Well the last little bit of December has gone by too quick. My winter break started before the kids so I got to enjoy some quiet time at home for 2 days.
Tuesday Raven had her pre-school program. I caught a ride out with Hollee and Jonah. Raven had not been feeling well that morning so we weren't sure if she was going or not. But Raven did an awesome job and was so cute.
Wednesday I checked the kids out of school early (like 15 mins) due to Grandpa and Sheila Higgins coming down to give Christmas presents. I was also able to grab Channing and Annika from daycare for a few hours for the visit. The kids opened their present and had fun playing with their banks. The kids were entertained for a good 30 minutes getting their name onto their bank. Grandpa was able to teach Colten a few wrestling tricks and tips in our tiny living room. I think the kids had a good time visiting with them as well.
Wednesday night Zac and I went to Chili's (I got a gift card from the football banquet for helping with team mom) for our 3rd year anniversary. Zac decided that Chili's wasn't too bad and had good deals. We had a good dinner, followed by some shopping at Deseret Book and dessert at Cold Stone Creamery. The kids were awesome and played well with each other at home. And the dogs were all alive when we got home.
Thursday was a big day for Colten as he got springs for his braces. And I think we have heard every day since that he hates the springs. Only 15 weeks to go until they come off lol. Hopefully that is the case and hopefully he starts to get used to them. Aspen also had her work luncheon for the holidays. She got home cooked chicken, dutch oven potatoes and some other things. She won a T-shirt at her raffle. All in all she said it was good. Also on Thursday, Aspen and I tag teamed watching Oaklee and Raven so Jonah could take Hollee out for her birthday lunch and dinner. We were doing good with watching the Polar Express but then the power went out so we started doing nails and coloring. Then Aspen came to relieve me and she said they went outside to jump on the trampoline and then came back inside to do some more coloring. I relieved Aspen so she could go to work until Hollee and Jonah came home and we did more coloring. It was a fun afternoon with them. After Annika's cheer, we took the 3 kids to Wal-Mart to do their sibling gift shopping for Christmas. Colten had made A LOT of fudge to sell so that they would have money to buy each other gifts. Man, it took us 2 hours to get everyone taken care of (Colten was done in like 30 minutes and just had to wait). It was fun to see them be able to buy these gifts for their siblings.
On Friday morning I was able to take Aspen to Wal-Mart for her to do sibling gift shopping. Then later the kids and I went with Grandma and Grandpa to the Cedar City temple to do some baptisms. It had been awhile since we were able to go (due to my lack of finding the time) but we were so glad that grandpa was able to come and do the baptisms for us. Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen to get some lunch before heading home. Friday night the kids and Zac spent the night playing video games and watching court shows while I was wrapping the kids siblings gifts.
Saturday was a lazy day, aside from making cinnamon rolls, spent watching some football while Aspen worked. Annika and Channing were with their mom so we weren't doing Christmas until Monday morning. Aspen had to work until closing on Christmas Eve, which was earlier than normal. I had made some potato corn chowder for dinner and Zac said he wants it every Christmas Eve from here on out. We did finish our book of Christ names before watching football the rest of the evening.
The next morning, the girls came over about 9:30 but Zac and I weren't done setting up Christmas yet so the kids were banished to their room. I got Colten 2 gifts and 1 for Aspen but made sure they got about $100 worth for their gifts. Zac did the same for Annika and Channing except just gave them cash. We also gave them more cash bringing their total up to $150. But to spice up their "presents" we put money in envelopes for the kids to open. The kids loved it. Colten received a Jerry Jeudy jersey and the Madden 23 PS4 game. I did have a little fun with him with his game. I was sent two cases, one a Madden throw back case. So, I removed the disk from the regular case and put it in the Madden throw back case and wrapped both of them. I gave him the empty case first and added, well "you should probably get it downloading since it takes forever". Oh and I should add that Colten guess I would give him NFL 23 and NHL 23 so that is what he was thinking the other gift was. Took some help from Zac but we got him to open the case to find it empty. He was disappointed but oh so funny. He did open the next gift and was utterly confused but finally saw the disc and understood with a little help. I got Aspen the 5th Harry Potter book illustrated to go with the other 4 I've given her and then a VISA card. Zac and I got each other our trip to the Indy 500 later this year. The kids also opened up their sibling gifts. I think each one enjoyed the presents they received. Aspen received a really cute dress from Annika, Colten received a few games, Annika got the Cindy Lou Who doll that she wanted and Channing got a pop-it purse. This is just a few of the gifts but the kids enjoyed it.
After opening presents, we headed back out to Grandma and Grandpa's for the Chris Christmas party. Hollee and her family were already their when we got there but slowly the rest of the family started to show up. Except for Jay (who was not feeling well) we got everyone there. Colten brought his Hot Takes game and it was a huge hit. It is a game where you can argue whether you agree or disagree with the statement. It was pretty fun. We also played Grinch Bingo and Emoji game of Christmas songs. We stopped the games to have dinner, which was amazing and then had presents. It was a fun time with family.
The week after has been pretty low key. Tuesday I had the kids work on cleaning and straightening up while I was at a Young Women's brunch. Colten had a training Tuesday afternoon with Elia, who will be the offensive coordinator for Hurricane High School. Then he ended up going to Grandma and Grandpa's that night to help Grandpa organize all their freeze drier food. He had a good time with them, watching movies, getting a gourmet breakfast (eggs and bacon and such). Then the grandparents dropped him off at another training with Elia but in St. George. He had a few teammates go as well so he was able to catch a ride home with them. Aspen and Colten also had their semi-annual dentist appointments. Aspen learned she needs to do better with brushing her teeth. She had 3 cavities that she will need to get filled. Well, that catches me up to Thursday but I won't post again until the new year. Bring on 2023 :)
