Our family
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A few videos from the past couple of weeks...
The kids have had some fun while they've been off for Christmas vacation. Here are just a few videos of them :) Enjoy!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thankful
Today my heart is full of gratitude for the many blessings in my life. I am reminded of a song that Josh Groban sings entitled "Thankful". Here are the lyrics from the chorus:
"So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for"
As this year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on who I've become, who I will continue to become this next year and throughout my life, and how to live my life so as to bring me even closer to the Lord in order to be who He would have me be. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude comes over me as I think about how the Lord has strengthened, protected, and comforted me throughout my whole life and especially the past few years. I know it is through Him that I am where I am. I am in awe of how Heavenly Father has worked things out for my good and how I feel the assurance that He will continue to do so.
The experiences I have had have made me who I am today and I look back with gratitude for the wisdom of a loving Heavenly Father who knows me better than I know myself and who knows exactly what I need...and who provides that in His time and in His way. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for agency, the power to choose, the chance to learn and to grow and to become more like Him. I am also grateful for the wonderful friends and family who have been such a strong support for me, and who have truly been instruments in the Lord's hands.
I really believe that Heavenly Father sends people into our lives for a reason and have felt that so often in my life. A year ago today, I had no idea how much my life would change within the course of this year---I met my best friend in April, we got engaged in August, and were married for time and all eternity in September. I became an instant mom of three kids and that has been an amazing, trying, difficult, joyful, stretching, learning experience so far. Though there are days (more than I'd like to admit) when I really don't think I'm cut out to be a mom and where I'm just not sure Heavenly Father picked the right person for the job :), ultimately I know this is where I'm supposed to be and that there is much good that is and can be done. Heavenly Father knew that John was out there and guided us to each other at the right time and place for both of us, though completely unexpected. I never imagined someone so perfect for me as John and a family where I fit so well.
So, today I am grateful, as "there's so much to be thankful for".
"So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for"
As this year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on who I've become, who I will continue to become this next year and throughout my life, and how to live my life so as to bring me even closer to the Lord in order to be who He would have me be. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude comes over me as I think about how the Lord has strengthened, protected, and comforted me throughout my whole life and especially the past few years. I know it is through Him that I am where I am. I am in awe of how Heavenly Father has worked things out for my good and how I feel the assurance that He will continue to do so.
The experiences I have had have made me who I am today and I look back with gratitude for the wisdom of a loving Heavenly Father who knows me better than I know myself and who knows exactly what I need...and who provides that in His time and in His way. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for agency, the power to choose, the chance to learn and to grow and to become more like Him. I am also grateful for the wonderful friends and family who have been such a strong support for me, and who have truly been instruments in the Lord's hands.
I really believe that Heavenly Father sends people into our lives for a reason and have felt that so often in my life. A year ago today, I had no idea how much my life would change within the course of this year---I met my best friend in April, we got engaged in August, and were married for time and all eternity in September. I became an instant mom of three kids and that has been an amazing, trying, difficult, joyful, stretching, learning experience so far. Though there are days (more than I'd like to admit) when I really don't think I'm cut out to be a mom and where I'm just not sure Heavenly Father picked the right person for the job :), ultimately I know this is where I'm supposed to be and that there is much good that is and can be done. Heavenly Father knew that John was out there and guided us to each other at the right time and place for both of us, though completely unexpected. I never imagined someone so perfect for me as John and a family where I fit so well.
So, today I am grateful, as "there's so much to be thankful for".
Friday, December 16, 2011
Merry Christmas from the Winklers!!!
Here is our Christmas card and newsletter! Enjoy!!!
Dear family and friends,
We hope you are all doing well! Here is a little update on our family...
We just returned from a fabulous trip to Washington DC! We stayed with family out there and had an open house in Falls Church, VA. We were able to see several of Rachel's friends and former co-workers who John and the kids had never met. We visited a few museums and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. It was so good to be back and I miss it, but it's also good to be home in Tucson!!
John is working hard in his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona. He finishes at the end of June (yay!), and got his dream job in Denver, which will start mid-July. He is an amazing husband and father and keeps us all laughing, happy, and feeling loved.
Rachel is having adventures being an instant mom of three. Keeping busy with all there is to do as a mom and wife, and taking breaks to do those things I love. Exercise, playing the piano, naps, and Jane Austen movies have been saving graces for me :) I feel very blessed to be in this eternal family!
Jonas reads all the time and is constantly looking to learn more. He qualified for the school spelling bee and is now in the 4th grade math group along with two other 3rd graders. He is such a kind and loving big brother!!
Vera is learning to read and loving it! She is spelling and sounding out words everywhere we go. She is doing SO well at school and is full of energy and life! Vera loves to play with friends, eat ice cream, and do special time with Mom and Dad.
Anna is a little singer. She sings herself to sleep at night and "plays" on the keyboard often, singing along with the demo songs. She loves to learn and "do letters" and is actually recognizing many of the letters of the alphabet. She is a sensitive, sweet little girl and loves giving hugs and kisses.
We love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!
Love,
The Winkler Family
John, Rachel, Jonas, Vera, and Anna
We hope you are all doing well! Here is a little update on our family...
We just returned from a fabulous trip to Washington DC! We stayed with family out there and had an open house in Falls Church, VA. We were able to see several of Rachel's friends and former co-workers who John and the kids had never met. We visited a few museums and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. It was so good to be back and I miss it, but it's also good to be home in Tucson!!
John is working hard in his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona. He finishes at the end of June (yay!), and got his dream job in Denver, which will start mid-July. He is an amazing husband and father and keeps us all laughing, happy, and feeling loved.
Rachel is having adventures being an instant mom of three. Keeping busy with all there is to do as a mom and wife, and taking breaks to do those things I love. Exercise, playing the piano, naps, and Jane Austen movies have been saving graces for me :) I feel very blessed to be in this eternal family!
Jonas reads all the time and is constantly looking to learn more. He qualified for the school spelling bee and is now in the 4th grade math group along with two other 3rd graders. He is such a kind and loving big brother!!
Vera is learning to read and loving it! She is spelling and sounding out words everywhere we go. She is doing SO well at school and is full of energy and life! Vera loves to play with friends, eat ice cream, and do special time with Mom and Dad.
Anna is a little singer. She sings herself to sleep at night and "plays" on the keyboard often, singing along with the demo songs. She loves to learn and "do letters" and is actually recognizing many of the letters of the alphabet. She is a sensitive, sweet little girl and loves giving hugs and kisses.
We love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!
Love,
The Winkler Family
John, Rachel, Jonas, Vera, and Anna
Friday, November 18, 2011
Flowers from a wonderful husband!
Just a quick post...John and I were very lucky the other day to go out on a date! One of our friends from the ward watched Anna for a couple of hours in the morning and John and I hiked up to the Sabino Dam in Sabino Canyon. It was SO wonderful to be able to just talk uninterrupted and BE with each other. I sure love my husband. He is an amazing man and I realize that more and more everyday. Later that day, he went to the store with the kids and got me flowers. I LOVE roses and John got me beautiful red and white roses. See photo above :) I feel pretty lucky!
Vera has been sick the past couple of days. She's had a cough, cold, and fever, poor thing. It's gone around our family---I had it first, then Anna got the cold and cough, and John is sick with it as well. Vera doesn't have a fever now and is recovering, thank goodness, but we've had two days of movies, Emergen-C, lemon and honey, childrens tylenol, and early bedtime :) Luckily I got better a few days before Vera got sick so I have some energy to help her. I can't imagine what it would be if all of us were sick at the same time. Thank goodness it's all in the family, but not all in the family at the same time :) :). Ha. Well, at least this time :) John has only two more days of PICU and then we're done! We celebrated yesterday because it was his last on-call EVER! Yahoo!!! Celebrate good times :) :) Hopefully John and Vera will get better soon!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wedding Photos!!!
Our wedding photos are posted on our photographer's website!!! Here is the link:
www.jilljacksonphotography.com
Go to the clients section and type in the password: winkler
We are so happy with how they turned out. It was a beautiful, wonderful day! Enjoy!!!
www.jilljacksonphotography.com
Go to the clients section and type in the password: winkler
We are so happy with how they turned out. It was a beautiful, wonderful day! Enjoy!!!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Ah Sunday
I love Sundays. While I was single, I loved starting Sunday morning with some nice church music and playing the piano, singing, and/or studying scriptures. It just set apart the day for me and was such a nice change. Now with the kids and John, I decided to do a similar thing and start Sundays by turning on church or classical music when we all get up and it seems to set a great mood. I don't normally get the relaxing nap and time to myself I did when I was single :), but we have started some other traditions that really make Sundays for me. Mind you, these are things we could and like to do on other days, but they are fun Sabbath day activities. The kids love to make cookies for friends and neighbors, so we've done that the past couple of weeks and I think it's helped the kids see how good they feel doing service and how good it helps others feel as well. All of us love to bake and cook and the kids love to help, so sometimes we try out a new recipe. So fun! We've got a box of Sunday activities that John's late wife Britney put together when she was alive and I'll have the kids choose a couple of those to do. They love it! Last week we sang Primary songs and went on a family walk. The kids love to sing (yay!!!) and we have a good time doing it. What a blessing it is to have fun traditions and to have Sundays as special days to remember family and why our family is able to be together!! It makes me so grateful for the Savior and His sacrifice for us and for the plan of our Heavenly Father that allows families to be together forever and to build lasting and loving relationships on this earth that continue in the life after this.
Just a quick update on us...things are still crazy, but John is finishing his PICU (pediatric ICU) month in a week and so we are all breathing a sigh of relief. It has been a rough month with many challenges. Satan has really worked hard on our little family and I have felt stretched to my limit. However, I know that Heavenly Father will not allow us to be tempted or tried more than we are able to bear, so I find comfort in that. I am also grateful for the beauty of the eternal marriage covenant and temple sealing. That has brought so much comfort to me knowing that John and I have committed to each other and to God that we will love each other and take care of each other through everything. We continue to do our best and to involve Heavenly Father in all we do. I know that because of that, we have been given and have felt so much strength that is much more than our own. John truly amazes me in so many ways each day as I see how mature he is and how much faith he has. He makes me want to be a better person. He is so patient and loving and has such a good heart and cherishes me. He is committed to the Lord, to me and to our family. I am so blessed! I always prayed that Heavenly Father would provide a man like him and sure enough, He did. Heavenly Father guided me to the perfect man for me.
The kids are doing well and adjusting to all the life changes :) They are all calling me Mommy (sometimes Rachel, too, or Mommy Rachel)---which has been an adjustment, but a good one. It really melts my heart when they do.
Anna often requests to read "fipfurs" (scriptures) before bedtime and brings me the Book of Mormon so we can read a few verses. She also loves to sing "sunbeam" (Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam--a children's Primary song we sing in church) and "rock" (The wise man built his house upon the rock---another Primary song from church) before bedtime. She and I dance and sing to a lot of the songs that I used to do with students at the private school where I taught back east. She loves it! She also loves to watch me put on make-up and wants to put on "farkles" (sparkles--eyeshadow), and sings herself to sleep at night with all sorts of made-up songs. It's pretty adorable. She's not taking naps much anymore, so we've started doing quiet time (so Mommy can have some quiet time :) ).
Vera has just started reading and is LOVING it. We use the website www.starfall.com and I think it's great! Reading has really clicked for Vera now and she wants to read all the time. She got 100% on her spelling test the other day and we are so proud of her! She loves playing with her triplet friends who live next door and who are her age. She is constantly drawing pictures for John and me and LOVES to color with markers and paints. Vera is so loving, very social, and is always the first to give a hug. She is very vocal about her feelings (which was hard at first, but is good and is also giving me a thicker skin :) ).
Jonas is such a sweet boy. He is very loving and has such a sweet heart. He is SO smart. Jonas has started reading the Book of Mormon every night and tells us what he learns each day. He is the king of random facts and will tell you everything there is to know about pretty much anything he discovers. He loves to read and is currently in a 3rd/4th grade split class, which is a challenge for him, but he loves it. His new thing these days is plants versus zombies, a game that John has on his iPhone. He loves spending quality time with John and told me the other day that his "love language" is quality time. Love these kids!
Well, gotta run to get ready for church, but until next time!
Just a quick update on us...things are still crazy, but John is finishing his PICU (pediatric ICU) month in a week and so we are all breathing a sigh of relief. It has been a rough month with many challenges. Satan has really worked hard on our little family and I have felt stretched to my limit. However, I know that Heavenly Father will not allow us to be tempted or tried more than we are able to bear, so I find comfort in that. I am also grateful for the beauty of the eternal marriage covenant and temple sealing. That has brought so much comfort to me knowing that John and I have committed to each other and to God that we will love each other and take care of each other through everything. We continue to do our best and to involve Heavenly Father in all we do. I know that because of that, we have been given and have felt so much strength that is much more than our own. John truly amazes me in so many ways each day as I see how mature he is and how much faith he has. He makes me want to be a better person. He is so patient and loving and has such a good heart and cherishes me. He is committed to the Lord, to me and to our family. I am so blessed! I always prayed that Heavenly Father would provide a man like him and sure enough, He did. Heavenly Father guided me to the perfect man for me.
The kids are doing well and adjusting to all the life changes :) They are all calling me Mommy (sometimes Rachel, too, or Mommy Rachel)---which has been an adjustment, but a good one. It really melts my heart when they do.
Anna often requests to read "fipfurs" (scriptures) before bedtime and brings me the Book of Mormon so we can read a few verses. She also loves to sing "sunbeam" (Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam--a children's Primary song we sing in church) and "rock" (The wise man built his house upon the rock---another Primary song from church) before bedtime. She and I dance and sing to a lot of the songs that I used to do with students at the private school where I taught back east. She loves it! She also loves to watch me put on make-up and wants to put on "farkles" (sparkles--eyeshadow), and sings herself to sleep at night with all sorts of made-up songs. It's pretty adorable. She's not taking naps much anymore, so we've started doing quiet time (so Mommy can have some quiet time :) ).
Vera has just started reading and is LOVING it. We use the website www.starfall.com and I think it's great! Reading has really clicked for Vera now and she wants to read all the time. She got 100% on her spelling test the other day and we are so proud of her! She loves playing with her triplet friends who live next door and who are her age. She is constantly drawing pictures for John and me and LOVES to color with markers and paints. Vera is so loving, very social, and is always the first to give a hug. She is very vocal about her feelings (which was hard at first, but is good and is also giving me a thicker skin :) ).
Jonas is such a sweet boy. He is very loving and has such a sweet heart. He is SO smart. Jonas has started reading the Book of Mormon every night and tells us what he learns each day. He is the king of random facts and will tell you everything there is to know about pretty much anything he discovers. He loves to read and is currently in a 3rd/4th grade split class, which is a challenge for him, but he loves it. His new thing these days is plants versus zombies, a game that John has on his iPhone. He loves spending quality time with John and told me the other day that his "love language" is quality time. Love these kids!
Well, gotta run to get ready for church, but until next time!
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