On December 1st, Eve and Sterling participated in their school fundraiser, the annual Spaghetti Dinner. Since they are both in music groups they were able to perform for those who attended.
The following evening we attended our ward Christmas party. It was a "Polar Express" theme with a Nativity at the end to remind us of what we should "Believe" in - Christ.
I was asked to play the part of Mary which included a short speaking part and a musical duet of "Mary's Lullaby." It was a very well planned evening. There was a short movie clip of getting on the Polar Express train, a hot cocoa bar, dinner, beautiful dessert tables, as well as a craft table, which I was also able to help with. The kids all got to wear their pajamas.
This is my friend, Gina Forsberg in her cute PJ's.
Sterling had two concerts in December for school. One was his 6th grade band performance and the other was another Fiddle Fusion performance. Here he is performing with the 1st year orchestra students in his Fiddle Fusion shirt. He is in his second year of cello at Davis Middle School.
On the 16th we continued our annual gingerbread decorating tradition with the Kleins.
On the 20th Christian had his preschool Christmas party. This was fun for me to attend. I especially love how he learned to sing Rudolf the Red -Nosed Reindeer. Here is a picture before school of his Play Dough creation, and during his party doing a craft.
On the 16th we also attended a holiday party for Matthew and his co-workers.
There was a catered dinner, bowling and arcade games, which the kids loved!
On Christmas Eve Ivan surprised the kids by visiting for a few days. It was fun to see their shock when they woke up to find him sleeping in the guest room. We had banana bread for breakfast and then enjoyed church (sacrament meeting only). After lunch we had a great time with Ivan, complete with wrestling, laughing, and fun. On Christmas Eve night we read the story of the nativity, and joined the Murray family for their annual talent share (via FaceTime).
We had such a wonderful Christmas! Here are some pictures.
Our traditional pastry wreath
The kids waiting for the"green light".
Breakfast
Opening Presents
Creating a terrarium together
Handsome guys assembling the new game table
Playing Code Names together
Trying out the new toys
We were sad to see Ivan leave the following day He made everything so fun for us. He is such a great uncle and brother!
Our 30 year old furnace died two days before Christmas. Fortunately we stayed plenty warm with the space heaters, oven, and fireplace while Ivan was here. After he left the temperatures dropped and so we closed off sections of the house to conserve the heat until our new furnace was installed the following Friday. As our old furnace left the house I felt like saying "Out with the old! In with the new!" Perfect for the approaching new year. :)
That evening we went to see the Chinese Lantern Festival. It was pretty cool.
On the 30th we went to visit Kelly and the Sanchez family in Michigan for New Year's. We loved being with their family! It was a short, but sweet visit. We are grateful for their willingness to host us. Everything is more fun with family!
At this time of year we are especially grateful for all of our many blessings! We look back on 2017 as a year filled with uplifting experiences, growth, and treasured relationships! We know that all these gifts come from God and we are especially grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ to show us how to enjoy these blessings for eternity! We are so grateful for all that we are blessed with, and look forward to a wonderful upcoming year.
