A Little of This and That in January

January zipped by in a blink. Wait, did I actually just say that?! Somehow I made it through January without even feeling like I was "making it through." I blame nice, clear air, the returning light, and a warm escape. Here's what the month looked like:

Celebrating . . . Christmas on New Year's Day. We had to postpone my family's piano Christmas party due to illness, so we didn't get together until New Year's Day. Most of us performed a Christmas song on the piano, and there were even a couple of numbers on the ukulele and trombone/baritone. The little grandkids played "pass the present." We had a soup bar and ate Christmas treats. And there were even a few presents exchanged. My sister-in-law, Meagan, gave me such a thoughtful gift: she knew that I'd read (and loved) Gretchen Rubin's Life in Five Senses, so she gave me a collection of small gifts based on the senses. It was really sweet. I gave my mom a pair of socks I'd knitted and also the little embroidered cardinal ornament (see last month). I gave my dad a box full of yarn that I'm going to turn into a cardigan for him. And Mike made my brother a beautiful frame from the wood he got from my grandpa. We were lucky to have all of my family at the party, and it was such a nice way to wrap up the holiday season.

Introducing . . . the children in our neighborhood to their new teachers at church. At the beginning of the year, all of the kids in our ward move up to the next class in primary. Teachers usually get shuffled around a bit as well. So we had a breakfast on the first Saturday of the new year, so that everyone could get to know each other in a more casual way before church on Sunday. We had a cereal bar, muffins, and juice, and then each class acted out a story from The Book of Mormon. It was a fun morning.

Advancing . . . in the offices of the priesthood. Aaron was ordained a priest and Maxwell was ordained a teacher. This means we now have an elder, priest, teacher, and deacon in our home, which is kind of amazing. 

Turning . . . another year older. The official countdown to 40 has begun! That exclamation point is maybe a slight exaggeration of how I actually feel, but I do have some fun ideas for how to mark this last year in my 30's, which I'll share in a future post. As to the actual day, it happened to fall on a Fast Sunday, which ended up being kind of miserable for me (sadly, I did not have the best attitude). But that meant that dinner tasted all the sweeter; Mike made clam chowder and biscuits and a yummy cheese sauce and roasted butternut squash and then a rich, dense, fudgy chocolate cake for dessert.

Making . . . memories in Florida. We took Aaron, Maxwell, and Bradley to Orlando, Florida, and we had the time of our lives. We went to Disney World, Universal Studios (Harry Potter), the Kennedy Space Center, and on an airboat tour. I am working on a whole post to really capture all the details, but it truly was a near-perfect vacation, and we loved every minute of it. 

Missing . . . his family something fierce. Silas had a really hard time while we were gone to Florida. He has always been extremely partial to his immediate family, and so I anticipated some hard times. Mike's mom watched the kids for the first three days, and my mom watched them for the last three. Luckily, Silas slept fine at night, and he was okay during the day when Clark was home. But when Clark left for school, he cried and cried. He often hid in a cupboard or under a desk or just wanted to be in his bed. It was so sad, and I felt quite guilty for leaving him (but I also was so grateful for the time with my big boys, so it was a tradeoff for sure). We got home at midnight, so he was already in bed, and the next morning, Mike got him when he woke up and brought him to me. He curled up next to my side and laid perfectly still. He took big, shaky breaths. He seemed to be between sleep and awake, and it was as if he was scared to fully wake up in case it was all a dream. For the rest of the day, he kept counting heads: Mommy, Daddy, Aaron, Max, Bradley, making sure we hadn't gone anywhere. Sweet little guy. (And sweet grandmas for taking care of him.)

Getting . . . to be an engineer (again). For the past three years, Mike has been a manager at the company he works for. As the months went by, he became more and more tired of the endless meetings and missed the hands-on work and problem solving of engineering. When he was approached by a different company last summer and offered a job as a research engineer, he realized that if he could just have that position but at his current company, that would basically be his dream job. So he went to his bosses, told them about the offer, and asked if he could leave management and be a research engineer instead. They agreed but said it would take time before things could be rearranged. That was six months ago. So imagine Mike's surprise when he walked into work the week after we got back from our vacation, and there was a  contract for him to sign to go back to being an engineer. It has been the happiest change for him. It is like the light is back in his eyes. He no longer dreads going to work, and he is spending his days doing things he loves. 

Falling . . . in love with skiing. Clark's fourth grade class went on a ski trip. Clark had never been skiing before, but he was excited to try. After we picked up his rental skis the night before, he strapped them on and tried them out on the snow in the front yard. He said, "I loved it so much, so I know I'm going to have fun tomorrow!" And he did. It snowed all day, but it didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm. They divided the kids by ability, so he was in the lowest group, and it was great for him to get very basic instruction. He did get to do one actual run at the end, which he was thrilled about. And now I have to figure out what we're going to do (if anything) with this newfound love.

Weaning . . . Silas. We went to Florida two weeks before Silas' second birthday. I knew that this break would be the end of nursing him, and it broke my heart. I wasn't ready, but I also knew it was time, if that makes sense. Silas was definitely my hardest child to breastfeed. Between laryngomalacia, a tongue tie and lip tie, and mastitis, it was a rough beginning. And even after those things were resolved, he still rarely nursed for longer than two minutes at a time. But he still always wanted to do it, and I loved the time to hold him. Luckily, he is my best snuggler and cuddler, and that hasn't changed even now that he is no longer nursing. He asked for milk for about four days after we got back, but I told him it was all gone. Nursing has been one of my favorite things with each of my boys, and weaning each of them has been one of the saddest, hardest things. What a privilege it's been to get to do it at all. 

Learning . . . how to play the ukulele. My dad taught Aaron and Bradley how to play the ukulele several years ago. At the time, Maxwell had little interest in it, but when all the uke players performed a song at the Nielsen Christmas party (see above), he felt left out. Although he has played the piano since he was quite small, his love of music wasn't ignited until sixth grade when he started to play the saxophone, and now music is one of the things that fills his soul. He wanted to learn how to play the ukulele, and my dad was only too happy to oblige. Passing on his love for this instrument is one of his favorite things. They've been having the best time getting together for weekly lessons, and Max has been catching on quickly.

Singing . . . happy birthday. Silas is a big fan of birthdays. He loves singing "Happy Birthday," blowing out candles, unwrapping presents, and eating cake and ice cream. To finally have it be his own turn for the celebrations was a dream come true. He had candy in his birthday bucket, doughnuts for breakfast, french fries for lunch, pizza for dinner, and chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. That pretty much sums up the kind of food he wants to eat every day, unfortunately. Mike made his cake and used one of Silas' favorite books, Don't Wake Up the Tiger, as inspiration. He nailed it. It was a bit sad to have to cut into it. Silas didn't make it through all of his presents on his actual birthday. Every present was exciting to him, and he totally forgot he even had more presents to open because he was happily distracted with whatever he had just opened. Favorite presents included candy (obviously), playdoh, a ukulele, toy fish that swims around, and two little dogs that look like his cousins' dog, Molly. Because the present opening last over so many days, I never got my traditional photo of him with all his presents. My favorite moment of the day though was when we lit his candles and he started enthusiastically singing "Happy Birthday" to himself before energetically blowing on the candles (without a lot of success until Grandpa Paul covertly helped him out with a focused stream of air). We love this little guy so much. Such a joy to celebrate him. 

Volunteering . . . in Ian's class.One of my goals for the new year was to find a time to regularly volunteer in Ian's class. I just really felt like I needed to have a better idea of his classroom dynamic and get to know the kids he hangs out with. So I contacted his teacher and asked if she could use a weekly volunteer. She had the perfect thing for me: helping with Power Hour on Friday afternoons. I could easily fit it into my week, and I get to work with all of the kids every time I go. First graders are so enthusiastic and eager, and it's just been a delight to spend time with them and to watch Ian in his element.

Testing . . . a knitting pattern. Knitwear designers will typically have several people test their new pattern before it is officially released to make sure everything is as clear and accurate as possible. I have never done a test knit before, but my friend, Emily, is a designer, and when I saw her new scarf pattern (Mill Hollow Scarf), I jumped at the chance to test it. It is a narrow scarf with a beautiful lace panel that runs up the middle of it with panels of garter stitch on either side. It uses just one skein of fingering weight yarn, which is perfect for me since I tend to buy single skeins when I am visiting new yarn stores and then I don't know what to do with them. I don't think there are very many knitters who read this blog, but I highly recommend this pattern if you're one! Besides the scarf, I also made a pair of Valentine socks (this pattern was also by Emily) and a Musselburgh Hat (which had been on my needles for months). I also started knitting a cardigan for my dad. 

Crashing . . . on the way to school. My kids ride the bus to school. They get on the bus at the last stop, cross one busy road, and are at school within five minutes. But one morning, just as they turned off the busy road, the back end of the bus skimmed a parked car. Another bus had to be called to pick up all the kids (even though they could have literally walked to school at that point), and they made it to school a bit late, but saying they "crashed" on the way to school is a bit of an exaggeration. 

Kicking . . . off 2024 with a few good books: 

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Max and I struck a deal, and reading this book was my payment to him. I ended up liking it quite a bit and will hopefully get to the other ones in the series.)

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (I forgot how much I liked this one; fun readaloud with Clark and Ian)

Atomic Habits by James Clear (I've been meaning to read this one for forever; totally my kind of book)

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (I really liked the way the plot developed with this one, but ultimately, I did not like the book, and I found our book club discussion profoundly depressing)

Mexikid by Pedro Martín (This won a Newbery Honor this month, and it gets my hearty stamp of approval. A multi-generational road trip memoir that made me laugh out loud many times.)

Receiving . . . some much needed snow. The snow finally arrived this winter, and we all rejoiced. I'm not a huge fan of snow, but this is how Utah gets most of its moisture for the year, so the more snow pack, the better. Lucky for me, a lot of this month's snow came while we were in Florida, so I got to miss a bunch of it. Bradley is also not a winter lover. He insists on wearing his crocs (maybe in protest?) even when it's snowing, and I had to laugh when he got home one day and took off his snow-laden crocs. Kids are funny.

Reacclimatizing . . . Silas to my parents. Silas became very distrustful of my parents (my mom in particular) after our Florida trip. So we spent the rest of the month doing our version of exposure therapy. Silas and I went to their house where he got to eat macaroni with Angela and feed their guinea pig. My mom also came to our house and we went on a walk (he was very resistant to this). Hopefully, we can repair this relationship that took quite a hit when Silas was missing us so much.

Watching . . . The Boys in the Boat. Our friends had some free tickets (courtesy of their brother because the company he works for had rented out the entire theater). We had been wanting to see this movie for several weeks, and it was so fun to go with friends. It has been years since I read the book, but the story was just as inspiring as I remembered, and now I want to reread it! 

Listening . . . to Silas singing. This is one of my greatest joys. I have never had a child sing so much and so well at this age. It is truly a treat. He knows so many songs, and will attempt to sing along even on songs he doesn't know. He hums to himself during the day and makes up little ditties. One of the highlights of his week is when we have Family Home Evening and each choose a song to sing. We sing "I am a Child of God" when we're putting him to bed, and he always sings along and can now sing the whole song by himself. I should keep a running list of his favorite songs because it's just so cute. This month, he loved Heigh Ho and High Hopes, which cracked me up: two songs with very similar titles but very different vibes. 

Getting . . . started on my 2024 goal. As I already alluded to earlier in this post, I am doing a little countdown to my fortieth birthday, which involves doing forty things with forty different people. I'll share more about this later, but I've already started planning and executing various activities, and it's been such fun. My first official outing was with my friend, Beth (one of my oldest and dearest friends). Our birthdays are a mere three days apart, and we celebrated by going out to dinner at a gluten-free restaurant  (SpudToddos). Beth has celiacs, so this was the perfect place to eat out, and we all enjoyed it very much. If you have something you'd like to do with me during this year of 40, let me know! It can be in person or virtual. 

Finishing . . . out a great season of basketball. Clark played with a whole team of friends, which is basically a dream come true for him. He had so much fun, played with so much energy, and even got brave and took a few shots.

Being . . . chosen for student of the month. Maxwell's science teacher nominated him for this award. Several kids in each grade get it every month, so it isn't terribly exclusive, but it was still a nice  acknowledgment of Max's hard work. Both his science teacher and his math teacher said really nice things about him. There was a little breakfast before school to honor the students of the month. 

Seeing . . . crystal clear. Max mentioned that he hadn't been able to see as well lately, so we got him an eye appointment, and sure enough, he needed glasses. The first time he put them on, he was so amazed with how sharp everything was. He looks quite scholarly in his glasses.

Ending . . . the month with some amazing spring-like weather. All the kids in the neighborhood were out playing together, and it was so nice. We know it's just a little teaser, but we liked it just the same. 

A Little of This and That in December

It was a fun and festive month. I feel like we struck a pretty good balance between simplicity and busyness. I'm grateful for all that we could do (and purposefully choose not to do) to make it a good month, including . . . 

Braving . . . the Christkindlmarkt. We didn't even go last year because I was so bummed out by the intense crowds the previous year. But Mike and I decided it was worth another try. We arrived just as it was opening for the day, and that helped a ton. We could actually look into the various booths and shops, and I ended up buying a couple of felted ornaments that I love. We also didn't have to stand in too long of a line to buy a Belgian waffle and fries (amazing), hot chocolate (very needed because it was pretty cold), and a crepe (pretty meh). It was snowing for most of the time we were there, which also helped tame the crowds and added to the magic for us. All in all, a fun time.

Attending . . . the First Presidency Christmas Devotional with all of Mike's family. Mike's dad was speaking (you can watch it here), and it was such a tender subject for all of us as he talked quite a bit about Mike's sister, Alisa, who passed away in 2015. The music was breathtakingly beautiful, and we loved being on Temple Square with all the lights and decorations. My brother and his wife watched Ian and Silas for us, and I was so grateful that we could share this experience with all of our older kids. It truly brought the Christmas spirit. 

Helping . . . the young men in our ward with a woodworking project. Mike's deep love for his new wood shop continued this month (another of his projects featured below), so much so that he ambitiously invited seven 12- and 13-year-old boys over to each make a Christmas tree. He did a lot of the prep work ahead of time, so it all went very smoothly and no one lost any fingers (whew!). 

Happening . . . upon Santa Claus. We went to a live nativity in our neighborhood, and on the walk home, we saw Santa Claus getting into his car. He saw us and asked, "Can I come say hi?" He explained that he'd been visiting some other children in the neighborhood. Clark had already run home, so he missed the whole exchange, but Ian gave Santa a hug, and Santa asked him what he'd like for Christmas. I don't go out of my way to make sure my kids visit Santa each year, so it was fun to just randomly bump into one that looked very legit. After we parted ways, Silas said, "Santa's so big!" It was a little Christmas magic.

Meeting . . . a group of kindred spirits. Last month, I mentioned that I had joined a knitting group, but this month was my first time actually attending and meeting everyone in real life. It was an instant connection. When I arrived, most of the women were already there. They were all knitting away on beautiful projects. I slipped into a chair and was included in the conversation immediately. We ate dinner together and then exchanged gifts. I had knitted little hat ornaments for everyone. And even though I was brand new to the group, they each had a small gift for me: yarn, ornaments, treats, stitch markers, a mini-loom, pincushion, a bag, and more. So many thoughtful gifts. I spent the evening feeling so grateful for these new friends and got my fill talking about all things knitting-related.

Enjoying . . . holiday music at school performances. Max and Bradley had a band performance. The jazz band crushed it as usual, and this was Bradley's first time performing with them. Aaron performed with the Troubadours in the high school choir concert. And Clark and Ian both had holiday performances with their grades. Watching Ian do the actions so seriously to The Nutcracker made my day. 

Helping . . . himself to food and treats. We had to get a lock for the pantry door because Silas was getting himself snacks all day long. Not to be deterred, he learned how to open the fridge and freezer (ours has two doors at the top and two perfectly-sized Silas doors at the bottom). One day, I came into the kitchen and found him enjoying an ice cream drumstick. He told me, "I'm sitting in a chair!" I couldn't say no to such proud independence. 

Knitting . . . more ornaments than I ever have in one season. Besides the eleven hat ornaments that I knit for the new knitting group (plus one for myself because I was jealous of how cute they turned out), I also ordered a yarn advent from the same deisgner I got one from last year (Knitty McPurly). This time, she included nine ornament patterns with the kit. So each day, I opened my box of yarn and knit the next step in the process. Some of the ornaments took four days to complete while some took only one or two. I loved the process of knitting these ornaments, but I was a little disappointed with how un-Christmasy they were (an ear of corn? a rainbow?). I was hoping for a little more festive knitting. But that still wasn't the end of my ornament making. I also knit a sweater ornament for a friend's daughter. And I tried my hand at embroidery and stitched a gorgeous cardinal ornament for my mom in memory of my grandma who passed away earlier this year (my embroidery skills are quite amateur, so I was very proud of this ornament). And finally, I also knit myself a pair of festive, Christmas socks which I enjoyed wearing many times during the second half of December. It was a fun month, creativity-wise, for me. 

Seeing . . . some animals at the zoo. Our local zoo significantly reduces their admission price on weekdays in the winter, so my mom and I went with Silas one morning. It was a chilly day, but the sun was shining, and most of the animals were very active. We saw the tigers pacing around, the polar bear eating his breakfast, and the seals being fed. Silas is pretty timid so he stayed close by my side, and we had a very nice time. 

Glitzing . . . myself up for book club. Our December meeting is always a highlight of the year because we choose all our books for the coming year and have a lively book exchange, but this year was even more spectacular because wearing sequins was mandatory. I admit that I had nothing that qualified in my closet so had to go on a search for something sparkly. My mom was with me when I went shopping, and, knowing that I'm usually somewhat reserved in my clothing choices, she said, "I feel like this is a big step for you." The women in my book club are such dear friends, and I truly feel filled up each month as we read and discuss a book together. Loved the extra sparkle for this holiday edition. And speaking of books, this is what I read this month (you'll notice a distinct holiday slant): 

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (lovely setting, dumb plot)

Freckle Juice by Judy Blume (very short readaloud)

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand (so many issues packed into one story but with festive flair) 

The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney (cute readaloud) 

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox (pretty shallow, but I enjoyed it quite a bit)

Busking . . . at the mall. One of Max and Bradley's jazz band friends got a group together to play music on a street corner outside the mall. There were six who went. They played for a couple of hours and each made $20 plus $35 which they split for chicken nuggets at Chick-Fil-A. They loved doing it so much. People were kind and complimentary and generous. They even had a bagpiper join them for a song! Luckily, they went on a day where the weather cooperated and the temperature was fairly mild. If it had been colder, they probably wouldn't have lasted so long. It was so fun for them to be able to use their skills to make a little money. 

Caroling . . . through the streets. Our church youth group rode on a trailer and serenaded the neighborhood with Christmas songs. There were hot chocolate stations set up in three different locations, and the trailer stopped at each of those spots while the teenagers and leaders sang a few songs. It was such a fun way to spread some Christmas cheer. 

Welcoming . . . back the light. It always feels like such an accomplishment to get to the shortest day of the year and know that it will only get lighter and brighter from there on out. I have always wanted to mark the winter solstice in some way, but it feels like the month is so busy and we don't need to add one more thing. So we did a very simple celebration, and it was exactly what I wanted. We ate dinner by candlelight (breakfast foods because they somehow felt more sunshiny). Then we went on a walk through the dark streets in our neighborhood, admiring all the Christmas lights. And now, I'm watching the daylight total increase each day (even though it's a verrrrry slow increase right now), and it's bringing me joy. 

Enjoying . . . the cutest little nativity reenactment. Mike's family had their Christmas party on the Friday before Christmas. We ate dinner, had some pass-the-present fun, sang our favorite song ("Angels Are Making Their Rounds," directed by Mike's brother, Matt), played games, chatted, and watched the little cousins act out the nativity. Ian was Joseph and his cousin, Claire, was Mary. It was too cute for me.

Going . . . to the movie theater. We love to see a movie on Christmas Eve, but with that falling on a Sunday this year, we pushed it up to the 23rd instead. We saw Wonka, and I know the reviews have been mixed, but we loved every minute of it and have been listening to the soundtrack ever since. I didn't know if Silas would make it through the whole movie but aside from running up and down our row for a few minutes, he did really well. That night, the boys all slept "under" the Christmas tree.

Losing . . . Baby Jesus. Silas loved playing with the nativities all month (so much so, that I kept a couple of them out after I put away all the other decorations). None of our other kids have spent so much time playing with the nativity pieces. Silas would mix different sets together, redistribute pieces all around the house, have them slide down the stable roof, and stack pieces on top of each other. It was one of my favorite things to watch him push over a stool and start to play. For some reason, he got it in his head that he had to take Baby Jesus to church on Christmas Eve. It seemed fitting, so I let him. Unfortunately, he dropped the piece on our way home, and it blended in perfectly with the brown grass. As soon as we realized he wasn't holding it anymore, we started searching but it seemed like it might be impossible to find. However, Mike organized the boys into a more deliberate search where they carefully combed through the grass, and they ended up finding the little baby and returning Him to His manger. 

Performing . . . at a care center. After church on Christmas Eve, we went to a care center with the Blodgetts to perform some Christmas music on the piano. Unfortunately, Aaron was battling a cold, so I didn't think it would be wise for him to be around elderly people, but Max, Bradley, Clark, and Ian all went and played. Our audience was small but appreciative. 

Spending . . . Christmas Eve with Mike's parents and the Blodgetts. It has become something of a tradition to eat dinner with Mike's sister and her family on Christmas Eve, and as long as it keeps working, we're going to keep it that way. The tables were beautifully decorated, and the food was delicious. Ian was especially jazzed to get to drink out of a fancy goblet. We popped our Christmas crackers and sang some Christmas hymns, and Mike's parents brought presents. We came home, the boys put on their "Christmas" pajamas (really just new BYU shirts and sweats), and we tucked them into bed.

Celebrating . . . Christmas. Our actual Christmas Day was lovely. We stayed home and moved through the day at a relaxed pace. We opened stockings first, then ate breakfast, then moved onto presents. Silas started out being very excited about presents and then lost interest, so we put away two of his presents for his birthday instead. After the presents were all unwrapped, we spent the rest of the day playing games, putting Lego together, watching movies, and eating candy (mostly Silas). We ended the day playing bells all together.

Building . . . a handcrafted chest. Clark didn't have anything he especially wanted for Christmas, but we know how much he loves learning and performing magic tricks. Rather than just going with a magic kit, we decided to individualize it a bit more. We chose which tricks we wanted to get for him, and then Mike made a wooden chest for everything to go into. The chest has clasps and hinges so it can open and close, a handle so it can be carried, and legs that can be screwed into the bottom to turn it into a performing table. Clark loves it. We wrapped up each of the little tricks separately and then put them in the chest. When Clark opened the chest, he found a bunch of smaller presents. It was a fun present to open, but it has been even more fun to for him to learn all the tricks. (If you would like to hire Clark the Magician for birthday parties, he is now open for business.) 

Giving . . . the big boys a vacation. It has always felt tricky to give a vacation for Christmas because unless you're leaving on Christmas Day, it seems like it will make Christmas a bit lackluster (that, or you have to still give a bunch of presents on Christmas and that seems excessive). But this year I had the thought, What if we only gave a vacation to Aaron, Max, and Bradley so that the little kids can still have a traditional Christmas? I didn't want to spoil any surprises but I also wanted them to have a heads up if there were going to be fewer presents under the tree. So back in October, I floated the idea past each of them: Would you want to get a vacation for Christmas instead of other presents? It was an immediate yes from all of them. On Christmas morning, we had four clues that were wrapped up: a little toy airplane, some Star Wars socks and Mickey Mouse coloring books, Harry Potter candy, and a coconut and toy alligator (with the dates of the trip: January 8th-13th). They quickly guessed Orlando, Florida. It turned out it didn't make for an unexciting Christmas at all because after they had unwrapped the clues, we talked about details for the trip for the rest of the day. 

Pulling . . . two teeth. We have been anxiously waiting to get braces on Max. He has the slowest teeth of all of the boys, and the orthodontists we had consultations with did not want to do anything until his baby teeth were out. So they recommended having our dentist pull two of them to speed things along (the adult teeth were already coming in). It wasn't the most fun way to spend a Wednesday morning, but it's done, and now we can hopefully get started on braces in 2024. 

Finding . . . winter. Disappointingly, we did not have much snow in December. It was kind of a brown Christmas. But I went on a couple of hikes with Sonja, and there was plenty of snow up in the mountains. 

Extending . . . the festivities beyond Christmas. We took all of the boys (except Silas) to see Elf the Musical at Hale Center Theater the Friday after Christmas. It was fun to have something to look forward to during that week. Mike's parents had given each family money for a Christmas activity, and that's what we chose to do with ours. It was Ian's first time at Hale Center Theater, and he was quite entranced by the experience--the changing sets and costumes, music and dancing, lights dropping down from the ceiling, falling snow, and an actual ice rink. I was grateful there were a number of differences between the play and the movie so that it didn't just feel like we were watching Elf without Will Farrell in it. 

Eating . . . my 1000th serving of vegetables. It was one of my goals for 2023, and I did it! It was something I had to stay on top of for the entire year because you can only cram so many vegetables in at the last minute. 

Ringing . . . in 2024. We were going to have a couple of Mike's siblings and their families over for a party, but Clark was not feeling well, so it ended up just being us at home. We still had fun though. We had a chocolate fountain and pizza and soda. Bradley and I did a puzzle. Ian and I were the last two standing in a 9-Ball tournament (much to everyone else's surprise). We played Pass the Pigs and watched old family slideshows. We did a practice confetti run at 10:00pm so poor, sick Clarky could go to bed. And then we did it again at midnight. More than two weeks later, I'm still finding pieces of confetti. 

I know I've left out some things but hopefully nothing too important. The new year is calling!