We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!: Time Flies When (It's December and) You're Having Fun

Wow! What an awesome, crazy, snowy, exciting, busy, wonderful month. December is normally very busy for us, but this year had even more going on than usual. We got to spend a lot of time with family and friends and we loved it.

I'll see if I can go in order and keep it all straight. On Dec. 3rd, Dani and I tied ribbons on mailboxes in the neighborhood for a Mutual Activiy. It's a tradition the youth in our ward have done for a few years. The leaders have even tried to start a new tradition, but the kids REALLY love doing this. It was fun to have Dani go with me this year, and it's always fun to see the youth having fun and doing something positive. I have to admit, I LOVE how festive it makes the neighborhood look. Everybody's mailbox gets a pretty red ribbon tied around it. What a great tradition.

BUSY-BUSY-BUSY. On Sat. Dec. 6th we had THREE Christmas parties to go to. It was crazy and fun all at once. We started at Brian's work kids Christmas party. They rent the movie theater, let the kids choose between two movies (ours picked "Bolt" in 3D) and give them a present afterward. Our three LOVE this party. It's a fun treat for us to get to go to a movie as a family. Uncle Chris came with us and we had a great time.

Next was the Pearson family party. The talent show was a bit chaotic, but we got to visit with family and enjoy each other's company. Grandma and Grandpa passed out their traditional goody bags which the kids always enjoy. Grandma Nancy helped the kids play Bingo and they had a lot of fun. Here's a couple of pictures of the kids acting out the nativity. I think it was in an effort to include all of the many kids, but Zack got to be a chicken. Dani and Russell were sheep (I think). The pictures are a bit blury, but I had to show pictures of my son - the chicken. (Love you Zack!)

Next, it was on to the Carroll family party. We played some really fun games- thanks Patrick and Andrea- and had fun together. More yummy food- of course- and we even got to see Santa Claus. Russell was so excited. He ran across the floor to give Santa a hug. It was so cute. My camera ran out of batteries, even though I brought two sets, so I'll have to get pictures from somebody else and post them later. Santa passed out one gift to each of the kids. Dani got some pretty silver bracelets. Zack got a cool head lamp. And Russell got some awesome cars from "Cars". My mom and Chris were with us. The Carroll family is always generous enough to invite them- they're part of the family. We had such a fun time and even got some great gifts (thank you Cassie- ha moo ha moo).

Dec. 7th- Happy Birthday Wendy! Dec. 8th- Happy Birthday Jacob!

Dec. 12th- Happy birthday Brian! He got off from work a little bit early so we could have a late lunch together. We had a pretty big group. We were able to see Lacey and Trent on their visit home from Italy and lots of other family. That night was less eventful. Brian wanted a "stay at home" kind of birthday this year, so we were just homebodys. We watched some TV together as a family and just hung out together. It was a nice day.

Dec. 13th- Brian and I went to the Madrigal dinner with Gina and Jason. It brought back a lot of good memories from when we all performed in it back in the good ol' days. The grown ups decided next year we would need to go again, but bring the kids. It was wonderful. We all realized how amazing it is that we could still remember the songs. Sitting at our table was another mom with her son and his (female) friend. She spent part of the night flirting with Brian. She was adorable. (Of course she was only about 9 years old, if she would've been older- maybe not so cute then =}.)

Dec. 14th- I played a piano solo in Sacrament Meeting. I was nervous, but I love to play Christmas music and it went pretty well. After church, there was a birthday party for Brian and I at his parents' house. Brian has his lemon cake with chocolate frosting and I had my angel food cake. More family fun!

Dec. 15th- Happy Birthday to me! Brian took the day off from work so we could spend the day together. It was really nice. We went to the school so Brian could read in Zack's class. That evening, we stayed home and watched a movie together as a family. Zack gave me Ocean's 13, so that's what we watched. I got a call from my good friend Kimberly, and loved getting to catch up a little bit. It was a really enjoyable day for me. Thanks family. Love ya!

Dec. 17th- Dani had D.A.R.E. graduation. Zack and his classmates got to come watch the graduation, so that was pretty neat. To get a certificate and graduate, Dani had to attend all the classes, complete all the assignments, and write an essay about what she had learned. I think it's such a great program The kids learn all about the dangers of drugs and alcohol , how to avoid their influences, and effective ways of saying NO!