Well I know I am a month behind but I was so busy living in the moment I didn't take enough pictures!!! December was such a whirlwind! We started off with a joint birthday party for Adam and Kat to simplify things this year. It worked out great cause we had pizza and cake all together then the boys went to see "Old Dogs" and the girls saw "The Princess and the Frog". Each child had a church friend and a school friend. All over in 3 hours. Not bad. I was already worn out because I had the church Christmas party that I was in charge of. It was a huge undertaking because we made it all about service this year. We had a lot of participation and I think it was really meaningful. I really felt the Spirit when we had our live nativity and sang Silent Night. After the party was done the rest of the month was the usual, baking treats and shopping. Word was all my siblings were going home for Christmas so we decided we would go too. Jason had 2 weeks off of work so we had our family Christmas early on the 19th so we could drive to VA later. It was kind of cool to do it early. On our Christmas day we actually got to go to a Chinese Buffet which has been my life long dream. We also got to return stuff and spend our Christmas money! I think everyone had a great time having a "fake Christmas" as Alex called it. On the 21st we took off and spent 24 hours driving to Virginia. We timed it just right. They had just got 2 feet of snow but the roads were fine by then. Its not fun to drive straight through but our kids are amazing travelers! We didn't have any problems going there or back. It gets so much better with every year!! Seeing everyone and all staying together at my parents house was awesome. Truly awesome. There were 9 adults and 12 kids. One of the highlights for me was going to the temple with my family and going out to a great seafood restaurant. We all tried oysters, a lot of us for the first time. I love trying new things but I can't say I have cravings for the slimy muscles. We also played a lot of dominoes and scrabble. I was honored to be on some winning teams. We also shared "Thoughts and Feelings" as mom has us do, and also started a family weight challenge. I love how my family has fun but learns and grows together too. I am waiting for more pictures from my mom, but I knew I had to get something up before I got two months behind!
Well I know I am a month behind but I was so busy living in the moment I didn't take enough pictures!!! December was such a whirlwind! We started off with a joint birthday party for Adam and Kat to simplify things this year. It worked out great cause we had pizza and cake all together then the boys went to see "Old Dogs" and the girls saw "The Princess and the Frog". Each child had a church friend and a school friend. All over in 3 hours. Not bad. I was already worn out because I had the church Christmas party that I was in charge of. It was a huge undertaking because we made it all about service this year. We had a lot of participation and I think it was really meaningful. I really felt the Spirit when we had our live nativity and sang Silent Night. After the party was done the rest of the month was the usual, baking treats and shopping. Word was all my siblings were going home for Christmas so we decided we would go too. Jason had 2 weeks off of work so we had our family Christmas early on the 19th so we could drive to VA later. It was kind of cool to do it early. On our Christmas day we actually got to go to a Chinese Buffet which has been my life long dream. We also got to return stuff and spend our Christmas money! I think everyone had a great time having a "fake Christmas" as Alex called it. On the 21st we took off and spent 24 hours driving to Virginia. We timed it just right. They had just got 2 feet of snow but the roads were fine by then. Its not fun to drive straight through but our kids are amazing travelers! We didn't have any problems going there or back. It gets so much better with every year!! Seeing everyone and all staying together at my parents house was awesome. Truly awesome. There were 9 adults and 12 kids. One of the highlights for me was going to the temple with my family and going out to a great seafood restaurant. We all tried oysters, a lot of us for the first time. I love trying new things but I can't say I have cravings for the slimy muscles. We also played a lot of dominoes and scrabble. I was honored to be on some winning teams. We also shared "Thoughts and Feelings" as mom has us do, and also started a family weight challenge. I love how my family has fun but learns and grows together too. I am waiting for more pictures from my mom, but I knew I had to get something up before I got two months behind! 