December Fun......

*disclaimer.....don't mind the line spacing. I don't have the patience to figure it out right now!

What is more fun than December activities?!  Now that my kids are getting older, it seems like there are a lot of things going on.  I love it!

Yesterday, my boys had their school song festival. Here is Carson (middle, top row.)

And Here is Connor (end, middle row.)

Lucky for us, we got there plenty early, so we got the front row!  And it was nice that our kids were on the same side we were sitting on.  They did so good and it is always a fun way to bring in some Christmas spirit!

Our next family fun activity was going to Winder Dairy for scones and hot chocolate.

That is always a fun time too! 

(sorry Mom!  I know you will hate me for this picture!)

This is one of my favorite things to do in December.  Except, next year I don't think I will pick a Saturday at 6:00 pm.  A little too busy!  But still fun!

Another highlight of the month was Kate's dance concert.  It is also a fun way to bring in the spirit of Christmas. 

She did "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."  She did such a great job!

What is Christmastime without decorating sugar cookies?  This particular time I cheated and we just used the prepared cookie dough.  It worked perfect for a last minute cookie decorating activity!

And of course, Kelly has to do something silly and crazy.  This time it was squeezing frosting into the kids' mouths!

To start the month out, I gave a shower for my sister in law.  She and my oldest brother are about to have their first baby (any day now, hopefully!)

 It had been a long time since I had either been to or thrown a baby shower. 

I had a fun time gathering ideas (mostly from Pinterest!)  We had lots of yummy food and treats.  And the company was great too!

This was the table centerpiece and a gift for baby Phoebe's room!

So that has been the month thus far!  As Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's approach, we will be having many more family gatherings and traditions.  Can't wait!

Temple Square

Last night we went downtown to see the lights on Temple Square.  The last time we saw them, I was pregnant with Connor!  So, none of our kids had seen the beautiful lights before!

Last night was such a pleasant evening, we decided to go down for family night.  I think the reasons why we haven't been down before was either we lived 700 miles away, or it was just too frigid to take the little ones out.  I was grateful that last night was so nice and just our coats were needed!

My favorite red tree!

After the lights we walked across the street to the Church History Museum.

Katelyn loves this place! She loves to play "what do you want to eat?"



Jace and Kate gathering eggs

and doing some dancing!

It was a fun evening! 

Thankful.....Day 6

I am thankful for the funny things my kids say.  It makes me laugh and makes me smile and I love it!

Katelyn and I were in the car and she heard a Christmas song.  She says to me, "Mom, I love Twinkle Bells!"  I couldn't dare correct her, because Twinkle Bells is so much cuter than Jingle Bells!

I also love the way Jace calls his brother Nonnor.  And how he makes all sorts of animal sounds!

This morning Connor says "Mom, we get to have Thanksgiving dinner for lunch tomorrow."  Then Carson, in all seriousness replies, "we get pancakes for lunch?"  What?!  It made us laugh!

I love when Carson says "amen" at the end of a book.

Every time Katelyn asks for Mini Meats (Mini Wheats) for breakfast, it makes me smile!

The older boys have started to outgrow the "cutesy" things, but one thing I love, is listening to them pray.  Connor's prayers are so thoughtful and Carson thanks Heavenly Father for just about everything there is!  I love it!

And whenever Kate says something that makes me laugh, she always gets real bashful and says "don't tell daddy!"

Love my kids and the funny things they say!

Thankful......Day 5

  Friends! 

Today I am thankful for all my friends!

We made some of the greatest friends in Phoenix. 

Friends that I crafted with, taught preschool with, ate bagels with, and partied with.

Friends that we laughed with and cried with.

Friends that we vacationed with and celebrated holidays with.

It was a blessing that one of these friends is a doctor.  He came to our home to check on our sick or injured child (two different children!) And who made us feel reassured that they would be okay (which saved us from a visit to Urgent Care!)

I am grateful for FB and Blogger so that I can keep in touch with these friends! I get to hear about their families and their accomplishments.

I am equally thankful for our friends here in Salt Lake.

We were blessed to move in a neighborhood where there are so many great families!

We've had BBQs

and camping trips.

There's been Rockband,

playgroups, parties, movies, and game nights. 

I am blessed to still have relationships with some of the friends I grew up with.  We've had lunch dates, park dates, and long chats!  Even one I get to see regularly because she cuts my hair!

There are friends who play recreation sports with Kelly!  Which I am thankful for because I don't know how he would form a softball or basketball team without his friends!

We love all of our friends near and far!  We are thankful for your examples and your thoughtfulness. You are apart of so many memories and we will cherish your friendships forever!

Thankful......Day 4

Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away (where has the time gone?!) I have been thinking of family traditions.

I am thankful for our family traditions and it seems like this is the time of year when we have a lot of them.

Yesterday was the first of many.  It is around Thanksgiving that I start to think of Christmas cards and getting a photo ready.  Every year since Connor was a baby, we have done a photo card.  It is fun to look back at them and see just how our family has grown and changed.  So, yesterday we took the family out and took some fun fall pictures for our 2011 card. This kids were so cooperative, which doesn't usually happen!  I could have kept taking pictures all night!  This time, instead of using the timer and tripod,  we were blessed to have our friend do them for us!

Today marks another tradition.  Football!  I love football.  Seriously, Saturday can never come quick enough when there is a game to watch!  It has been apart of my family since before my birth!  I love being able to go to the stadium and cheer on my team or gather all together in the family room and watch on TV.  I also love that I have passed the tradition on to my own little family! The season is nearing the end, and that makes me sad.  But we will enjoy what is left!

Then in a week or so, I will start preparing for our Thanksgiving dinner.  It is now my job (used to be Grandma's job) to make the all important Chocolate Roll!  This is a must for Thanksgiving dinner.  We look forward to it all year (it just might be my favorite part of Thanksgiving day!)  And now I have the privilege of sharing it with the family!

Those are just a few of the traditions I have been thinking of the last few days. I can't wait for the holidays to come in full force so we can take part in more of them!

Thankful......Day 3

I know I already posted about being thankful for Kelly's safety at work, but today I am posting about being thankful for him in general. And since today is his birthday, I wanted to write something just for him!

I am so thankful for my dear husband! Here are some things about him that make me especially grateful (and here are some outdated pictures of him doing some of his favorite things:)

  

He is kind

He is patient

He is hardworking

He is forgiving

He is not easily offended

He is an easy going, goes with flow kind of guy

He is selfless

He is great at playing with the kids

He is adventurous

He is young at heart

He is faithful

He is obedient (not just to me!)

He is helpful

 

 

 

 I guess I could go on and on, but you get the point! I am one lucky lady to have married this man. And when I count my many blessings, I count him twice!

 

 

 

Happy birthday my sweet!