life in december

I started out the month by twinning with my girl!  I was already dressed for church when Brooke came downstairs, and then she surprised me by picking an outfit to match.  Love this sweet girl so much!

And I adore her smile in this selfie...

We visited the Giving Machine in downtown Grapevine in early December, which was such a cool experience. Several member of our stake were performing musical numbers during our visit, so it was nice to support them as well. 

Kevin didn't really like the idea of posing with all the things that we bought, but I assured him that we wouldn't be posting the picture anywhere, it was just for our personal memory. We bought a bus pass, a box of cereal, arts and crafts supplies, 100 Polio vaccines, school snacks, and 150 therapeutic food packets.  I love that 100% of the money spent goes directly towards those items.  

We stumbled upon a drone show, visited some crowded shops, and enjoyed seeing all of the festive decorations in the self-proclaimed "Christmas Capital of Texas."

Brooke had been asking to make fudge for days, so we finally made it happen and the 5 pounds of fudge was devoured within the week.  (We took a bunch of it with us to Prairie Lights so we wouldn't eat it all ourselves!)

I had my first lunch date of the school year (sadly) with Brooke and I ended up breaking her out of school early to go to Hobby Lobby with me and run a few errands.  It was seriously the best afternoon!

I went thrifting for my friend Megan's new baby and found the best stuff!!  She had expressed how tight money was with all the lawyer fees surrounding her son's adoption, so I mentioned that I could check out the thrift store if she was interested.  Not everyone feels okay with buying second-hand, but she was totally fine with it. I spent about $90 and was able to get ALL of these clothes.  I wish I would've realized how much good stuff was out there when my kids were little :) One outfit alone usually costs $15-$20.

I hosted a fun "Paint Your Own Nativity" night with my Activity Day girls.  The adorable bags were filled with popcorn, and we also had hot cocoa. 

Surprisingly, they were all SUPER into the activity and carefully painted those nativity pieces. 

The Activity Day boys decorated gingerbread houses...

Brooke had about a million dress-up days leading up to Winter Break, and this one was sparkle or glitter day :) She was definitely rocking the sequins and glitter. 

Colby had an assignment to create a gingerbread boy that represented him...

We started the most awful two months dealing with molluscum contagiosum in Colby's armpit.  I had never heard of it before, but it's in the wart family and is SUPER hard to get rid of. Kids with eczema are more prone to it, and it thrives in dry environments, like winter. The pediatrician recommended that we order something online that was basically a purple ointment we placed on the lesions every single night and we ruined a TON of shirts in the process.  It just aggravated the whole area and didn't actually get rid of anything.   

Claudia made her appearance at our house...

Colby had his last Daulton Dashers of the year! They cancelled a few times recently so he was bummed that he didn't quite make it to 20 miles this semester, but I am INCREDIBLY proud of his dedication and determination.  (And I'm pretty sure he ended at 19.25, so he was very close.)

I joined him later that day for lunch, but since I was a few minutes later, there wasn't any room at the parent tables.  But it all worked out because I was able to sit with him and his friends instead :)

As we waited for Kevin after church, the tree near our car started dumping its leaves!  We had to get out and play, then continued the fun when we got back to our house. 

The boys spent the afternoon building Colby's model truck...

Brooke and I spent our time outside giving Frosty an update (painted his nose and replaced all his ribbon) and raking leaves.  It was unusually warm that weekend, hence the tank top.

Colby wanted in on the leaf action the next day and we were working quickly to beat the storm that was rolling in.  As we tied the last bag, the sprinkles started and within 5 minutes, it was pouring!

Brooke started feeling sick at the end of that week, which meant that Colby needed me to play outside with him.  My favorite activity was the scooter ride around the block. 

Colby has some pretty epic bedhead in the morning, so I had to document...

I skipped work to attend Colby's class party and it was the best decision. I'm super grateful for a flexible job that allows me to be there because my Mama heart doesn't want to miss anything! 

Colby and Mrs. Howell...

The halls were decorated SO creatively...

Can you tell that it was a little bright as we left the building??

We had an impromptu afternoon play date with Noah and a few neighbors.  Brooke had stayed home from school that day and was resting on the couch, so I was grateful for friends whose energy matched Colby's. 

Again with the epic bedhead...

Brooke decided to crochet slippers for Colby this year, but after having to be so secretive, we encouraged her to tell Colby about it so she could work out in the open.  Needless to say, he was very excited and looked forward to Christmas Eve when he would get to open his gift. 

Christmas Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year!!

Brooke reminded me of how she used to take pictures with her water baby and her "boyfriend Frosty," so I knew I needed a current picture. 

Sugar cookies are a lot of work, but with amazing helpers like these two, the task is actually enjoyable...

They turned out so good, and yes, we do dinosaurs every year because Colby requested it when he was probably 3 years old and we can't stop.

I made my traditional cookie boxes for all of Kevin's employees...

Colby made the sweetest "#1 Dad" baseball for Kevin's birthday, then tucked it away for the day after Christmas.

Happy birthday to our favorite guy!  We feel so lucky to call him ours.  He's patient, kind, and loves filling our lives with adventure. 

We enjoyed yummy steak leftovers for dinner, followed by a homemade cheesecake and a few gifts. 

A few days after Christmas we met up for some street hockey, which never disappoints!  Brooke especially loves when the Byrd triplets show up. 

The last Sunday in December was a big one!  Colby was asked to give a talk in church and he did a great job. He wasn't really nervous until the morning of, but he pushed through his worries and delivered his message about how to strengthen his testimony.  And it was Brooke's last week in Primary.  She's ready, but it was a little bittersweet for this mama. 

The week after Christmas was a good one!  I just wanted to relax and enjoy the season, hence the reason my decorations are still up in my house.  When we wanted to venture out, we did, and when the kids wanted to sleep in, they did.  It was extremely refreshing to only have a few things on our calendar and to play the rest by ear. 

I can't believe that 2024 is already over, but I have a feeling that 2025 will pass just as quickly.  I love seeing the growth in my kids throughout the year, but I don't love how fleeting everything seems to be!