!) but I really feel like I need to recognize the miracle of all the kids and babies in my life that bring me such happiness.
My "Sister" Shana and I with her kids, one of my oldest nephews, Liam, and Zane...! :)

The decision not to have kids has been an emotional one. Our society is built on children and families. This is in no way a bad thing. In fact it’s great! But, for several reasons, biological kids are not a part of Brian and I’s family unit. I know that I am not alone, and I know that to some, this isn’t a big deal, but I blog about it now because there is also a reality that I am “different” than the “norm” when it comes to kids and families. I don’t think I expected this. I knew, in theory, that I would feel the effects of not having my own children, but this has been more emotional than I thought.
Charlie, me, Emmett and Sadie Grace...adorable.Last summer I read several books on the subject of being childless by choice and they really helped me own our decision. They also reminded me that I have strong maternal instincts but they are played out in a non-traditional way. Being a teacher does this, but so does going to the zoo with some of my most favorite nieces and nephews on the planet. It's these times that help this emotional issue settle in my soul to a peaceful place. I have no regrets, it's just emotional sometimes.
A future wedding picture?? :)

I am grateful for what my life looks like and how I got here. There is so much to be grateful for. I have an absolutely amazing husband that makes me happy in ways I didn’t think was possible. We have our family of pets that keep me hoppin’ for sure, and I am grateful for them. And, I am especially grateful for the miracles of all the kids, babies and family units in my life that enrich my soul and provide deep happiness.
Aunt Kari and Emmett...priceless.

Thanks to the parents of all my nieces and nephews for allowing me to be the luckiest Aunt on the planet.