Thanksgiving Day

We had a really nice Thanksgiving at my sister's house. We divided up the responsibilities and the food was great! After eating too much we stuck with tradition and made our way to the movie theater. We saw Big Hero 6 and the kids even got their own movie poster. It was fun. After the movie the kids spent all our change riding some of those coin operated rides.

Spelling Bee Champion

This is how I found out there was a spelling bee...

Lizard walking in from school with a trophy and a medal announcing she had won and would compete in the district spelling bee in January. I asked why she didn't tell me there was a spelling bee and she said she forgot. She does that sometimes. :)

Growing up I was one of those kids that had to actually study for a spelling test and stressed over them. She didn't get her skills from me that's for sure. 

Way to go Lizard!

Merry Christmas

Christmas is a great time of year. I like the decorations, the lights, the bell ringers outside of WalMart, and even wrapping gifts. I love watching the kids on Christmas morning opening all their presents and running to their stockings to see what Santa left them. It's all very magical, and I look forward to it every year.

However, sometimes December can get a little crazy and life can get a lot stressful. We spend so much effort getting ready for Christmas that we forget what it's really all about. It might take a little effort, but it's important to remember that this season is a time to reflect on the many gifts we have been given and in particular the gift of our Savior. I think it's possible to have all the magic, let go of some of the stress, and spend time reflecting on what Christmas is all about. If you haven't seen it already, here is a nice video that reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas.

He Is the Gift

Gilbert Day Parade

I love parades. They are so much fun. In Folsom we would go to the Veteran's Day parade, and twice Lizard and I walked in it. Her PE teacher would organize the group and the kids decorated signs and threw out candy to the onlookers. We really enjoyed it.

When my sister told me that Gilbert has a parade too I was excited. This parade is a little fancier and you have to pay to participate, but maybe someday we will walk in it too.

The parade was in late November. It was a little chilly in the morning, but by the end of the parade I had taken off my jacket and rolled my pants up. 

The Chief is looking intently to see what's coming next.

These bikes are awesome. It must have taken quite a bit of practice ride them.

Someone turned a truck into Mater.

Frozen Dress

I wasn't going to get a Frozen dress for Little Bird because it seemed like every girl had one (okay, dumb reason)...then I found out my niece was going to have a Frozen birthday party. 

I figured since she didn't get to choose her Halloween costume, and maybe never will, I would make it up to her with a Frozen dress. So, I looked at a bunch a dresses online and decided to make her one. It was a little indulgent on my part because I want to get better at making dresses...you never know, maybe someday I will need to work on a Prom dress.

 Using one of her dresses to get the size right I created my own pattern. The sleeves were one of the hardest parts and I made things up as I went along. I was relieved when she tried it on and it fit her.

 Little Bird trying the dress on for the first time.

All dressed up for the party.

The Chief is the ultimate photo bomber.

Kristen did such a cute job decorating for the party. She made the crowns and Tyler drew Olaf for the "Pin the nose on Olaf" game. Little Bird had a lot of fun, and most of the other girls were dressed up in their Frozen finest too.