Happy December! We had lots of fun activities this month! Here are most of the highlights.
We enjoyed decorating the house the first week of this month.
This is Christian's fun school project. He was to create a character from a fable with a mini pumpkin. He chose from the Tortoise and the Hare. We had fun with this project!
We had our ward Christmas Party on Dec 3rd
Christian was the narrator of the Primary Nativity (the only speaking part), and did such a great job. He was loud and clear, spoke with great inflection and read the Nativity story very well!
I didn't get him in his costume, but this was afterward with his 2 close friends, Charlotte and Andy.
This month I got a new recipe book for sourdough baking. I have loved having so many new options to bake! I love having flour from Matt's work. He brings me organic, ancient grain flour for my sourdough. I am pretty lucky!
On Saturday, Dec 10th, Sheri and I got to see the Nutcracker. The Amarillo Symphony accompanied them live and it was awesome! We also got about 3 or 4 new Nutcracker ornaments for our tree.
Thursday, Dec 15th was Sheri's high school band concert. She did great and it was fun to have her friends come to support her!
On Thursday and Friday the 15th/16th I was able to help distribute the Salvation Army Angel Tree gifts to families in need. It was fun to work with volunteers (including lots of young missionaries) and brighten the families' day/season. It is cool to realize that just as the gift bags each had family names on them, so too does God know each of our names and desires/needs and He wants to bless us. I like to think that we are part of His great work of taking care of His children.
Saturday, Dec 17th I was able to help Refugee Services of Texas deliver goodies and gifts to the refugee families. It is so cool to work with these good people and organizations that make such a difference in people's lives!
Eve flew in on the 16th, after she finished her finals and we were happy to have her home! She got to the dentist here in town as well as attend a BYU bowl game with Matt and Sterling.
On the 20th our family was able to go to the High Plains food bank and help organize food. I am trying to help my kids see that serving is simple and fun.
Since this is our view (pretty impressive, I know) and we love to be with family we decided to spend the rest of December in Colorado.
School ended on the 21st and so Thursday, Dec 22nd we drove to Colorado. We were able to make it in time to enjoy dinner with my parents and then see Annie and Hannah perform downtown. They are so fun, talented, and beautiful!
Saturday Dec 24th, was Christmas Eve. I sent my boys to hang out with Scott and Joe while I baked pastry wreath and apple pies with my Mom. I have to give a HUGE shout out to Scott for being such a great uncle/ brother in law! He really made the trip fun for our family, especially during those -in between big event- times...and often he created the big events too. What a guy!
That evening we had a fun family dinner at Hannah's house. I am very grateful to Hannah for allowing us to gather here when she was going out of town for the holidays!
Ivan flew into town Friday and we love spending time with him. He is especially cute with the little kids. Catherine's boys love whipped cream! Come to think of it, who doesn't? Dinner was tasty and fun!
The cousins all spent the night together and loved waking up together Christmas morning! Matt and I supervised. :)
Sunday, Dec 25th, Christmas. Joseph was especially generous to my boys this year and got them a combined gift that they have been wanting for a long time. It made them love him all the more!
We really enjoyed exchanging gifts and seeing everyone open their presents. We had pastry wreath, mini quiches, banana bread, and other goodies for breakfast.
Christmas morning was pretty near to perfect.
After church (Annie sang in church beautifully) we went to Annie's house for snacks and relaxing. Annie had a beautiful spread of snacks!
Then we went to my parents' house for dinner and a talent show. The food was delicious and the talents were very enjoyable! I love to hear and see all the cool things people are developing in their lives! Family time is great!
I am proud of my kids for getting out of their comfort zones and performing for everyone. When you are in the early growing stages of building a talent it can be a very vulnerable thing to do. They all did well. I myself get nerves and am growing in my accompanying abilities. It was a good experience for me to work through too!
Dessert was yummy.
We were happy to have Wendy, Matt's mom join us for Christmas dinner and the talent show. We drove up to Estes that evening.
On Monday, Dec 26th we invited Jen and Scott to come to Estes and see the Dome Home. Jen and Scott brought cherry pie and cherry cider which we enjoyed later.
We then enjoyed downtown Estes for some shopping and lunch.
I have a very handsome, rugged husband and had to take a picture!
At lunch
Matt in my new sunglasses. They make him look like a rock star.
That evening Matt had to head back to Texas for work. He sacrifices a lot to provide us such an abundant life!
Tuesday, Dec 27th we enjoyed our time with Grandma Smith (Wendy). We did puzzles, swimming at her rec center, and movies. It was good to relax after the holiday busyness!
Wednesday, Dec 28th we went back to Aurora. We were able to go to Lava Island with Catherine, Annie, and their kids. We were there to celebrate Cat's kids birthdays. I can't believe Augustine is getting so grown up! We are excited that Cat and Aaron are now expecting their 4th baby, due in July.
In the evening I took the kids to Jen and Scott's place where Scott graciously agreed to entertain all the kids so Jen, Annie, and I could go to the temple.
We loved seeing my Dad in the temple. Unfortunately my Mom had to stay home with her cough. It was special to be with each other in the celestial room!
That night it snowed a ton.
Thursday, Dec 29thth we had to switch plans and decided to go sledding which was mostly organized by Scott. The snow was perfect. The temperatures were perfect, and the hill was perfect (thanks Annie for the location idea).
Christian and Jonathan
Annie
Me
Our sledding trains were epic!
Annie and I went together and got some major snow in our faces. :)
Afterward we got pizza/ salads at the nearby restaurant.
Friday, the family went to Cat's boys' birthday swim party. Unfortunately Sheri was sick with a fever and couldn't go, so I stayed with her and took care of laundry. After that it was a pretty low key day and I enjoyed spending time with my parents. We watched an historical fiction romance movie. It was lovely!
Saturday, December 31st we went to Meow Wolf, an Art Museum in Denver that is very interactive. We had fun exploring all the rooms.
After that we enjoyed some delicious frozen yogurt! Scott and Jen know all the good places to go!
Then in the evening we gathered the whole family for New Year's Eve dinner, kareoke, and games. We loved all the performances!
Here is Christian Beat Boxing.
But the most fantastic moment of the night was when Joe sang to Lara and surprised her by proposing! It was such a magical, thrilling, and joyful moment! We are SO happy for them!
We also loved having Wendy join us. We played a fun question game and had candy and treats, including Hannah's gourmet hot cocoa bar options. It was fun to ring in the new year together! Then Sunday morning we went to Sacrament meeting and then hit the road to return home. I am so grateful for my parents opening their home to us and always making us feel welcome! We are grateful for our time with them and the effort they put in to host us! Holidays with family are so special!
We were so glad to see Matt again. He celebrated the new year at home alone. I hope that next year we can be together. He was willing to drive back, but it seemed like a lot for just a day or so. He celebrated the new year with a new root beer.
The year 2022 had a lot of major events with Matt starting a new job, Eve graduating then going off to college, moving to Texas and the passing of Matt's dad. Through it all we have seen the Lord sustaining us and steadying us. We feel love, peace, joy, and hope for many more good things to come in the future. Happy New Year!
