December Festivities

 Blake decided our backyard trees needed trimming and rented a lift to reach the very tops of them. It was a super cold day, so Blake only trimmed a few of them before deciding he'd try again in the spring.

 The kids have been enjoying the Christmas tree and helping me decorate around the house. This has been a really fun year to see all the excitement and magic of Christmas through their eyes.

 Porter's preschool teacher invited all the kids and their families to her home to visit with Santa. The kids had so much fun! Porter and Brooke both wrote lists to give him. Brooke's said she wanted a sled, some clothes, and some batteries. When I asked her "Why batteries?" she said "just in case you need some then you can ask me and I'll have them."

 Porter asked for a remote control truck and some new clothes. Porter chose his own nice shirt to wear to see Santa and wanted to comb his hair so he'd look nice. He also asked Santa if he was on the naughty or nice list. Santa said nice, but he still needed to obey his parents.

 Grant didn't say much, but he wasn't scared of Santa like he was last year. He sat quietly on his lap until his turn was over. You can ask Grant "What does Santa say?" and he'll say "Ho ho ho!"

 We finally got a little snowfall! The kids were beyond excited to play outside and wanted to go out right after breakfast.

 Santa came to storytime at the library.

Brooke got to go to her first activity days event with the other 8-9 year old girls from our church. It was a mother/daughter activity where we made gingerbread houses and then sang carols at the Beehive Home.

 My mom came to visit for Brooke's birthday. The night of the 16th was our ward's Christmas party. It was a "Back to Bethlehem" theme so I made little outfits for the kids and I to wear. Blake met us at the party straight from work.

Porter made a gingerbread  house at preschool.

At his preschool Christmas party one of the activities was stacking cups.

And then he made this cute hat.

 Wrestling with dad is an every evening occurance at our house! It usually starts by Porter saying "Dad, I'm ready to get my butt kicked."

 Grant makes it so hard to exercise at home! He will come sit right by me and copy whatever move I am doing. It's so cute and hard to actually exercise because I just want to watch him.

So Much To Be Thankful For

This year's Thanksgiving was a little different without Blake's dad. It was our first holiday without him and fairly to close to his passing as well, so there were a lot of emotions. We missed him of course, but we carried on in the family traditions he helped build and instilled in each of us. It also reminded us that even though are hearts are hurting, there is still so much to be thankful for: good health, a good job, a home to call our own, our kids and their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents. We are especially grateful for our Savior and his gift of the atonement that will allow us to see our loved ones who have passed on again.

Blake had to work on Thanksgiving day and the day after, plus he was sick, so we didn't see much of him those days. I spent the day at Blake's mom's house with his two sisters and their families. The kids loved playing with their cousins and I love visiting with Steph and Danielle.

Saturday was Blake's day off and we went to his company's annual family Christmas party at the movie theater. They were generous enough to rent the theater and provide popcorn and drinks to everyone. The invitation encourages employees to invite their families and any holiday guests, so we took some cousins to the show with us. We watched "Moana" and we all loved it.


Afterwards, we packed a lunch and headed up on the mountain to pick out our Christmas trees. There wasn't any snow in the valley, so the kids were excited to see some snow (not much) up on the mountain.

 Brooke really wanted to build a snowman.

 We built a bonfire and roasted hotdogs and s'mores. It was a really great afternoon.

 Usually we go on a great hunt finding out tree, but this year we walked a little ways into the forest and there it was. It's perfect and Blake and I have both said this is probably our favorite Christmas tree.

 Blake's mom also go a tree. At first, she thought she spotted the perfect tree but then noticed it was growing really close to another taller tree. His mom got a little emotional seeing the two trees growing side by side and said "no, these trees need to stay together." She then found another tree that is perfect for her space. I helped her string the lights and all the kids (and adults too) decorated wooden ornaments to hang on it.

This year taught me that even though our hearts are hurting, we can still find joy and peace around us. Sometimes moving forward can be hard, but I know Blake's dad was with us and I'm so grateful for his example of how important family is. We have many wonderful memories because of him.