Our New Year

We had a good Christmas. And great New Years party- just us 4 (#5 was asleep) at the kitchen table drinking toasts and eating nachos, lighting sparklers (and setting off the smoke alarm for a while- sorry Aaron until 10:30. We were disappointed to realize the TV networks wised up to all our plots to watch the ball drop and then go to bed early and so moved it to a delayed time, so we didn't watch the ball drop. Emily was laying in bed almost asleep when she remembered- Hey mom we forgot to sing that one song and we didn't bang pots and pans. Next year....

The new wagon is a gift from Grammy- fun and cute. Wish it was warmer outside so it's not in my kitchen but the kids are having fun.

The most joyous part of New Years is that the recording studio is done! Well at least 95% done. Bryan and I rang in the new years in our basement floor on hands and knees- taping grout lines. The room looks rocking and is ready to rock so come over and jam.

Christmas Eve Cuties

The stockings were laid by the chimney with careThey loved their hat and scarf present. Not just for wearing, but jump roping, balance beam, modern dance props, etc.

Aar Bear's first Christmas

hair cuts

Ashley got 3-4 inches off and Emily got 1-2 inches and some longer bangs that she has swooped off to the side. We went to Cookie Cutters here in Bountiful- a cute place for kids' haircuts. They both sat in a pink car, watched a Barbie movie, and got suckers, balloons and a cookie cutter. They were super excited about the day!

Polar Express Train

We rode the Polar Express Train out of Heber Valley on Friday December 18th. We went with several of Bryan's coworkers and their families and Bryan's sister Elasha and her family.

We loved seeing Santa, hanging out with cousins, Emily singing a solo of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" in the microphone, seeing the North Pole, eating treats, singing carols, reading the story Polar Express together, and giving Aaron his first Christmas gift ever- a bell.

We didn't love that the generator went out, not sitting by each other, the freezing ride, Aaron being tired and crabby, and cold hot chocolate. I don't think we'll ride it again for a while but it was worth doing once.

The fun train restaurant afterwards was packed but we enjoyed the good food. Our car got stuck in the snowy parking lot, but we had friends help us out. All in all it was a fun launch into the week of Christmas.

Emily's Dance Show

Emily is in Sunshine Generation dance group. It's like a show choir for kids. She's been in it since September. Ashley tried it for a few weeks but decided to opt out since mom chose not to dance with her every practice. She does have two neighborhood friends in it- Cami and Sarah. The group has about 10 kids ages 3-5 and also 10 kids who are ages 6-12. This performance is at the Festival of the Trees. Tonight they also sang at two outdoor venues- brrr! Emily does a great job singing and dancing and says that she has fun so we will keep at it for a while.

November

Cowgirl Night

Emily's school had a 'special gal' night at school where each girl in school got to bring a girl grown-up with them for a fun night. We got dressed up in jeans, bandannas, hats and braids and had a great time. First we tried line dancing. The caller was really good and we tried our best. My brain was honestly having a hard time keeping up and although I was doing pretty good, my brain was tired when we done. Emily said it was boring dancing. Then we went and colored bandannas- Emily drew a horse on hers. Then we made bead bracelets and had popsicles. Fun night.