December

Wow! December was fun! We started off enjoying a fun snow day. I was able to go outside and play with the kids this time. It was fun! Looking back at the pictures, I am laughing at how little snow we actually got! It's all good! The picture on the bottom right was the kids reenacting the "Snow, Snow, Snow" song from White Christmas. Emmy was super cute in her hot pink getup and the boys had fun showing me their sledding and ninja skills. I love to look out the window and see all the little bird tracks on our patio. We also see a lot of squirrel, rabbit and raccoon tracks.



Can you believe how red that cardinal is? I am always shocked when I see that bright red. I made us late the Sunday before Christmas to take a family picture. We don't take many of those and I wanted to remember it, especially the bow ties!



We continued our tradition of spending Christmas Eve at the City Museum with our ward family. They even had some new exhibits this year that we hadn't seen before. I particularly liked the hamster wheel and the wall of mirrors. I love the picture of Emmy by the sign. It says to not put your fingers in the water or the fish might bite them. I didn't get many photos of Caleb because he was off with his friends this year. They explored every inch of the museum, from the caves in the basement to the tunnels in the roof! Jacob gets more adventurous every year. I still think about the first time we went and he was afraid to do EVERYTHING! He has grown so much and I love to see him get excited about normal things. I will never tire of it. Emeline led me around all day and got me into some tricky situations: Large body + small spaces = stuck, unhappy Mommy. She had a blast, though and had a great nap on the way home.



Christmas Day was very pleasant. We had no where to be and so we spent the entire day relaxing at home. The kids got up around 7:00 AM and opened presents. We were SPOILED! We have so many generous friends and family members and we are so grateful! David made Sausage gravy over biscuits and we feasted on candy and a cheese ball while we did a puzzle. Gotta love those Christmas day puzzles! The kids played nicely with their toys and we almost spent the entire day in our jammies. David decided to try out some of his new running gear the next day and went on a brisk run. I think he is insane but he loved it and I am glad he is happy!



Jacob had another graduation ceremony and graduated from a one-striped orange belt to a double-striped orange belt. I love what karate does for him and it has been so fun to get out and meet new people and learn a new sport. We love ATA! They recently had a contest on facebook and Jacob won a $300 gift card. Thank you so much to everyone who supported him and made it possible for him to win. We debated as a family on what to get with the money and ultimately decided to buy a trampoline! Wal-mart had a stellar deal and so we picked it up and put it together on a warm weekend. It is now dubbed "the Octagon" wrestling zone and we love it. (Pictures to come.)Trampolines are an excellent way for kids with SPD to get their sensory needs fulfilled. I can already see the benefits on the days they get to jump. It's actually amazing. I am learning I am not as young as I used to be and that having babies messed up my ability to jump without having to pee. Ha! TMI? Oh well. We can't wait for the weather to be nicer so we can jump every day!