October-December Update

October

We celebrated the end of the soccer season for Andrew.  His last game was in late October at 7:00 PM in Park City.  It was 36 degrees.  Brrrr.  This was his first year of "competitive" soccer with the Cottonwood Football Club.  He worked hard and made good improvement.  The team got to go to a Soccer Real game where they helped carry in the giant flag onto the field.  Andrew and Eric went along with him.  

For the season end party, the team and families went to CornBellies at Thanksgiving Point.  It was very cold, but the kids had fun playing the various carnival-like games.  The coach handed out awards -- Andrew received an award for playing great defense, plus and extra award for "Most Improved."  

We like to go to the zoo in the fall -- it's not too hot and the animals are a little more energetic, as am I.  This year there are several mechanical dinosaurs that the kids enjoys. 

Halloween -- I'm not sure where our costumed pictures are.  They were pretty low-key this year (yay!)  Tanner was "Messi" the soccer player, Eric was a basketball player, and Andrew wore his morph suit.  We carved some cool pumpkins -- including pac-man chasing a ghost.

November

In Mid-November we spent a couple of nights at a Condo in Park City.  Honestly, the place was a dive.  Old, dirty, and very disappointing.  But we did spend a nice day out on the town.  We wandered Main Street a bit and spent some time in the Family Tree Center (A Family History Center of the LDS Church.)  And even though Eric is plainly showing his boredom in the picture, it was a really nice visit.

We also went to the Olympic Museum.  I had been there with the boys during the summer, but this was Brian's first visit.  It was really nice -- very quiet compared to the crowds we saw during the summer.

  

Tanner has made some new friends.  They live right down the street and we've gone to church with them, but it wasn't until preschool that they started playing together.  They are twins and they are adorable.  

Speaking of preschool, Tanner came home in this paper-bag outfit one day.  He was doing a serious "Indian" dance too.  We had the missionaries over for dinner that night and Tanner gave them a great stomping, clapping performance.

  

For Thanksgiving we went to the Ballard's house (Brian's sister).  It was a nice, calm day.  My kids are getting old enough that they just play with their cousins while I rest and visit.  It was nice.  Here is "the kids table."

December

This month we have had a lot of snow, and I love it!  Sometimes we don't have a lot for Christmas, and I prefer a really white Christmas.  :)  This snow fall was the accumulation of one storm...it came on a less convenient day when I was supposed to pick up my niece and her family at the airport.  We were not sure we could get out of the neighborhood safely, so she ended up having to hang out downtown for the afternoon and coming home on the train with Brian.  School wasn't called off, but we did get a phone call right before we left saying that the parking lot was a mess, and parents could use their discretion and keep their kids home.  Well, we used our discretion, much to the boys' dismay, and took them to school.  A little more than half of the kids were there.  It was a leisure day and the kids came home happy.

We went to Weston, Idaho (about 2 hours from here) to my brother, James' house for a Christmas party.  He has a great house for entertaining with a large family room.  He is about halfway between here and Rexburg, where my parents and sister live.  So they came too.  The cousins exchanged gifts.  It was a fun night.  The drive home through a snowstorm was tense for a while, but halfway home the snow suddenly disappeared and we drove the rest of the way home on dry roads.  Oh, and I was surprised when I turned to see Tanner sharing a chair with his Aunt Susan -- my kids aren't usually very "cozy" with other people.  Susan has some charm for sure!

The following night we had a Christmas party with Brian's side of the family.  We had some good food, gift exchange, and a little birthday celebration too.  I share my birthday with one of my nephews who was turning 5.  I turned 40.  It's kind of weird to say that.   Growing up you think of 40 year olds as kind of old.  I don't feel 40 -- at least not in my head.  :)  We had the Bunting's for Christmas and I gave them a quilt.  Here they are squished on our couch under the quilt.  ha.  Our house is a little small for these gatherings but everyone is very understanding and accommodating, even if they have to sit on top of each other.  

Christmas Eve was spent at home.  The kids open one gift -- which they will tell you, it's always "just a book."  But they were happy anyway.

Christmas day was nice.  The kids big gift was an Xbox.  They were very excited and had a good day playing together well.

The day after Christmas Brian took the kids sledding.  I didn't think they would last long because it was 20 degrees.  But all bundled up, they lasted a while and had a great time.  Eric came in and said "That was the most fun I've had in a long time!"