December Miscellaneous 2017

After so many posts, it is hard to believe there is still more to talk about for the month of December.  But....we have had so much fun and I want to make sure and document the memories.

Brexley shared her Elf on the Shelf celebration cookies with Ruby

And we made it through another year without being visited by an elf.

Tim went to Dads and Donuts and loved being honored by Luke

Tim and the kids also spent an evening at the school for literacy night.  Various teachers read fun stories and handed out cookies.  Luke and Ruby love being part of the Lakeview community.

Nighttime pictures with their pets are some of my favorites

Tim and I had the best date night when we went to Salt Lake to see The Lower Lights Christmas concert.  Jarin had bought tickets but realized that he couldn't use them so we repurchased and were thrilled with his great seats.  The concert was so much fun, totally interactive, and it was the best way to start out the Christmas season.  Mostly, we just loved being able to spend some time together.

Friday afternoons with no work are the best, especially when they include Grandpa and Grandma and the mall.  Grandpa can always be convinced to pay for some games and rides.

Christmas filters had us laughing all night

Jami provided ornaments for the kids to decorate,

They have become the favorite decorations on the tree

Grandma gifted a singing Christmas Snoopy that was adorable

Spanish Fork dinner and lights continues to be a favorite

Luke and Ruby carefully chose gifts and cards for their teachers

When we went to Temple Square, Luke was fascinated by the street musicians and the fact that people were leaving money in their cases.  Lately he has been obsessed with "dollars" and how to get more, so busking seemed like the perfect solution.  He has been working to figure out the best combination of instruments and songs and is pretty sure that he needs an amp and a fancy case to be official.  It has been so fun to watch and I love his simple excitement.  One of his best songs was playing the drums while singing Rudolph.  One of our neighbors stopped by when he was outside and left a dollar which completely made his day.  He really is the cutest!

Ruby had her first clogging performance, a Christmas concert.  She was so excited to show off her new skills and couldn't wait to get the candy phone for the performance of Text Me Merry Christmas.  I loved watching her on the stage and seeing her interact with the other kids in her class.  She followed along some of the time, and the rest of the time just seemed happy to be in the spotlight.  We had a lot of family support which made Ruby feel so special.  Lucky girl!

She wanted a picture to see how her make up looked

Luke and Koa...Super Ninjas

Christmas carols at Pre School

Luke worked so hard on this picture of Rudolph and Santa

I am impressed at his artistic skills and how much he loves creating

They made Rudolph cookies for their friends

Santa visited the gym. The poor kids had been sick, and Ruby had just been to the doctor and diagnosed with another ear infection, but a chance to see Santa made everything better for a little bit.

Luke prize for being so good at the doctor's office was this sweet hat

Brycen turned 16!  We are so excited for him and all of the big adventures he has ahead.  He wanted sushi for dinner so we got a babysitter for the kids and went out for the most amazing dinner.

He chose my grandma's chocolate cake to celebrate

We always love the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point

We went to a few movies during the month and loved all of them.  Coco was all about family, and switched between Spanish and English - basically my favorite combination. 

Ferdinand was just silly and fun

And The Greatest Showman....music, dancing, great message...we have definitely found a new favorite movie.  I wasn't sure if the kids would be bored, but for the most part they loved it.  At one point Ruby leaned over and said "when I'm a mom, I'm going to be a circus girl.  Perfect goal for the future.  We came home and downloaded the music and had a dance party.  Ruby decided to play circus and assigned the roles.  She told me that she was going to be the trapeze girl with pink hair, and I could be the lady with the beard - I'm not sure that would have been the role I would have chosen, but I guess I am just happy to be a part of the big show.