life in december

December was so full!!  Tons of holiday events and activities, but also just the small daily moments that I don't want to forget.  Like lunch date shenanigans...

Colby frequently asks, "Can you come have lunch with me every single time you're available?"  We're allowed twice a week, but I think if I went that often the novelty would definitely wear off.

These kids are the silliest!

We headed to Utah for Annette's funeral (a separate post), but arrived home just in time to help set-up and attend our ward Christmas party.  It's always nice to just relax and spend time with people from the ward.  And hearing the kids sing Christmas Bells was pretty great, too. 

The kids made a "club" before we headed out of town and asked me for pictures of themselves.  I found this cute display a few days later.  I explained that in a club you normally have a Vice President instead of a First Counselor, but they liked it just the way it was.  Mine and Kevin's current callings: First Counselor in the Bishopric and First Counselor in the Relief Society, so it all made sense!

I had to postpone Emily's original bridal shower due to the funeral, but she had also asked me to do her hair and makeup for her bridal pictures a few days later.  I said yes, but then became pretty nervous about it.  I am by no means a professional, and I wanted to make sure she liked how it turned out, so I slept terribly the night before.  She showed up with her fiancé Mark, her mom, and her Aunt.  No pressure, haha.  I started off by telling her that I would much rather her tell me if she didn't like something rather than keeping quiet, and I think it all turned out well.  I was nervous for nothing, haha. 

When I finished her hair, I made a comment about wanting to cover up a few of the bobby pins.  She replied that she thought about ordering a clip with greenery, but never did. I remembered that I had a faux greenery garland, so I cut a piece off and managed to attach it to her hair.  Problem solved :)

Danielle's mom randomly offered to watch Camden so she could come hang out with me, and it worked out perfectly!  We met for cocoa, chatted, shopped, and grabbed lunch.  I didn't realize how much I needed that girl time!

Our elf, Claudia, came back!  Her first day back was spent with the holiday Barbie in Brooke's dollhouse, but the next night she snuggled up at the foot of Colby's bed.  My littles were SO happy, and they've been eager to get out of bed every morning to find her.  So it's a win for everyone. 

One night, as I was doing the bedtime routine solo (don't remember why), I told Colby to crawl into bed while I tucked Brooke in.  I walked into his room to find him kneeling down in prayer.  Remembering personal prayers each night is definitely not a habit yet, so I was really happy to see this!  Moments like this make my heart burst with gratitude for the special task of mothering these kids. 

The after-school Pokemon trading screen.  Makes me smile every day!

And in case you couldn't tell, it was pajama day for everyone and Polar Express Day for Kindergarten. 

We went to see Christmas with the Chosen and Colby lost interest after nearly an hour of vocal performances.  He crawled into my lap, fell right asleep, and I couldn't wake him up when the actual movie started 5 minutes later.  I honestly can't remember the last time he fell asleep in my arms, so as he lay curled up on my lap, I just cherished those precious moments.  As I watched the birth of the Savior depicted on screen, I felt such a deep connection to both that baby Jesus, and also to that Christmas 6 years ago with a baby Colby in our home. 

I was sad that Colby missed it, but this was definitely a good way to feel the Christmas spirit. I was cracking up with his loud snoring, though.  During quiet parts of the movie, I was sure the people around us could hear his sleeping noises!

He was OUT! I couldn't believe how exhausted he was.  Brooke and I were cracking up the whole way to the car as his body lay limp against Kevin and his little untied sneaker just flopped along.  He slept all the way to the car, stayed asleep during the drive home, and transitioned up to his bed without waking once!  He even slept soundly all night, so I guess his body needed that. 

As the leaves continued to fall outside, our lawn became out of control. I offered to pay the kids each $1 to take care of them and they were pumped.  Our plan was to do it after school, but then Brooke started begging me for a playdate with Claire.  I reminded her about the leaf project, but she convinced me that Claire could come help them :)  Best $3 I ever did spend, haha. 

They had a lot of fun playing in that giant pile...

Nothing beats kids in leaves, except when a leaf falls perfectly on your forehead and looks somewhat Harry Potter-esque. 

I bagged them all so the kids could go play at the park, but it was solid team effort to manage those out-of-control leaves. 

Our shower had been leaking for what felt like months, so Kevin finally tried to fix it.  The part that was leaking was so corroded inside the wall that it was a miracle he finally got it out.  I had purchased a replacement cartridge, but apparently I bought the wrong one.  The water was flowing full-blast in the off position :(  Kevin could't turn the water back on without the water flowing, which meant that I wouldn't have running water until the next evening after work. 

Kevin then offered to go to Home Depot the next morning at 6 AM to buy the correct part so that I could have running water.  This guy really loves me, especially because early mornings are not his thing!  He woke up early, bought the correct cartridge, swapped it out, and still made it to work on time.  Total hero in my book :)  The water temps are somehow switched, but I don't even care because it's not leaking. 

I was invited to a Favorite Things party at my friend Stevie's house, and although it sounded fun, I wasn't sure that I wanted to commit to one more thing. I was feeling overwhelmed by all the things I was trying to accomplish, and I just wanted to stay home and do nothing.  But, I appreciated the invitation and told myself that I would have fun.  And it really was a great night.  The company was great, the food delicious, and the gifts all steal-worthy.  We brought three of our favorite thing valued around $20 (I brought tiny gold hoop earrings and lip glosses), and my gifts were each stolen the max number of times.  It made me feel good that I brought somewhat that other people wanted :)  I came home with a cute set of 12 facial masks, a charcoal body polish, and a hyaluronic acid serum. 

Someone was a little tired as we did our 25 Days of Christ devotional.  It was a Friday night, so I guess the week had been pretty busy!  Lucky for all of us, it was the start of Christmas vacation. 

Colby was over the moon to present this gift to our family.  It was an adorable ornament that I'm sure we'll cherish forever. 

We took these kids to the Nutcracker for the first time.  I think the girls loved it, but Colby lost interest after the first act.  I guess I didn't prep him well enough because he was expecting it to be more like a musical. Kevin didn't get to attend because he wasn't feeling well, and Jerry and Jeff (who took Emery) had a funeral to attend. 

Auntie Mel Mel took a cute picture of everyone, and I loved hearing their little comments throughout the ballet.  When the first male ballerina came on stage in white tights, Colby gave me the strangest look, then sort of shrugged it off.  I about died laughing.  Kevin would have appreciated Colby's reaction.  I then heard Aubrey say something about how she could see his bum crack.  Apparently, we're not cultured enough, haha. 

We went for dinner at Panera when it was over and my kids were so crazy.  They were having such a fun time, but I was annoyed at how frequently I was having to tell them to calm down.  I eventually decided that it was time to go, but it was fun while it lasted. 

Christmas Sunday is always my favorite.  The program was beautiful and I definitely felt the Christmas spirit.  Kevin was still feeling sick so he had to stay home, but I did make him get out of bed to take a few pictures :)  I just love matching with my littles. 

My friend Ashley bought a bunch of Brooke and Colby's old clothes from me, so it was fun to see Mckenzie wearing the same jewel-collared dress as Brooke and Sam to be rocking Colby's old button down shirt.  What a bunch of cuties!!

This is what I had been waiting for all season.  Just seeing my kids play by the Christmas tree with no schedule to keep up with.  I planned on making tons of cookies to deliver to neighbors, but I put that off a day so I could just lay on the couch and try to enjoy a break. 

Monday morning cookies with my girl.  She came downstairs fully dressed for the birthday party that didn't start for hours, so it gave us just enough time to crank out a few batches of snickerdoodles. 

By the time I was done baking for the day, I had completed 7 batches of cookies to fill 26 boxes!  This was the most I had ever made and it was a LOT. I told myself that I'm skipping this tradition next year because it just felt like too much and almost unnecessary.  I wasn't expecting anything from my friends, so I don't think they were expecting anything from me.  I might just make treats for neighbors next year.

We took Brooke to the orthodontist one day, and as we left the office, this kid surprised himself and pushed out his third tooth.  He said, "I have a tooth in my mouth, Mom."  Lucky for him, his tiny tooth box was still in the car. 

Just a little evening hockey with friends...

Colby was SO happy that his buddy Logan came as well...

Brooke never wants to play in the actual hockey game, but she's always running around playing with kids :)

I made three MORE batches of cookies a few days later for Kevin's employees.  I threw in some Ghirardelli squares as well so that I didn't have to bake quite as much.  

The kids received a "Christmas Date" from Uncle Tom this year:  tickets to Sing 2 and lunch at McDonalds.  Grandma and Papa also spoiled them with treats at the movies!  They loved this outing and I appreciated that it was an experience gift rather than another "thing."

Christmas Eve and Christmas received their own posts, but our favorite guy turned 40 the day after Christmas!!  He told me that he didn't want me to stay up making him a cheesecake, so his actual birthday was pretty lame.  We were all recovering from Christmas and although he said he didn't care, I felt bad that the day wasn't more celebratory.  

But I did make his cheesecake first thing on Monday morning.  Colby was a bit of a mess all day and I nearly put him to bed before Kevin even got home from work, but thankfully he pulled it together so that he didn't have to miss out on the festivities. We love this guy so much!  I don't know how he's already 40, but I don't know what I would do without him by my side.  He is the absolute best person for me and I am in love with him and the life we've created together.  

The kids were very pleased that Claudia stuck around a few days after Christmas, and Brooke was especially thrilled that she was wearing the necklace she made for her.

We tried to get outside more on Tuesday to avoid the post-holiday behavior issues we were having.  Brooke has been pretty timid about practicing in front of other people, so she loved the idea of going to the parking lot by ourselves to practice.  She made a lot of progress in just one hour!!

We played a lot of games throughout the holidays, but were especially loving Mille Bornes.  When I realized that Kevin was stockpiling all the cards I needed so I couldn't win, I began discarding high mileage cards for Colby so at least HE could win his daddy.  My plan was successful, but we all burst out laughing when Kevin flashed his hand after Colby won.  It was made up entirely of Drive cards, which is exactly what I needed. So stingy!!

Grandma and Papa invited the kids for a sleepover on Wednesday since I had a wedding to attend on Thursday morning.  They, like usual, had a great time and were completely spoiled with yummy food and fun playtime. 

Since the kids were away, Kevin and I checked out the new Chicken N Pickle in Grand Prairie.  We weren't quite dressed for pickle ball, but we did play some ping pong while we waited for our food!  Such a cool venue, and although the food was kinda pricey for the quality, we will definitely go back for dessert and games. 

Emily asked me to do her hair again for her wedding, and I was less stressed about it this time :) She was a beautiful bride and it was fun to hang out with her and Tori (another girl from my YW days.)

I also did her hair :)

The sealing was performed by our old Stake President (from when we were in the Dallas Stake), and he did such a beautiful job.  I don't think there were any dry eyes in the room.  She just looked so happy, as did Mark.  It's exciting to see people you love make these amazing steps in their life.  Here's to eternity!!

We celebrated that night at a stunning reception. 

One night, Brooke and I were reading scriptures aloud before bed.  We were sitting on the floor, and when we were done, this is how we found these two.  I guess that's why you can't snuggle up and get cozy during scripture time, haha.  Colby's new beanie arrived today, and as you can see, he was pretty excited about it.  Kevin, on the other hand, always wears his beanie to bed. 

On New Year's Eve, we headed to lunch at La Madeleine after doing a bit of car shopping.  Kevin was hoping for a stellar "end-of-the-year" deal, but it didn't happen for us. But at least we enjoyed our meal. 

That night, we played games till nearly midnight and let the kids eat all the candy they wanted from the gingerbread house.  Brooke proclaimed that it was "the best day EVER!"  We watched a pretty terrible countdown, then turned on our party light, sipped sparkling grape juice, and slow danced to Auld Lang Syne.  It was a pretty great way to end 2021!!  

Bring on 2022 :)