Go Broncos

It is SO FUN to live in a city with a professional team that is well known and good!  As a child I had a good run with the Jazz from like 95 -97 with Stockton and Malone - but they could never deliver!  Now my kids are enjoying, to the fullest extent, the joy of winning national championships.  They love the Broncos and truly enjoy watching all the games and following their stats.  It is really fun.  We were so excited for them to go to the the Super Bowl.  Go Broncos!

Pine Wood Derby

Brock participated in his first Pine Wood Derby.  Of course it was a Bronco car.  They made it the shape of an airplane wing.  Jason swore it was the way his brother Matt always built his car and he always won.  Brock and Jason had a fun time building it and painting it and Brock was VERY proud of his car.  Unfortunately right before the race we had some wood chip off under one wheel that made the car wobble.  So we didn't win - but Brock didn't care - he raced great and was thrilled to have built it.

The next month we had the Rain Gutter Regatta.  Our Cub Scout Master is kind of really into us building stuff every month.  Needless to say, Brock and Jason have been spending a lot of time together.

The great Lego sort of 2016

January is always a hard month for me (January - March if we are really being honest).  They are also hard for the kids (probably just because I am in a bad mood).  Well  - we needed an activity  AND both Noah and Megan had been asking to rebuild past Lego creations that had gotten broken and the pieces were "lost" in the giant Lego tub.  So one day we decided to start sorting.  I knew that if everything got sorted we could easily rebuild all their old stuff.  Well, we sorted and sorted and sorted.  About 12 hours later (over the space of 3 days) we sorted all of our Legos into about 100 different categories.  It was intense - but actually really fun and very rewarding.  We were able then to pull out all of their old instructions and rebuild things.  It was also very rewarding to find out that we haven't really lost much.  When something calls for 26 very specific kind of pieces and I think "no way we have those still - I have seen them laying all over the house for the past year" and then we end up with exactly 26 - it made me feel like maybe we aren't as chaotic as it seems.  We kept things sorted for a few weeks - but eventually (for space reasons) we had to consolidate.  We condensed it down to about 10 different categories.

They still have their things built and it provided (and still provides) hours and hours of fun.  My kids love to build with Legos and also play with what they built - I love it.  (except Brock - he says, "I am not that in to Legos).

independence

This is a picture from the summer.  We (the neighborhood women and I) have started giving the older boys some independence.  This was their first completely solo bike ride/adventure.  They rode to a local "gully" where there is a pond and caught frogs (that bucket has about 20 baby frog in it).  It was awesome!  They were gone for a good hour.  We all can't wait for this to start happening more and more - they are so ready!

Christmas Toys

We do a simple Christmas around here. 

 Brock got Madden for the X-Box.

New Nerf Guns

And a Bronco's sweat shirt and beanie

Noah got Lego's,

Lego's,

And Lego's.  That's it - 3 or 4 different Lego sets.  

Megan also got Lego's.

And these things.  And also an 18 inch doll (like and American girl doll - but from Target.)

Beware - Madison wanted a picture with every present. (ever from her stocking)

Her most favorite present was this pink bear from Grandma Hanna.

She gets a "squishy ball" every year - she loves, loves, loves them.

Her doll

A Frozen jewelry box

A journal and sparkly markers.

It was a wonderful Chrsitmas and were still spoiled with presents from family, even though they are far away.  We all felt very loved and grateful.  Thank you.

Christmas cooking

I felt like this was our first real Christmas away from family.  Our first Christmas we had just moved here and I was sick for all of December - so we just had an easy Christmas - I kind of just wrote it off in my head as a missed year.  Than last year we were back in Utah for my brother, Daniel's, wedding.  

I was pretty stressed about it.  Christmas is a big deal in my family.  Most of my favorite childhood memories and my emotional connections to my family and heritage mostly center around Christmas - well, Christmas eve specifically.  I wanted the same for my children.  I couldn't recreate it with family - so I just recreated it with food.  ha.

Also, it became a proving ground for myself.  My whole life I have had other women provide me with a wonderful Christmas and wonderful Christmas food and treats - whether it be my mother, my grandmother, or my aunts - I have mostly been able to sit on the couch and socialize while other people did the planning, preparing, shopping, cooking, and cleaning for me.  I just assumed one day I would step into that role - and gradually over the years I did.  For example I would be asked to bring dip and a bag of chips and if they really trusted me I would be asked to bring jello.  But as a second or third generation member of the family I was never expected to do much.  But I always assumed that one day I would be one of the women in the kitchen.  But could I really do it?  Would I want to do it?  Would I be selfless enough to give my relaxing wonderful Christmas away and replace it making a relaxing and wonderful Christmas for other people?  I needed to know.  I needed to prove that I could do it - and that I could do it happily and love it.

Between Christmas eve and Christmas day I made: Sugar cookies (cut out and frosted), garlic cream chip dip, dill chip dip, French toast, garlic sirloin roast, breaded shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, corn bread, ginger bread cake with Lemon pudding and fresh whipped cream, Aebleskivers, bacon, sausage, orange juice, hot chocolate (a really fancy from scratch kind), scrambled eggs, hash browns, fruit salad, spiral ham, funeral potatoes, dinner rolls, onion rings, caesar Salad, grilled brussel sprouts and asparagus, and french silk pie.  I LOVED every minute of it!  It was so much work - and so much cleaning (Jason did most of the dishes) - but I really felt great doing it.  I don't think I will ever do it again (that much if it is only our family.)  Jason is a minimalist by nature and all that food just for our family made his head spin.

We did have one family over for Christmas dinner.  The Neyenhuis' - they were a delight!

Nativity

All throughout the month of December I kept feeling prompted to have a neighborhood nativity.  None of my neighborhood friends are members (except for Krista who just got baptized in April) - but they are all Christian.  I wanted my kids to participate in a nativity and I wanted to bring the spirit into our neighborhood Christmas celebrations.  I was unsure about how it was going to go and thought I might be in over my head.  I kept talking myself out of it - but the Spirit was persistent.  So I sent out an email to see who was interested and I got 3 families who wanted their kids to participate.  I spent the next few weeks gathering costumes.  I really wanted to find a stable - but was unable.  I didn't' want to make it this year, in case it didn't go well.  But it was awesome, so now I want to make it a tradition, so next year I am going to make a stable.  

I had all the kids come to my house about a half hour before the performance to get their costumes on and practice.  It was pretty chaotic - but so fun.  It was so magical to watch the children transform into angels, shepherds, and wise men.  

Brock is a wise man

We put halos on all the angels

Euan was the cutest little shepherd 

Megan was Mary.  

Finn was Joseph.

Some Angels.

Madison, Zoe, and Zelda

Zelda and Euan are brother and sister.

Aiden was another wise man.

Ava was the cutest angel.

See Noah?  He is quite unhappy.  Before the nativity he agreed to be an angel.  All my kids know the whole scripture from Luke 2 - where the angel says: "hear not for behold.... Lying in a manger".  Noah loves dramatic stuff so I thought he would say it best so I asked him to be the angel that spoke to the shepherds.  He agreed.  Then once we all got dressed he noticed he was the only boy angel - I felt sad.  He didn't throw a fit or anything - I could just tell he was sad and embarrassed.  So I let him off the hook and Madison stepped in at the last minute and gave the scripture.  She was awesome!!  And Noah ended up being a great Wise man and took his role VERY seriously.

Some pictures of the cast.

Then we went out to practice.  It was dark and cold.  I took out our cars and shone our lights onto the play.

This is the rehearsal - you can see me telling the kids what to do.  Ha

I made a makeshift stable with ladders and a bed sheet.

Our wise men coming from the east.

Our angels got cold and put on coats.

Jason was our narrator

My friend Rebecca agreed to sing "O Holy Night".  It was beautiful.  It really brought the spirit in and was so magical.

Afterwards we all went back to our house for hot chocolate.  I am so glad that we did it - and am already planning next year!