Dance Recital, Midway and Christmas

December always seems to fly by every year and this year is no different.  So here is a recap of how our December has gone thus far.

Aspen had her dance recital.  She always looks so cute.  Baylee did her hair and Darcee rescued my make up job :)  Aspen is so adorable up there dancing.  She knows every single move.  Looks like she has been dancing for years.  She definitely gets that from her mother :)  Baylee, Alyssa and Alanah were finally able to come to her recital and she was super excited for that.  Great job Aspen!!!!

The Sunday following the recital we had our Chris Christmas party.  Due to Trent's birthday, we had the party at Justyn's house this year.  It was a lot of fun for the kids.  My mom, the saint she is, had gotten little gingerbread houses so each kid could decorate their own.  They loved it.  Celise, Austin, Baylee, Alyssa and Alanah houses were incredibly decorated.  I think it was Alanah's that remind me of a Whoville house :).  Aspen and Colt did a really good job as well.  After dinner, we listened to Grandma read a Christmas story.  Then Hollee and I were able to give Grandpa his gift, How the Grinch Stole Christmas board game.  We told him he could play it with the grandkids :)  He also got a shirt that said "I like to party and by party I mean naps".  The kids all got suitcases that are huge.  They were able to take them up to Midway the following weekend.  All in all it was a fun party.

The kids finished off school the next week.  I was able to go in and read a Christmas story to both Aspen and Colt's class.  It was so much fun to see their excited faces to have me in the classroom.  I am so happy that I was able to arrange my schedule to be able to do it.

The weekend after school got out we headed up to Midway for the Hight Christmas party.  We were able to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Hight.  As always, the kids really enjoyed being at Grandma's house.  It snowed pretty much every day, but throughout the day it would turn into rain so it didn't stay around for very long.  But the kids were able to go out and play in it for a little bit.  Baylee, Alyssa and Alanah were able to go ice skating for one afternoon.  For the party, we were able to chat with everyone.  Then Grandpa took all the kids Christmas caroling to the neighbors.  Mike and Kristina brought some minute to win it games that the kids really had fun playing.  We also celebrated Austin's birthday while we had everyone there.  Can't believe that he is 16 and is able to drive on his own.  Yikes!!!  All in all it was a nice trip and will be waiting for the next trip up.

When we got back from Midway, I got busy in the kitchen trying to make sugar cookies for the kids to decorate.  It was my first time ever making cookies to do cut outs with so I was kind of nervous.  Thanks to my mom, I got a pretty good recipe.  She also helped me with the frosting.  I only had to call her about 10 times with questions of if I was doing it right.  But everything turned out good and the kids had lots of fun decorating them.  The older kids were pretty creative with their decorating.  Aspen and Colt just frosted them and ate them :)

After cookies and dinner, we went looking at Christmas lights.  It seems that everyone else likes to do that on Christmas Eve.  So all the houses with music were jammed packed with cars.  We also stopped by my parents house to wish everyone there a Merry Christmas and grab a couple handfuls of caramel popcorn, well that was probably just me :).  After we went to look at lights, we came back home and opened our Christmas jammies. Everyone was excited for their new jammies. Then the younger kids got the cookies and milk out and wrote a note to Santa.  This year Santa had sent out an email letting them know if they had gotten on the nice or naughty list.  Aspen was on the nice list but Colt was right in the middle just a few days before Christmas.  But he worked really hard to be nice to everyone and luckily got an email on Christmas Eve saying that he had made it onto the nice list.

 After the little kids and girls went to bed, David, Celise, Austin, and I went to watch A Christmas Story.  After 31.75 years, I can check that off my to do list.  Not my favorite Christmas movie, but it was pretty good.  We also played a game of hand 'n foot while we watched it.  Then we all went and got into bed so that Santa could come :)

We were awoken bright and early by the girls and Colten, Celise and Austin had to be woken up.  Anywho, the rest is pretty much standard.  Lots of opening presents.  Aspen got a computer, guitar, glow pad, Frozen poster, Frozen back pack, Frozen lunch box (from Colt), clip on earrings (from Celise), a calendar (from the girls) and a tablet.  Colten got light sabers, soccer goal, soccer ball (from G&G Hight), Wii Mario Kart steering wheels (from Celise), tablet, ninja swords (from Aspen) and a Ninja Skills shirt.  Celise got some indoor lights for her car, lotion, gift cards and some puzzle books.  Austin got lights and interior covers (steering wheel, seat covers, floor mats) for his car, Magic 8 ball and a remote control truck.  Baylee got a penny board, pogo stick, case and keyboard for her tablet, and a portable speaker.  Alyssa and Alanah got a tablet and case, carrying case for their laptop, pogo sticks and some nail polish.  I know I am forgetting stuff but I didn't get their presents :)  David got an iPad mini, some Lakers magnets, a little Dodger figurine, and a razor.  And I got a kindle fire and lots of Bronco stuff (chapstick, cups, dollar bill with Peyton Manning in the middle, and gloves) and a Dodger jacket.  So all in all I would say that we had a very successful Christmas.  The best part was that the kids were entertained for the rest of the day with their new toys.  We will see how long that lasts.  We did head out that night to Mesquite for a dinner together before the kids went to their other parents.  It was fun to sit and chat with everyone.

I am grateful for this time of year to spend with my family.  While I have had to adjust to being in a larger family, I am learning that it is awesome.  I am grateful for the real reason behind this time of year, our Savior.  I have many faults and am trying to do better each and every day.  I fall short most of the time but my Savior is right there with me lifting me back up.  I know that He lives and will return to reign again.  I am grateful for the Atonement and that it allows me to correct my errors and work everyday to become a better person.  I am grateful to have found David and the new perspective he gives me.  We have sure had our ups and downs but he is right there with me and we are doing better each day.

What have we been up too

It doesn't seem like a whole lot but we are always busy.  Since my last post, Aspen finished up her soccer season.  She ended the season with some goals, her first ever.  She got one goal in her last 2 games.  She had been playing with a smile on her face all season, just happy to be on out the field.  But when she got a goal, her excitement escalated.  And she started to play a little bit more aggressive.  We will see what happens for the spring season.

She is still in dance and gymnastics and loving both.  This past weekend she performed her ballet routine at the Dicken's Festival.  That was the first time I had ever been.  While there were some cute things for sale, I don't know that I would go back.  It was VERY crowded and my kids just sat there saying "Can we get this, can we get this?"  It was fun to watch Aspen perform.  We also got to watch Darcee's kids perform.  Alijah and Jeramiah are cute in their hip hop class and Kayleeya did an excellent job in her numbers.  The highlight for Colt was probably when he got knighted by Queen Victoria.  He didn't want to do it at first but after Alijah did it, he wanted to as well.  They gave him a paper that told him he was knighted and man did he make sure to keep track of that.  After the Dicken's, I took my kids to see "Penguins of Madagascar".  It was a cute movie but definitely more for kids.  Then we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Chris' for a little bit and finally came home.

Colten is still loving school.  He recently discovered that his kindergarten teacher is in our ward.  So he is loving that he can see his teacher on Sundays too.  He has grown up quite a bit since going to school.  He is really excelling in math and his handwriting is coming along.  Most of his writing is now readable where as before, you couldn't even make out what letter it was.  He is still taking karate.  We are taking a hiatus in December though.  He is really enjoying watching sports on TV.  He was with Grandma Chris this past Friday night and he came in and asked her if he could watch football.  Grandma isn't too knowledgeable of when football is on TV but he was disappointed when she told him no.  I may have to see about getting him into flag football or something.  He is always pretending to play football in our house.

The kids spent Thanksgiving with their dad this year.  So it was pretty quiet around our house.  David and I went over to my parents for dinner and watching football.  We also participated in the Black Friday (Thursday) frenzy.  I was able to get everything that I wanted and the system now wasn't too bad.  David and I went down to Las Vegas to watch our nephew play in a soccer game and visit with Mike and Christina.  It was fun to catch up on what is going on in their lives.

I got a few Christmas decorations up on Thanksgiving break but we got the tree up after all the kids came home.  Austin helped me put it together and then Aspen and Colt decorated it.  Looks pretty good to me.  Austin also put up some lights outside since our neighborhood is pretty into Christmas.

All in all, we have had a pretty busy season thus far and it will keep up that pace until after Christmas.  But I wouldn't change it for anything.

Catch up time again

Since I can't seem to post on a weekly basis, I am doing good if I remember to post anymore. So I will try to highlight on some of the things that we have been doing.

We celebrated Alyssa and Alanah's 13th birthday. We enjoyed a nice dinner, cupcakes and ice cream. After opening presents we watched Mr. Popper's Penguins. It was a good day. 

David's kids spent fall break with their mom while we added Darcee's kids to our family for a few days while she and Jay went to Puerto Rico. We spent some time at grandmas house and then had a pajama party on Friday night.  We shipped Darcee's kids off to Justyn's on Saturday morning and then just had a nice relaxing weekend at home.  Oh, David did find a really good deal on a little go kart at a garage sale.  Brand new cart for $100.  It has been a fun little project for him and Austin to get it working.

Let's see, we also had Grandma Chris' Halloween party.  We moved the party to Paula's house due to my mom's surgery.  It was still lots of fun.  We decorated a haunted house, played who ate Frank and then did a mini trick or treating.  Since my kids were going with their dad this Halloween, my kids dug in their dress up clothes and came up with some costumes.  Aspen dressed as Rapunzel from Tangled.  She had a long hair piece and we got her a pan so she was happy.  Colt was The Hulk.  He has a suit, mask and hands (which he calls Hulk Smashers).

The last weekend in October David's parents visited.  They came to Colt's soccer game and cheered him on.  Then later that afternoon they took David, me and the older kids to see "Meet the Mormons".  My kids went with Grandma Chris over to her friend Dianne's swimming pool.  Then after the movie we went bowling.  Colt legitimately beat me, Celise, Alyssa, Alanah, Baylee and Aspen.  In my defense, I didn't have bumpers like the rest of them and haven't bowled in 2 years.  We had lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Hight.  We look forward to see them soon.

Aspen and Colt were anxious for Halloween.  Their dad got them minon costumes.  He did a good job with the costumes and even painted their faces.  I was able to go watch the parade the school put on.  The kids got a lot of candy  up in Cedar with their dad and had a good time.  David and I had a nice evening to ourselves, well almost.  We went to dinner and then headed out to Hurricane to crash Hollee and Jonah's date night and saw Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  It was a cute movie.  After the movie, I went to hang out with Hollee while David went to check on one of his kids.  We ended up playing cops and robbers that night, in the midst of it David got pulled over.  Lucky for him, he had a warrant for his kid and got out of it :)  It was fun seeing him "in action" so to speak.  He did get his kid and sent him off to detention.

The kids are still enjoying school, but not homework.  At least they don't put up too much of a fight. I got Aspen reading Harry Potter because she forgot to exchange her take home library book.  She is starting to like it, that was my plan.  Both kids have watched Harry Potter 1 and 2 in the last week.  They like the magic part and having wands.

Yesterday was Colt's last soccer game.  He played Bloomington Hills and his old coach.  He did really good.  Todd (his former coach) said that Colt is such a good player.  I told him that Colt has turned more to the defensive side of the game.  He doesn't actually score a lot anymore but does stop a lot of goals from going in the net.  In fact, Jake (who was a high scorer last year) didn't have any goals when he was playing Colt.  Colt would get upset when he wasn't on the field because that is when the goals were scored.

Aspen has one more game next week but yesterday she got her first ever goal!!!!  It was exciting to watch.  Lucky that no one kicked the ball away before it went into the net.  She was super excited and actually was going after the ball a little more.  She also had an assist in the game too.  One thing is for sure, she loves playing.  She just has a smile on her face the whole time. She may not have the natural athletic skills like her brother but she makes up for it in her smile :)

Also yesterday we went down to Las Vegas for Aviation Nation and watch the Thunderbirds.  There were a lot of people there so it took about an hour to actually get in.  We made it in time to see the Thunderbird demonstration but not much else.  We did get to see the F-22 demonstration while we waited in line to get on the bus.  It is incredible the things that these aircrafts can do.  Simply amazing.

Well that is just a recap of a few things that have been going on.  We are headed into the holiday season so hopefully I do better at remembering to blog and post pictures.

Aspen's rules

Lately Aspen has been obsessed with having rules. Not sure if she gets it from school or her siblings. She wrote them down and then taped them to her door. 

Everyone got a kick out of the no butts in face. Not sure where that one came from but my guess is she is meaning no farts in face. She is such a cutie. 

Here are a few pictures of Colt playing soccer. He still loves playing. This last week he learned that soccer is a full contact sport. He got elbowed a few times but was tough and played through it. He had one score and one assist. Then he had quite a few saves. I love watching him play. 

Aspen also loves playing soccer. She is just happy to be out on the field. She gets about 10 kicks on the ball the whole game and she is fine with that. She is super excited when her team scores. But she always has a smile on her face. I love seeing her smile while she plays. 

I am keeping busy with my job but I love it. I am able to shut my computer off over the weekend and focus on my family. This has been such a blessing in our lives. I am able to be home with Colt and still make money for our family. 

Other than that things are going well for our family. We have settled into our routine with school and activities. Celise and Austin also work so they keep busy. Baylee has decided to go live with Alyssa and Alanah so we will miss seeing her on a daily basis. David is keeping busy at his job but still enjoying it. 

Not sure we are ready for the holidays yet but I guess they are coming regardless.