January 2017

Happy New Year!

On Jan 2nd, our anniversary, we went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory because we had a gift card.  It was delicious!  I had french onion soup and salad.  We also stopped by Costco, and were able to rent the movie Sully since the movie theater was packed.  Here is a sweet message from Sheri.

I continue to substitute teach for 2 tap classes on Tuesdays.   I also attend Institute classes on Wednesdays where we are studying the New Testament.

On January 5th we went to the flour mill where Matt works in Columbus. We shared a potluck with his coworkers and their families.  We loved being able to take a tour of the plant and see all the areas where they process the wheat!  I am proud of how hard Matt works and how much progress he has made during his time here in Columbus.  I am also grateful for some of his coworkers that have been an important part of the growth they have achieved.

On January 11th Sterling had his first strings concert where we got to hear him play his cello.  We enjoyed the concert and are excited for all that he will continue to learn.

Sheri started selling cookies again this year.  She put in more effort this year and has enjoyed the process, though cookies don't arrive until February.  Sales end in March.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day we went roller skating with some ward friends.  Christian tried roller skating but ultimately just wanted to play with the rolling walkers.

Sterling continues in basketball.  He has learned to be a great defender and is learning how to set up a good shot.  He plays with a lot of heart and enthusiasm.

We love to watch his games!

The best part of January was the chance to spend time together.  We have had routine and time to relax.  We feel very happy, blessed, and content!

I love my family!

December 2016

December was a wonderful month.  It wasn't too crazy.  It felt like a perfect balance of planning and preparing as well as enjoying time with those we love.

On December 2nd, Eve had a little Jazz band performance at the school's annual Spaghetti Fundraiser.  She has enjoyed practicing with this small group of students on Wednesdays before school.

Eve's Jazz band Dec 2016

On the 6th Christian stayed home since he was a bit sick.  We spent time practicing his numbers.

On the 10th we were able to decorate gingerbread houses with the Klein family.  We had a lot of fun, but had some difficulty with some of the structures.  Maybe next year we will assemble a few hours before decorating. :)

On the 11th, the girls and I were able to sing in the Stake Musical fireside.  It was a beautiful and spiritually uplifting evening.  One of my favorite pieces was a song where 4 trumpets played from different corners of the room.  It was so cool!  

On the 18th we had just a few of Matt's coworkers come to our home for dinner and games.  I think we will increase the amount of guests next year.  We enjoyed soups in a bun (taco, corn chowder, broccoli cheese, and tomato bisque) and veggies.  They brought salads, fruit with dips, and cookies.  I also served a variety of Christmas cookies.  We also had a white elephant gift exchange.  I am very grateful that Matt works with some really good people.  Things at his plant seem to be more and more effective each month.

On the 20th Christian had his preschool Christmas party.  At the end they sang this cute song.

Christmas Preschool song

On the 21st I was able to finish and mail out the Christmas ornaments that I made for my family.  I always hesitate to make crafts because of the time they take.  I feel like time is a precious commodity these days.  However, I thought these were especially meaningful and I was excited to give them as gifts to my awesome family.

The 21st was also the kids' last day of school and the beginning of their winter break.  On this evening the Cub Scouts and Activity Day girls were able to visit a care center to sing and ring bells with Christmas songs.

On the 22rd we went to see the Nutcracker with the Thomas family (Sterling got to see it before with a friend and even got to meet the cast back stage - it was a dress rehearsal).  We had a lovely evening!  We love the Thomas family!

Matt took the boys to play laser tag.  They had a blast, no pun intended!

On the 23rd I took the family to a movie.  In the evening we went to a Christmas open house at the Weber's home.  We had a good time playing games and chatting with church friends,   

On the 24th Matt took the kids to a trampoline park and out to ice cream.  This was a great help to me since I was able to work on baking the traditional pastry wreath.

  I felt very tired at the end of this day since I was coming down with something.

Christmas morning was lovely!  We enjoyed our stockings, a traditional Christmas breakfast, opened 1 or 2 presents each, and then went to church.  Eve played the flute for Mary's lullaby while the women sang.  I participated in the choir and also helped to narrate.  We are slowly getting to know and love our new ward.  (Our boundaries were re-aligned in November.)  We only had Sacrament meeting and then went home to enjoy the rest of the Sabbath with our families.  

My stomach was not feeling too great and so I didn't eat much.  I took a much needed nap!  It was still a beautiful day!

On the 27th I took the kids to Recreations Outlet for some trampoline and indoor park play.  On the 28th I took the kids to Cosi, the science center.  We went with the Kleins.  

   We enjoyed lots of time over winter break to play games and have a few play dates.  The kids also put together a large puzzle that we got from the work Christmas party we hosted.

We ended the year with a game night on New Year's Eve.  We were happy that some of the Thomas family was able to drop by to celebrate with us.  

We played Just Dance, spoons, Mafia, and Scategories.  We also had snacks, party hats,poppers, noise makers, and sparkling juice at midnight.

It has been a wonderful year!  I feel like I have experienced growth and joy as I have learned, progressed on my goals, and enjoyed my family.  I love them so much and am grateful for all the wonderful moments we spend together!  Hooray for 2016!  On to 2017!

November 2016

November gave us a chance to slow down a bit.  We were grateful for the opportunities to catch up on routine projects.  Still, we had a very fun month!  Here are our highlights

Nov 2nd, Eve went to her first Young Women in Excellence night.  She was able to report that she completed her goal of passing off at least one goal per month.  The goal that she chose to share was under Good Works.  She helped plan, prepare and shop for our family meals for 2 weeks.  This was fun and I think she learned a little bit in the process.:)

She has really enjoyed this large group of girls and her leaders!

On November 5th we went down to Cincinnati to attend a BYU football game.  We also met up with Mike, Jonah, Luke, and Parker!  This was a fun game to attend together!

Throughout the month we had some smaller fun miscellaneous moments as well.

Here Sheri and Christian are reading together in our reading room.

Christian had a few more fun play dates with Luke.

The kids went to the dentist.  All is well in that realm.  Christian did great!

We continue to love our time with the Thomas family.  Here is a great after school pic with Natalie.

I retired my old tap shoes from high school (signed by Savion Glover and the Tap Dogs of New York).  I replaced them with new tap shoes since I will now be a substitute teacher at the kids' dance studio.  Applying for and preparing for this position was a great way for me to step out of my comfort zone and develop my talents again.  I have been taking ballet and Pilates for personal development for the past year or two, but this was a step toward teaching that I felt excited to pursue.  I will be substitute teaching 2 classes for 8 weeks while the tap coordinator is on maternity leave.

Matthew took a turn filling out our Count Your Blessings chalk board one day.  This brightened my whole day!  The best part is, he tells me all the time how much he loves me.  I am so grateful for him!  He makes me feel like a million dollar wife!

Christian is learning to write his letters and his name.  This is his "m" practice that we showed to his dad.

Sterling has been extra creative with his Lego Bionicals.  Here are pictures of his latest creation.

We had great fun raking leaves and jumping in them.  Matt would even give the kids rides on the tarp as he dragged piles of leaves to the garden.  This is what I call good, "clean" fun!

This was only a fraction of what we raked that day, and there were a lot more leaves yet to fall.  We had a lovely time!

Annie surprised us with a care package!  She gave us so many fun things and special things.  Annie truly knows how to show her love through gifts!  I am blessed to be her sister and the recipient of her thoughtfulness!

Christian made a cute thankful head band and turkey at preschool.

Christian and I made apple pie together in preparation for Thanksgiving.

We harvested the sweet potatoes from our garden.  We made them into a delicious cranberry sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving.

We were very happy to go to Michael and Taralie's house for Thanksgiving!  We always feel happy when we can visit them.  We had an abundance of food, fun, and love!

Eve and Sabey were surprised that they had been separately been learning the same song in band.  They had a fun time putting their parts together with Eve on the flute and Sabey on her clarinet.

We are grateful for all the blessings we enjoy!  We know that we have so much to be grateful for, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ which helps us feel a fullness of joy as we grow closer to God and to each other!