December is always so full, so packed with activities, things to see, places to go, traditions to uphold. This year though, as a family we committed to the church's Light the World challenge which was to find 25 ways in 25 days (leading up to Christmas) to come closer to Christ through service. It might have added a little to the busyness of the the holidays, but it made it far richer and far more focused on the Savior.
We did the Care & Share, made cookies, visited the elderly, made cards etc etc
We also set up Grandma Bonnie's Christmas village for her
Copper the Christmas dog
Vera has grown quite a bit since we put her in this bed for her Newborn photo session. Wow. Perspective. You dont realize how large they are now (or how small they were at birth)
Vera thinks it's pretty cool to take baths with her big sister
We received a Christmas package from Chihiro, our Japanese exchange student from a few years ealier. She is so talented and thoughtful
Tianna's school choir had their Christmas concert. Tianna even got a solo. She rocked it!
Mary's Christmas gift arrived early this year! I neede to get my ring resized, the ring and band soldered together after 12 years, and redipped in the white gold. It was very happy day when I could finally wear my ring again! It had been almost a whole year since my fingers swelled in pregnancy and never recovered.
While in Orem picking up the ring, we stopped at the mall and had some cool water fountain lights to see!
And....... just because she's cute!
A large part of our 25 ways initiative was centered on doing a large project for Luke's parents' Christmas present. We bought this kitchen table from a family we know in Santaquin and drove up to pick it up, then we needed to sand it down, clean it up, restain and then varnish it. Many hours were spent on this table and chair set. It was such a great experience for our family and the dining set turned out beautifully!
We also supported the Frandsen' girls in the annual Nutcracker. This year Rylie played Clara-- such an accomplishment. She was wonderful and so were her sisters
We drove by our favorite Christmas house, my best friend, Janelle's, parents house in North Price.
Tianna's choir also performed at the local Nursing homes and Assisted living centers, that included where Grandma Bonnie's brother, Bill Potter, lives at the Heirloom Inn. We went there to watch her choir, and stole Uncle Bill for brunch at the Main Street Grill. With his dimentia he doesn't always know what is going on or remember who people are, but he can remember his youth quite well. It was fun to hear stories about his glory days, with the trapeze set up in their bar. How he and his brothers, dad, and uncle would perform trapeze tricks. How Bonnie would use the tight rope, with flaming baton! And so many other cool stories I should have written down that day.
He also got quite the kick out of Linaya. He gave her a dollar just for fun and she thought it was so great like he'd given her a $100!
Tianna was also asked to play Mary in the ward Nativity at the Christmas party
She took this role very seriously
She also drew this beatiful picture of Christ for the grandkid calendar for my parents
