Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We had a super fun new year. We went to dinner at some friends house were we ate lots of yummy chinese food and had a disco dance and counted down the new year at 8:30 :) Then we came home, put Mason to bed, and spent the rest of the night playing games and eating treats with the kids. It was great!

A whole bunch of Christmas!

We did the nativity for our ward christmas party. I was in charge, it was some work but I think the kids were so cute. Aiden was Samule again and Emma was Mary-it was the luck of the draw.

 The hospital put on a Christmas party for the family, the kids had their own little party while we had ours. At the end they put on a show for us.

Posing for mom after the party

 Christmas Sunday

 Santa aka Brother Smith came to visit us at our house. I was just bummed that Mason was sleeping.

 A few of the primary kids went and sang for a nursing home and then gave out the mini trees that we had decorated as a ward. This is Mason and Payge in their costumes.

 Getting packages from Grandmas is always lots of fun.

 I was in charge of Emma's Christmas party. We played lots of relay games and had tons of fun!

 For Christmas Eve we hosted a PJ party. We had breakfast food and then a hot chocolate bar at the end. The kids had so  much fun just running around.

 We were the M&M family!

 Decorating cookies for Santa:

 Christmas morning! The kids loved everything they got and it was so fun watching them open and play with everything.

What a great Christmas!!

Happy Birthday Spencer

Spencer had the day off for his birthday, so we kept Emma home form school and made a day of it. We headed downtown for lunch and shopping for new black church shoes. Then we opened presents at home. He got a card from Emma, a hoodie, and cologne. That night we watched Emma in the Nutcracker :)

The nutcracker

In September Emma tried out for the Nutcracker and made it! She was cast as a Bon Bon girl! So every sat for two months she practiced her dance. And then finally the big day or should I say weekend arrived. 

The girls did a lot of sitting and waiting but they were so good about it.

 i signed up to be a backstage mom and it was really fun being there with Emma.

 Last minute costume check.

 Haylee, Alex, and Anna came to see her.

 Our backstage room was also the costume room for the professionals so it was fun getting to see them. Some were really good about making a big deal about the girls. This is "Mother Ginger" who the girls danced with he was so nice and funny! The girls just loved him!

 We were lucky enough to have Emma's dance teacher Miss Peggy as the teacher for the nutcracker too!

 Some of the costumes the professionals had to be sewn into every night!

 The girls and mother ginger

 The sugar plum fairy. She was my favorite to watch!

First snow

The kids were so excited for their first snow. It wasn't very much but we made the most of it!

 Haylee and Emma had the best time sliding down again and again.

 Getting ready to slide at the same time. I think Mason would have stayed out a lot longer but mom got cold!

Vegas Baby!

For our second annual girls trip we headed to Vegas! We had the best time. I love these girls so much!

On the bus, it was so nice to not have to walk from one end of the strip to the next!

 We went zip lining across the strip. It was so much fun and a little scary at first.

 Next we went on a romantic gondola ride :)

 Of course we had to get frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity,  a couple of times!

 

 The main reason for the trip was "Breaking Dawn II". Becca decorated our room all cute and Laurie made these super fun shirts for all of us to wear.

 The movie was awesome! I loved every minute of it!!

Playing the penny slots.

 We also went and saw the Mystere show by Cirque du soleil. It was totally cool and really weird. I couldn't believe what those people can do with their bodies!

Like always it was so fun and went by way to fast. So glad for these girl and their friendships!