Sunday, January 29, 2017

Christmas Eve

We continued our tradition of skiing on Christmas Eve this year. But before we did, we stopped at my mom's. She lives really close to the base of the canyon where we are skiing this year so instead of her coming to us on Christmas Eve, we went to her. She gave us donuts and hot chocolate and it was fun to see her. From there we headed up to Alta and had a great day skiing together. Afterward we went to Nelsons and got cleaned up and ready for our Christmas Eve dinner. Cam and Sarah and Ashley and Jared were there with their families this year. We had a nice night and all went home with really excited kids!



Wednesday, January 25, 2017

More in December

Lia really wanted to finish the personal progress program and earn her medalion by Christmas and she did it! Her last project was in Virtue and was to read the Book of Mormon. She stayed up late every night those last couple weeks to finish the Book of Mormon (for the second time--she finished it for the first time before she turned 12). She received her medallion the Sunday before Christmas. We are so proud of her! When I read her testimony at the end of her personal progress book, I was so grateful for the testimony she has developed (on her own) and for the incredible young woman she is! We also said goodbye to Matthew in December. He left on his mission to Mexico. He is the oldest grandchild and the the first to go. We are really excited for him! And we got to spend time with our Nelson cousins, Josh spent plenty of time hanging out with his friends (he set the wii up with an old TV in his room one day while I was gone and they were so cute perched up on his bunk playing that I didn't have the heart to tell him to put it back so I told him he could keep it there until after Christmas), Grandpa Barson came over for an early Christmas Eve, Lia got her cast off and couldn't have been happier (although it was still pretty sore), Megan, Josh, and Laura had their "Christmas Sing" at school, and Megan and Josh had their first piano recital. They were so cute and both did a great job! And finally, we got ready for Christmas (which meant the kids played "Cover Your Assets" while I wrapped presents) and had the Spendlove Christmas party at Luann's. The kids were so excited about their new pajamas from Luann!



 





























Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Mid December

As the month got underway, we did a lot of skiing (sometimes with a few friends), had a Whoville ward Christmas party, Josh and his friend Bryson made a lot of oragami (I would find them on the floor in the office watching youtube oragami videos), Josh got new glasses, I caught Nate and Josh doing some serious concenterating and looking a lot alike, Laura played her recital song for all those who missed it, Lia had her Christmas orchestra concert (with her cast), Josh installed our new printer (thank goodness for me he's very tech savvy), and we had a Christmas party at my mom's house (we stopped at the "Tree of Life" tree in Draper on the way home but only some of us wanted to get out of the car). The party was great. It was nice to have my mom host again. Things felt almost normal again for the first time in a while.



















Tuesday, January 10, 2017

December

Nate helped kick off December and the church's "Light the World" campaign with a great idea for a YM/YW activity (he works with the Deacons right now). He had the youth write cards to the missionaries in our ward and then they decorated an old Christmas tree of ours with lights and made a sign to put on it. He put it in the field by our house so everyone in the neighborhood could see it. It turned out really great! Also at the beginning of the month, Nate took the kids to breakfast while I was at my Relief Society Christmas breakfast, Jenny Hansen and I took advantage of our ski passes and did a half day at Alta, Lia had her National Jr. Honor's Society induction ceremony (we are very proud of her for working hard to be a member), Laura had her Christmas piano recital (she played "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which is now one of my favorite Christmas songs), Nate and I went to his work party, we got a new (used) snowblower (which Josh is THRILLED about), and Josh and Megan and Laura had ugly sweater day at school.