Right after Thanksgiving I got sick. I don't think I realized how sick I was but I was so achy. After the 2nd day of not feeling better and feeling worse I took a Covid test and it came back positive. My first time ever having Covid and in fact the first of anyone in our family. I basically stayed in my room for a few days. The kids were not happy that I couldn't interact with them but I didn't want them to get it. Shane felt a little sore throat but nothing else so he might have had it but never tested. the kids never got sick, yay. Besides missing Siena's first basketball game we didn't have much going on that week so it wasn't too bad as far as quarantining. I didn't realize I had lost my sense of smell until Shane made the kids fish for dinner and I realized I couldn't smell fish in the house (which is always so strong) I never lost of my taste though which I was so happy for and my smell came back after less than a week. Overall it wasn't too bad. The bad part was the week after I got a sore throat that lingered and made me so tired for several weeks. So overall the month of December wasn't great for me but we still did our regular Christmas traditions.
Siena started her Bantam basketball game in December. She has games from now through February and she is excited to be part of the Lone Peak Bantam team. She is on a 5/6 combined team so she'll be playing other 6th grade teams.
Our annual Gingerbread house. More and More we don't have to help at all and the kids love doing this together and have so much fun and eat way too much candy.
The kids Knowledge Bowl team went on an after school field trip and I helped drive. They were able to meet the mayor Kurt Ostler, and tour Highland City Offices. The mayor was so nice to show them around for an hour, answer questions and they even had a mock City Council meeting.
Aria had her Orchestra Christmas Concert. I am always amazed how well this all comes together and how good all these elementary kids can play together and sound so good.
The kids had their annual Christmas sing and I was happy they were at 2 different times so I could go to Jaron's and the girl's. I also helped with the girl's class party where we played trivia and ate popcorn.
I was so excited that I won the lottery to get Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert tickets this year. We only got 2 but Jennifer ended up getting some as well so we were all able to go together and it was so good...as it always is but it had been a while since I had gone so I was happy to get to go again.
We started this tradition last year and did it again this year. We went and got pizza and then ate pizza while we watched the Christmas lights at the homes by our stake center that are synchronized to music. It was fun and we all love watching the lights to music.
The Sunday before Christmas we had Matthew's mission Farewell and Eliza gave her homecoming talk in California. I really wanted to go to both but they were the same day so instead after Matthew gave his talk we went back to Michelle's and watched Eliza's homecoming from the zoom broadcast. I loved that we got to hear them both speak and they did a great job. Eliza had an amazing mission and you can tell she was such a good missionary. Matthew is ready and will be great and we can't wait to hear what his mission has in store for him.
I don't know if I have any pictures but the month of December we watched pretty closely a lot of the World Cup Soccer games. The final game was between France and Argentina, Argentina won after over time and penalty shots. It was such an intense good game and it's been fun watching since Jaron is so into soccer now and keeps up on everything.
We got our Grandpa South's trains as is tradition and the kids always have fun building present tunnels and operating the train.
I had a work lunch right before Christmas. I don't talk about work much but I still work for 3M as a contractor and am coming up on my 25th year. I work part time but have had the same boss for over 10 years and he has been a co-worker my entire time at 3M, Tracy Tripp. He recently retired and it was a very sudden unexpected change but he has a lot going on in his life and needed to make some changes. So we got together at his house for a Christmas lunch.
We had a little Christmas Party with the Pace's, watched a movie, played games and made my homemade pizza benders that my kids love.
Annual sleeping by the Christmas tree on the night before Christmas Eve, also a fun tradition my kids may never grow out of.
We decorated Sugar Cookies which is always a fun time.
I'm so bad about taking pictures on Christmas but we had a great Christmas Day. The kids got ski passes, Lagoon passes, games, clothes, books and other things. We went to church at noon since Christmas was on a Sunday (still didn't get a picture!) and then headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, chimes and presents.
Jaron's been playing an indoor soccer season with his team and they also has a soccer christmas party where they exchanged presents and had pizza and played around.
The kids have been wanting to try this Labrynth which is a bunch of mini escape rooms so we did that over Christmas break. I tried it out with them and it was so fun but they were also pretty hard to solve. But we had a great time.
Shane took them for their first time skiing this season. It was super cold but they braved it and had a fun time. They are excited to go lots this season.
Shane and I got a gift card to Texas Roadhouse and the kids all had free meal coupons there so we had a night out right before the New Year. We don't go out to dinner all that often especially to sit down restaurants so it was a fun night.
New Years was spent staying up late, watching a movie, making our Chocolate Chip Piezookie and playing games.
