December 2017

Decorating the Christmas tree in Christmas pajamas with a fire in the fireplace and Christmas music playing.

Our Elf, Charlie, arrived as usual on December 1st bringing with him a North Pole Breakfast-pancakes with red and green sprinkles!

And, as he usually does on the first day, he arrived by Christmas light zipline in the kitchen!

December was an odd month-a mix of saddness and excitement, two opposites which we/I felt constantly in between during this month.  Saturday, December 2nd was Dad's receiving of friends and funeral service.  I am beyond thankful for all of the wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive and thoughtful during this difficult time.  The next day, Sunday 12/3 was the burial.

Because we knew it was going to be a sad and tough weekend, we checked the kids out of school early on Friday 12/1 for some much needed family time.  The weather was relatively pleasant for December, so we headed to the zoo. Here are 3 (Carter was looking at the bears) in the little zoo mobile.

That same weekend, we had tickets to take the kids to Breakfast with Santa in the morning.  We decided to keep up our tradition for the kids and go on.  I'm so glad we did, because they kids loved it as usual...

Also, that same weekend was the boys' long awaited choir performance and program.  They started practicing in AUGUST.  Dawson had earned the part of Joseph and Carter had a solo/duet.  Saturday they performed at a nursing home, and then Sunday night after Dad's burial service was the big program at church.

They both did amazing-I was so impressed!  It was a sweet ending to a really difficult weekend.

I was so proud!  You'll notice they have on pajama pants and solid colored shirts-this was the wardrobe as the program was titled The Colors of Christmas and they learned about the symbolism of all the colors we see at Christmas.

Dawson as Joseph!

After the program.

The boys weren't the only performers this month.  Nora Kate had her very first ballet performance!  They performed at a local nursing home for the residents!  I thought that NK might get a little nervous in front of ALL the people there, but, quiet the contrary, she hammed it up big time!

Here she is doing her leap-

Here she is with one of her ballet friends!

These girls are so cute and sweet together!

Getting ready for the program.

Performing with baby dolls to silent night.

They were allowed to wear any ballet outfit they wanted to perform.  I was thrilled that Nora Kate wanted to wear this costume which was one of my old ballet recital costumes my parents saved.

After her program, the boys had to rush to basketball practice.  I told Nora Kate I would like to take her out to dinner and she could pick the location.  She said she was starving from all that dancing and wanted waffle house...She wanted to wear her costume, and I'm not sure what she enjoyed more-the attention of EVERYONE in Waffle House, or the entire giant waffle AND scrambled egg that she ate every bite of on her own!

We got some snow in December, and being the first snow this year the kids were pretty excited so we had to do some sledding after school.  And get a picture of the Christmas tree with the snow in the background...

and the house...

Clayton LOVED the snow! And learned the word "snow"!

John and Grandad took the three big kids to a UT Basketball game in December.  It was a hit! I stayed home with Clayton, but from how excited they were when they got home telling me all about it-I felt like I had been there! So sweet!

The boys went to Lolly's to help with some yard work this month, and I received this picture via text...why must they climb SO high in trees! AHH! Boys...especially my boys...are climbers!

Our Elf Charlie left some magic skittles and instructions and we were able to make this rainbow in a bowl.  The kids LOVED it!

Dawson's tiger cub scout troop sang Christmas carols at a local nursing home one night.  I stayed home with the other kids, but John said they did AWESOME!

One day the Advent present was tattoos-mustash tattoos!  So funny!

Mr. Baby is always so happy!

Programs galore!

Carter's Kindergarten class did an adorable Christmas program!

At the end when Milton the Dancing Christmas Mouse song was playing and the kids could dance, the school principal walked in the classroom and Carter asked her to dance!  Of course, she did.  So here's Carter dancing with his principal!  He's so outgoing and fun-loving.

Decorating our 2017 Gingerbread house with these 4 helpers!

I can tell they're getting older because they spent OVER AND HOUR decorating it this year with extreme focus and planning of how they wanted it to look.

One Saturday morning, we went to Lolly's to help her put up and decorate her Christmas tree.

A house near us has "dancing lights" (Christmas lights set to music), so we made several trips to see the dancing lights.

And we made lots and lots of baked goodies for teachers, neighbors, friends, etc.  Nora Kate especially liked this.

Dawson received a math award for meeting a certain timed addition test goal the first semester of the year.  Here he is accepting his award from the Principal and Vice Principal.

Grandad, Lolly, and I all got to watch him accept his award.

Second grade is hard, and Dawson is working really hard this year.  I'm so proud of him.

After Dawson's award ceremony I was headed down the hall to attend Carter's Class Christmas Party, so Grandad and Lolly came to say hi to Carter too.

One more picture of the kids choir program at church that appears to have gotten out of order.

kThe last day of school before Christmas break, the kindergartners wear pajamas and get tickets to see the polar express at school.  Here's Carter getting his ticket punched before watching the Polar Express.

Again, Mr. Baby is always so happy.

I think Carter always wins the award for most random gift requests- This year he requested a box of pennies.  He loves counting, especially counting money.  Well, he somehow came up with the idea that he wanted an entire box of pennies to count.  And so Nana and Grandad gave him a box of pennies and he was SO excited!

Dawson had told Nana and Grandad he wanted a train set.

Here's one happy boy!

We celebrated Christmas with the Zorios and Burns who were in from Atlanta on 12/23.

Kind of random, but we had to take a few things out of Clayton's room this month because he kept climbing on the chair to look out the window and a few other safety precautions.  Anyway, I wanted a couple pictures to remember his sweet little room like this.  The chair I always sat in to nurse him, his changing table, etc.  Sweet boy is growing up.

Our tree and gifts! It's almost Christmas!

On Christmas Eve we celebrated at Arlene and Wayne's house.

Christmas Eve.

Then Christmas morning....

(ignore our dirty fireplace in the background, we had a fire on Christmas Eve and this was EARLY Christmas morning.  The kids had wanted to move the fireplace screen in case the ashes were still hot, Santa could get down the chimney more easily)

Clayton was so excited with his first little thing out of his stocking he just kept pushing the buttons on the car.

nk's requests were a barbie house and a hatchimal!

She got Hatchimal Twins!

The boys were thrilled with the Nintendo Switch.

Clayton had a lot of fun opening all of his gifts!  He also loved carrying around his new weedeater!

This picture just makes me laugh! I was trying to take a picture of Carter and Clayton on Uncle Logan's lap, and Dawson photobombed!

Christmas day for lunch we went to celebrate with Lolly and Uncle Logan.

Christmas 2017

Then Christmas afternoon we went to celebrate with Nana, Grandad, and the Whiteheads.

John was very fortunate to get lots of time off around Christmas.  The weather was cold, so we used the time at home inside to play with all the new Christmas toys and enjoy them all together.  We watched the Hatchimals Hatch...

assembled Barbie's Dream House...NK LOVESE this!

Dawson learned how to build his snap circuits.

Clayton was exhausted and fell asleep standing up/leaning on the playroom couch one day-haha! I couldn't stop laughing when I realized he was sound asleep like this!  Hilarious!

We took Dawson, Carter, and Nora Kate to the Dixie Stampede on one of John's off days.  NK had never been.  Everyone loved it.  We lucked out with front row seats this time, and the main singer even came and sang one line of his song to Nora Kate.  After it was over, we got to meet some riders and their horses-the first thing Nora Kate said to the girl was, "I like your sparkly suit outfit!"  Oh, Nora Kate, I love it!

We got to see the horses like this before the show too.

At the Dixie Stampede you have to drink out of a mason jar or boot!

When you've got a snack in your hand, but you still can't wait for more food to come out of the oven.

New Year's Eve we decided to build a fire, watch movies, and eat junk food snacks in the living room in pajamas...wild, crazy, and fun times!

gWe let the kids stay up late (like until maybe 8:30 or 9 and they felt like it was so late!).  John also got them big party blowers so they had little parades blowing their party blowers.

Goodbye, 2017! And, goodbye December.