December started off with the Worldwide Day of Service on the 1st. Grandma Pam made these 2 teddy bears and we got to stuff them. I don't even remember now where they were going to...a hospital?, police station?...it was an opportunity Grandma found on the Just Serve website I know...but hopefully whoever got them loves them. Ü
All the kids did participate...even though they aren't in the pictures
Beginning Band concert ~ Friday, December 2nd
~practicing the night before ~
Andy is right in the middle...2nd row...you can just barely see the side of his head
Alex is on the left...3rd guy in...you can just barely see his head too Ü
Directed by Mr. Brines
When we got home from the concert, THIS was on our porch!!!
I had been talking that morning at the park to my friend Vickie Lee and she said that her family was going to pick out their Christmas tree that night. I mentioned that I had never had a real Christmas tree before that I can remember...and then THIS shows up!! Wow!!
It was actually a tree that was sturdy enough to support our star Ü
Since we had already set up our artificial tree, which was also new to us this year...brought back from Grandma Allen's house in Texas...we just ended up naming this "the year of the 2 Christmas trees". It was pretty neat. Thank you Lee family!! Ü
~ Decorating ~
Abby's snowman outfit Ü
She played 3 songs...What Child is This, Bright Sky (which she also played in sacrament meeting on Christmas Sunday)...
...and a duet of Angles We Have Heard on High with Miss Natalie
She also got to lead the group in a special rhythm "cup" song
I love that she loves music Ü
Just another day in Grandma school Ü
This was a cool night!!
Close by there is a neighborhood that puts on the Loop of Lights where most houses in that neighborhood decorate amazingly...especially this one house who goes above and beyond! Once the Loops of Lights is open you have to park at the nearby school and walk through the loop. We haven't gone in years because it isn't always fun dealing with the traffic and crowds and our kids in the cold. I had seen on Facebook that the loop was opening Friday night, December 8th. We were out and about the night before and decided to go ahead and drive through the loop before it was closed to traffic. I had Abby, Ben and Tanner with me. I figured most of the houses would be decorated and turned on, even if the big house wasn't, and that it would still be neat. We got a pretty good show and then when we got to the "big house" there was a crowd of people outside of it. The lights weren't on but people we giving out hot chocolate and popcorn and everyone was just kind of hanging out. It dawned on my that this was probably the revealing of the house!! So I parked and Tanner, Ben, and I...Abby was being a stinky teenager...got out and had our hot chocolate and popcorn and got to see the house turn on for the first time this year. I thought that was pretty neat. Sure, we missed the fist 10 minutes of the live Harispray movie that Abby was dying to see...but hey! It was for a good reason. Ü
Abby's School Dance Performance
December 8th
Winter Song
~ do you see her on the far right? ~
She really has enjoyed being in dance the last few years. She loves her teacher Miss Cain and several of her good friends are in her dance class with her.
Underneath the Tree
~ far left this time ~
December Pack Night
Back when Ben was in Tiger Cubs he earned his bobcat badge but never received the patch the whole year he was in it. When he came into wolves we kept asking the ward leaders if there was any way we could get the patch...he'd already earned it...he just needed the patch. They ended up recognizing him for it again with the whole bobbing for donuts and everything. We didn't get pictures of that last time around...so yay!
Funny thing is, they still were out of the patch!!!
Cookie decorating at pack night
I love getting friends together!! Especially to celebrate birthdays!!
Happy Birthday Roseanne, Kathy, and Natalie!!
ALA's Winter Program
12-15-16
2nd and 3rd grade sang Hanukah, O Hanukah, Jingle Bells, and Where Are You Christmas
Good job Ben and Meagan!!
Ward Christmas Party!!
12-16-16
We Love Mrs. Claus!!
(and if you're thinking that Santa and Mrs. Claus look like the same ones from the ALA night...you're right! The Service's love dressing up and they do an awesome job!!)
Can 2 Bishop's fit on Santa's lap??
End of the soccer season
Both Tanner and Ben had soccer practice on Wednesdays at the same time! That, with Tyler and the twins' basketball, and my babysitting kids made it a bit tricky to get everyone where they needed to be. Luckily, the Kent's and the Services were able to help get Ben to and from practice. Finally on his last one I was able to go watch.
Glad I was there because Coach Dan passed out their participation medals and soccer balls Ü
Now for the final games!!
12-17-16
Snuggling up to watch Tanner's game
It was early...and it was cold!!
Did I mention it was early?
8am on Saturday is kind of early... Ü
Tanner didn't totally get the gist of soccer this time around...but he still says he loved it and wants to play again. Love his smile and enthusiasm!!
Getting their medals and soccer balls. Thanks Coach Patrick!!
Ben's turn!!
I love that the organization is Christian based and that they pray before games. Ü
He did such a good job at staying with the ball and passing it to team members,
Great job bud!!
Supportive Sisters
Good job Green Gators!!!
And way to represent, Skyline Ward!! Ü
Both Ben and Tanner's teams went undefeated the whole season!!
Alex and I were able to go on a fun Mommy Alex date to go see a play through school that some of his friends were in. It was a great show and we had fun. I love sneaking the kids out for some 1 on 1 time. Ü
12-17-17
Kneaders after. I think from now on we'll call this sandwich The Alex. It was so huge! But of course he scarfed it down. Gotta love the half price pastries on Saturday nights too. ;) 
"Thank you primary teacher for my Christmas gift!!"
We had a fun FHE with the Kent's and the Cluff's the Monday before Christmas. We had a short lesson at our house...
Tawnya and Rod were Mary and Joseph in the Nativity song Ü
Then we went on our 3rd annual Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt which this year included stopping to do 2 acts of service (although its been a couple of months and I don't even remember what our acts of service were!). Our neighbor Abby Harmon came along with us.
We couldn't find inflatable carolers while we were out...so Tyler and I posed as some. We didn't have to inflate too much. Ü
Then it was over to the Kent's for some Minute to Win It games
Tyler and I won on the cheese ball toss Ü
The tinsel game turned into a tinsel war Ü
The library offered a free Christmas cookie decorating class for teens and adults so I took the kids down for that during winter break. Of course, my 3 were the only teens there and Abby decided not to participate. But Andy and Alex had no problem going in with a bunch of women...and they came out with some pretty cool looking cookies. And hot chocolate to boot. Good job boys!!
Also during break the ALA basketball team was given free tickets to a Phoenix Suns game. Sweet!!
One of the days we headed up to Mesa. Alex had to had a follow appointment on his wrist...which has healed perfectly by the way...and so we made a day out of it.
This time when we went to Riverview park Daddy tried the jungle gym too!!
Good job Ty!!
We stopped at the Mesa Cemetery to wish Grandpa Hall a Merry Christmas
And since I'd been looking a lot at my Hall line on Family Search we decided to stop by Henry and Libby's grave too...my Grandpa Hall's parents.
That is their great great grandparents!!
We found these two headstones too. Cemetery's fascinate me! So much history.
We stopped in to say Merry Christmas to Grandma Hall.
We Love You!!
And then we planned on walking around and seeing the Mesa temple lights...but everyone was kind of exhausted so we just did a drive by viewing instead. Ü
We are just so lucky and blessed. Not only were we blessed with the Christmas tree this year but we received the 12 Days of Christmas from TWO different people!!
One was always marked "From your Secret Santa"
And the other was from Grandma Pam and Grandpa Dave who just
love us so much and spoil us rotten!
We were excited to get 2 new games from our Secret Santa...Pie Face & Wet Head. Tanner kept begging and begging to play them but I kept telling him we needed to wait until all the kids were home and we had the time.
Tyler being the amazing daddy he is one day said, "What the heck!" and he played with Tanner.
I LOVE these pictures!!
Ready for Christmas!!
Ben was sick on Christmas Eve. If I remember right, he had a fever, was achy, and just didn't feel good. Daddy and the rest of the kids still went over to Grandma & Grandpa's for the traditional breakfast dinner, left right game, and reading of the Christmas story. Then it was off to bed to be ready for Santa!
It hailed Christmas Eve night!! I guess that is our version of a white Christmas. Ü
12-25-16
So soft and comfy even Alex wants to wear it!!
Ü
This may have been the best present of all...
A SNOWBALL FIGHT from Uncle Jay!!
The balls just kept coming and coming out of the box!!
Ah! They are aiming for me!!
What a great day!
Christmas on Sunday makes it even extra special!!
Ben still wasn't feeling the greatest but he was well enough to go to sacrament meeting and then over to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner.
Then Tanner came down with the same thing then next day :(
We are just so spoildly blessed!!
One of Alex's card towers
Andy working on his roller coaster
And if Christmas wasn't enough...
December 29th
My baby is 5!!
He's happy with his birthday bagel
We invited some friends to come play with Tanner at McDonalds to celebrate his birthday
Kathy & Meagan, Natalie and her kids, and a few other friends came
Gabe, Tanner, Beckham, and Logan
We call each other "framily" Ü
Tanner's bestie Gabe
Time to party at Grandma & Grandpa's!
If you haven't been able to tell, Tanner really likes super heroes Ü
He loves clothes too!!
He had to try one of his new shirts on right away!
His 3rd shirt of the day. Ü
Tanner kept saying he wanted a dinosaur birthday so several of his presents were dinosaur related.
Plus he got a dinosaur cake!
8:08pm...he's officially 5!!
A side by side of all my kids on their 5th birthday. How did we get such cute kids?!?!
The month's not over yet!!
Gotta make the most of every day right?Ü
We got movie tickets from Grandma & Grandpa for Christmas to go see Rouge One. The Kent's were planning on going to see it too, so we just went together. You can't see him, but Grandpa Dave is there too...in between me and Andy. Like last year the deal was if we took Grandpa, then Grandma would keep Tanenr. Ü
Love you Dad!!
What a better way to end the year then by going to the temple. Ü
12-31-16
The Queen Creek stake does a big New Year's Eve party at Schnepf Farms...and since we're in that stake now...we got to go!! So exciting!! Ü
I guess this carousel was originally built in 1912 and has 4 of the original horses still on it.
Cool!
When we did our big CA trip a year and a half ago with Disneyland, Knotts, and CA Adventure, Tanner was not a fan of the rides and hardly went on anything. This was his face after going on the swings! We might need to go back to CA sometime soon... Ü
He loved it!! And he was so excited to go on the roller coaster too! So fun to see him so happy!
Hay Ride
Standing on hay bales to watch the fireworks at 8:00
Train ride around the park to see the lights
SO MUCH FUN!!
We are just so lucky to have so many awesome experiences!!
And there you go...5 years old and 4 feet tall. Ü
After the farm we came home to play some games and have our cider. Abby stayed at Schnepf Farms with friends for the New Years Eve dance for a bit (cause she's 14 now!!!) and then went with them to get hot chocolate at Denny's and play games at the Inoue's house. I love that she has good friends!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Annie Fluette I enjoyed looking at the wonderful pictures, great family.😊
Pamela Hall Councilman You always do such a great job.
1 comment:
فني تركيب اثاث ايكيا بالرياض
فني ستائر بالرياض
فني ايكيا بالرياض
نجار بالرياض
فني تركيب ستلايت بالرياض
فني تركيب دش
Post a Comment