More December fun...

More December pics...Betsey keeled over in Chris' truck on the way home from a holiday party.

We got some serious stuff done on the kitchen in December, in fact...it was completely done before New Year's Day. Here is the open shelving area with the marble backsplash.

Here is my blue island with the last cabinet which had to be custom made and retrofit...twice. Just lacking some hardware.

My little buddy with is crossed ankles. I love how he always has his ankles crossed.

Gingerbread houses and cookies.

Betsey with her cute church class at church.

Tub time for Betsey and Leo.

I love the Ridgcrest Ward. I took this pic because I thought it was super funny that we had a black tablecloth next to a red and white holiday one. There are wards where they would have spent a week setting up for the Christmas meal and it would be super fancy and coordinated and look professional. Not how we roll in our ward. When I told them I was going to text this pic to my friends in the other ward, they were like, "We were so proud of ourselves for using tablecloths!" Well played, my ladies. I can hang with baked potato bar and mismatched table clothes every day of the week.

We find it difficult to find service opportunites in the community (plenty with the church) for the kids to help with. So we were able to sign up to take a meal to the homeless that eat at the local Armory in town I think they serve them like once a week there. So we made salad and collected food from other people who contributed and got to go down and serve the food. It was a good time. I took like five cute junior high boys from my neighborhood who live across the street and they were so sincere and interactive, sitting down with the people and talking about life. I seriously love that age. They are such punks and so endearing somehow. I'd venture to say that Chris hates that age. Anyway, I love it. They must have knocked on my door like five times wanting to help me assemble food and take things out to the car and carry things for me and they called me Mrs. Pierce and it was all just so much cute in contrast with their double pierced ears, mowhaks, Seahawks jerseys, skinny jeans and swagger.

Another super fun thing we found out about was going down to the Elk's Club and helping sort all the food that was collected around town at food bank donation sites. All the kids could do this and we just took shopping carts full of random food and dropped it all off in the right areas so that they can then shop for a complete meal. We went for short stints of like two hours twice and the kids loved it. They felt like they were grocery shopping and they were able to do it alone and we took friends so they would have two kids to a cart and get at it. It is a real need because otherwise it is all for these really old people to do and they claim they pull all nighters to get it all sorted in time for the holiday baskets to go out. It was neat because our local church donated 300 turkeys to accompany the canned goods. Definitely doing this again next year.

December 2014...

Composing blog posts a year late isn't ever fun. I'm sure we had a dandy Christmas. Here are the kids after we got the tree and other minimal decor up.

Penny cuddles.

The boy at the tree. It was a fun season for keeping him away, we lost some ornaments to the toy bins.

Co-op used toy gift exchange.

A winter double rainbow!

Hey, thanks for the pretty purple marker all over the white tile floor, Leo.

Alice putting her baby to bed.

This kid loves applesauce.

Betsey and Leo loving on the slide together.

Chris' co-workers always ask to have a picture of Chris with a permed mullet, but there seems there aren't any so I had to work a little photoshop magic. He's never had hair so full.

Rainbow Fish for Leo. He loves story time.

The Wilcox family came Christmas caroling to our house. It was so fun, that doesn't happen much anymore!

I love holding him while he sleeps.

Betsey was Mary in our family nativity reenactment.

Chris was thrilled to be a shepherd. We were down a few families.

Mason and Betsey and the baby and the blurred Leo.

Amanda was an angel and my mom was something too. Not gonna lie, it was another year full of laughs as the kids did this.

Mcdonalds visit...

Mimi and John and kids came to visit for a family Christmas celebration in December. In a selfish world we would HATE sharing them with all that amazing family of theirs, but alas, they really do come for that reason and we are lucky they have any time to see us! They drove all night and stopped to nap, shower, recharge at our house on their way into town. It was a fun day for the kids. 

We lost a chicken that morning or at least we realized someone got her that morning. We knew John would have no problem taking care of her carcass. It was Puffy...my chicken and possibly the favorite of the whole family. Something got to her and literally left bones and feathers. Chris would have heaved multiple times had he done the job, so it was nice to have John show up, put it in a bag with zero feeling and toss it by the garbage can. Thanks John...she was our pet forthelove. I love how Lucy sat right above her bestie's body all day until she was gone for good. Sweet Lucy. 

So the last night of their trip we got to have them for a sleepover. We had fun playing some new games and just being stupid. When your friend wears a nightcap that matches her jammies, you have to wonder. (Actually they were a sweet homemade gift from John's mom, she made them for all 1,000 grandkids...can you believe that...she sews all year I am convinced!)

John and Chris really get going. It is impossible with these two because suddenly the most normal words that you don't hesitate to say become the constant trigger for a joke that doesn't die. I'm not going to list the words, I'm sure you can imagine. 

Chris probably only laughs like this around like four or five people in the world...

On their way out...off to UT, too short of a stay! Alice, Jensen, Ellie, Ruby and Sammy with a big, gaping hole of a very missed Mia who is in heaven.

Can't stop with these two. They really love each other. I love watching them facetime and when they get together they just LOVE playing and talking up a storm. 

Holding tight...but really, JB was about to drive away alone if they didn't scramble. 

Sad Betsey wanted more goodbyes. Bets, I feel your pain. It isn't okay with me either.