Dec 26 - 31

 

Monday, December 26 - The day after Christmas and we are here at soccer again! :) Zack had a tournament with some friends so we were at soccer for a few hours. It was fun watching him do what he loves but unfortunately, they lost their games. Indoor is a whole new beast! He had fun and played hard!

Tuesday, December 27 - Finley gave Ricki make up for Christmas so she's been putting it with different shades and in different ways. Silly girl!

Wednesday, December 28 - This is Wil Christensen, Nick's super close friend. They do tons of stuff together including going to lunch, going to movies, and hanging out with a group of friends. They saw a movie tonight and snapped a picture while they were together. :)

Thursday, December 29 - All the kids ever want to do is getting the 4-wheeler out and go riding. Every once in a while, they are able to convince Simon to do that! They took the 4-wheeler with some friends behind our houses in the blank property between the Sivertson's, the Campbell's, and the running trail. They had a blast and came back tuckered out! Happy memories herre!

Friday, December 30 - Dad kept up the tradition again of going to Golden Corral to have his birthday lunch. It was super yummy and we had fun visiting and goofing around. Dad got pictures of everyone with their ice cream cones so I had to get a picture of him with his! :) Happy birthday dad!

Saturday, December 31 - We spent another super fun evening with family celebrating the new year! Welcome 2023! Can't wait to see what you have in store!

Dec 19 - 25

 

Monday, December 19 - Simon told his friend Lisa that when she paid off a loan that he helped her with, that he would send her a toast. So this is our toast to Lisa. It's water with food coloring in it! Haha!

Tuesday, December 20 - This is the last of a series of 3 surgeries Jenni is having. Her first two were on her arm to help loosen the tendons to allow more movement. This surgery is for her leg to help her walk better. Luckily, her leg surgery was a big success and she is able to walk on her left foot more normally. It is flat when she takes a step - which is amazing! Her arm is a different story though. What they did made it so that her arm wants to turn out and since that is an unnatural position for her, it is causing her pain. I feel bad that she has to go through so much.

Wednesday, December 21 - I texted Nick and thought I asked him to please shovel the driveway. However, my phone auto-corrected shovel to "shuffle". So about twenty minutes later, Nick sent me this hilarious picture. He shuffled the driveway! Well played, Nick. Well played.

Thursday, December 22 - Since the kids have the day off school, Alexis texted me asking if they would want to go swimming at the Rec Center. I already had things I had planned on doing today but the kids thought it was a great idea! Alexis was sweet and took my three kids plus her two to the pool. The best part is that Kendra is like a little mom so she was hands-on with Brooks. Thanks for the fun day out Aunt Alexis!

Friday, December 23 - This post makes me so sad! Dave Hunt passed away this week. Julie heard him making strange sounds in his sleep and when she tried to wake him up, he was unresponsive. The paramedics came to help but it was too late. He died of cardiac arrest. Dave was such a great man! He was always happy, always kind, and always made those around him feel special. He will for sure be missed by his family and his numerous friends.

Saturday, December 24 - Happy Christmas Eve! We did our traditional prime rib dinner at Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Jim's house. It was delicious, as always! We enjoyed opening gifts, playing a cute game Gma put together, and watching the kids play. When we got home, we set out cookies and milk for Santa then promptly got to bed so that we could hurry and get to morning when the fun begins!

Sunday, December 25 - Merriest of Christmases to all! Christmas fell on a Sunday this year so we got to get up, open gifts, get ready and go to church. We went to my parent's ward so that we could be close to be able to go to breakfast too. We had a wonderful day shared with family at both the Howard's house and the Pearson's. At this time of year, there are constant reminders of our Savior and what He did for us. I am so thankful for the gospel and the knowledge I have of Him. Merry Christmas!

Dec 12 - 18

Monday, December 12 - Tonight, we went out for our work Christmas dinner. We started with an amazing dinner at The Cliff Restaurant in Draper. It was so great! Then, we went to Gourmandise for dessert. Aimee likes to go big with desserts so we basically ordered one (or two) of each thing! It was yummy but I don't really want to know how many calories we consumed. :) 

Tuesday, December 13 - This is Zack's cute Activity Days group. They have had a blast being together this year and going on so many adventures with the Farnsworth's. Sadly, this is their last activity. They had a fun Christmas and end-of-year party. Starting January 1st, Zack and Chase will go to Young Men's but Zach and Ian will stay in Primary for another year. We are so thankful to Bonnie & Larry Farnsworth for all of their hard work and dedication to this group!

Wednesday, December 14 - Ricki was chosen as the Leader of the Month in her class for December. I am so proud of her and the hard work that she puts into school. She is a good friend, a good listener, and is eager to learn. I loved getting to come celebrate her today!

Thursday, December 15 - Our family got to go see Ricki in her dance performance tonight. It was a little chaotic getting there, finding where she was supposed to be, and then finding a seat. However, it all worked out and she was adorable in her performance. Good job Ricki!

Friday, December 16 - We had our annual Daddy-Daughter shopping for mom for Christmas date with dad. We started out with lunch and Salsa Leedos then we went shopping. The funny thing is, dad is pretty much done shopping for her but we love this tradition so much, we still do it. :)

Saturday, December 17 - We had a very busy day but it was so fun! We started out at Brooks' birthday party. We are so happy and thankful that this little guy turned one, that he is healthy, and that he is here with us! We couldn't be more thankful for this little guy! We had to hurry after his party to first meet Simon's boss, Kristen, at Minky Couture and then get to our ward primary activity. We made cards to send to the missionaries, played games, and had treats. That was fun! The later this evening, we went to Amie's house for a Fraser-Pearson party. Christmastime is the best time! I loved every minute of today!

Sunday, December 18 - We got to celebrate Grandpa Jim and Jenni's birthdays at my parent's house tonight. It was so fun being together and getting to see them open gifts and blow out their candles. Happy birthday Jim and Jenni!

Dec 11 - 17

 

Monday, December 11 - I cleaned the house and went to the dentist today so not much to report. However, I did do a little meal prep with a recipe I got from my functional medicine doctor. This was a bean and chicken soup and it's really yummy! This will be lunch for the next few days.

Tuesday, December 12 - Simon hasn't been feeling well so he tested today for Covid and it was positive. This is the first time he has had it and he's feeling pretty crummy. I went out Christmas shopping for some stocking stuffers and to get neighbor gifts. I decided to give them playing cards with a note saying, "Dear neighbor, we think you're a pretty big "DEAL"!" 

Wednesday, December 13 - Zack's teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, asked me if I could sub in her class again today. It went really well and was super fun! I do love being in my kids' classes. I get to see them in a totally different setting. 

Thursday, December 14 - Nick got this fun Harry Potter castle Lego set and put it together today. He is so funny with his toys! :) 

Friday, December 15 - We did our annual daddy/daughter Christmas shopping date today. Because of my restricted diet, I asked if we could go to Aubergine. Dad seemed to like it but said that he was still hungry when we were done eating. Oops! :) Otherwise, we had a nice lunch and like 20 minutes of shopping. 

Saturday, December 16 - We had our ward party and it was so fun! We had breakfast for dinner (I packed my own food) then the Mountain Ridge Madrigals came and sang. We FaceTimed Simon when they sang so that he could watch too. Poor guy is still in quarantine. It was fun getting to watch CC Keel and Max Crawford perform. Fun night!

Sunday, December 17 - Brooksy boy is two! They had a fun little dinner party to celebrate. He is such a miracle. We are so lucky to be celebrating him!

Dec 5 - 11

 

Monday, December 5 - We enjoyed our last day here at the beach. We started out at Hermosa Beach where we relaxed on the sand, watched the waves, and I read my book. We had lunch on the boardwalk at a fun little pizza shop. Later, we got in the car and drove down to Redondo Beach. They had a fun walkway with shops that we walked around. It has been such a fun little trip!

Tuesday, December 6 - Our flight was early-ish and we had to drop off our rental car on the way. Luckily, we got to sit right by Ryan and Ashley. I am so glad we got to do this with them! It was super fun and I enjoyed getting the individual time with Ry & Ash!

Wednesday, December 7 - This kid is so silly! I bought him new shoes at Famous Footwear, asked him to try them on, and this is what I got. He also bough himself some new glasses on Amazon. They actually bluetooth music from your phone to the stems and only you can hear the music! So cool! He finds the best gadgets online!

Thursday, December 8 - We got together to exchange Christmas gifts today. We have an annual tradition of getting together and doing this. It was fun and I got some really fun things from these ladies. Meg gave me super cute earrings and a jewelry holder, Marisa gave me a "Crap Bag" (only funny if you know Friends). And Jenni gave us all personalized calendars. I am so thankful for these ladies.

Friday, December 9 - My kids love my weighted blanket and they love my "off limits" books. I have a few books in my closet that they are welcome to read...as long as they take good care of them and put them back when they are done. When I came in and saw Ricki like this, I couldn't help but take a picture!

Saturday, December 10 - Take a hard look at the first picture. There is a little girl between Ricki and Bridget. Now, look at the second picture (and Ricki's face). Poor little Savannah Horne threw up onstage at our Ward Christmas party tonight. :( The girls handled it so well and just maintained their angel character until this scene ended. Poor thing! Later tonight, Nick's Winter Ball group came to our house to make gingerbread houses. They were so cute and fun to have over. I'm glad he and Katelynn are such good friends and that they have now gone to two dances together. 

Sunday, December 11 - We had dinner at home tonight and I took this picture from my couch. Since I spent so much time cooking dinner and getting everything ready, my family was in charge of cleaning up. They willingly and happily got to work and got it all cleaned up. Love them!