BROKEN OVEN
December 1, 2014
December 1, 2014
Luck would have it that our oven would stop working right before Thanksgiving. It was a good thing we spent Thanksgiving at my parents house in St. George. After we returned home the beginning of December we had someone from Sears come out to take a look at it. We were extremely thankful when the only parts that needed to be replaced were the panel board and the fan. With Christmas coming up we did not want to have to buy a new oven.
SERVICE
December 8, 2014
This year we really wanted to do something nice for someone in need. We found out about a family who needed a little extra love this year. With a few other families we were able to help this family out with gifts, clothes, and a tree. We decided to pitch in and get this family a fresh tree. The kids had fun picking one out and then we delivered it for Family Home Evening. I think we were all humbled when we witnessed the need of this family. I hope we will be able to do something like this every year during December.
CHRISTMAS TREE
December 9, 2014
I wanted to do something different with the tree this year. Over Thanksgiving my mom and I went to this really fun store where we were able to see lots of pre-decorated trees . It was fun to see how they decorated with big ribbon. I found the perfect ribbon at Costco this year and had so much fun trying something new with the ribbon. I think it turned out great!
THOSE 50'S GLASSES
December 10, 2014
Sometimes I think Abby feels left out that she is the only one of the kids without glasses. We will often find her roaming around the house in her pink or teal 50's glasses. She will wear them for hours at a time. Oh Abby, it's only a matter of time until you will need glasses just like the others. Until then...enjoy your no glasses phase!
MY HANDSOME HUSBAND
December 15, 2014
I needed to take a photo of Mike one morning for his moonlight package for Memorial Hospital. When looking at photos to give him I realized I didn't really have any photos of him by himself. That is sad. I need to remember to take more solo photos of Mike. I'm so lucky to have such a handsome husband!
MARY POPPINS
December 26, 2014
We took the kids to see "Mary Poppins" at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center tonight. It was SO good. I was impressed by the caliber of the actors and how great their voices were. The musical ended up being quite long--3 hours to be exact. We didn't even realize it was that long because we were entertained the entire time. Everyone sat in the front row except for me and Abby who sat behind everyone in the second row. Abby was so much fun to watch. She would go back and forth between being tired and all out mesmerized by the familiar songs. I think it is safe to say that our favorite song was, "Step in Time." I am so glad we all got to see something so incredible the day after Christmas.
THE NEW SLED
December 27, 2014
Even though most of the snow had melted from our backyard, Mike and Abby went outside to try the new sled. Abby had such a great time being pulled in the tube sled by Mike. Now, we just need more snow. I have a feeling we won't have to wait very long for more snow.
THE GIRLS AND THEIR TENT
December 31, 2014
The girls have really enjoyed building various tents to play in over Christmas break. They finally realized (with the help of mom) that if they used a big enough blanket the tent would stay up better. Their latest creation actually held up pretty well and they were able to sleep in in for a couple of days.
MISSING SOCK
December 29, 2014
I always laugh when I read the Nursery Rhyme, "Diddle Diddle Dumpling My Son John." Not until recently did I finally understand the true nature of this rhyme. I will often find Andrew with his church socks on the day after church and sometimes I only find him with one of those socks on. I am not sure how he can wear just one sock. Boyhood truly is a mystery to me.
NEW YEAR'S PARTY
December 31, 2014
This year the kids in Andrew's Sunday School decided to start monthly parties where each of the kids would host a boy/girl party at their house. Andrew decided he wanted to do a New Year's party for the kids in his class. It's been great for these group of kids to learn to socialize better with each other and to just have good, clean fun together. For food Andrew decided to have chips, pizza, popcorn, peanut butter balls, dipped oreos, and dipped strawberries. For decor I had fun making the streamers that sat above the food table and some silver balls to resemble the ball being dropped in Times Square. Andrew thought the balls were a bit overboard, but then again, that is what a boy would think. For entertainment I set up and put together a photo booth for the kids with my iPad and a new app called Simple Booth. The kids got to be in total control. Each session took 4 photos and put them in a classic photo booth strip for them to either email or print. I had the printer all set up so they could enjoy the photos immediately. There were also some fun photo booth props they could use. At first I wasn't sure the boys were going to get into it but after seeing how much fun the girls were having the boys jumped right in and had fun as well. The kids played lots of games: Apples to Apples, Jenga, Heads Up on the iPad, Truth or Dare (innocent style), and Mario Cart on the Wii. They even had fun watching some Studio C. While the chaos ensued down in the basement, Mike and I watched movies with the girls in the living room while gorging ourselves with peanut butter balls, Oreos and strawberries. Peter got to spend New Year's Eve with his best friend Dallin at his house. Every 30 minutes they popped a balloon off the wall and inside there was something fun they could do. He LOVED being able to be with his friends on New Year's Eve.
