Lydia has been doing great at piano and loving it. She had her first piano recital. She played a duet with Ezri Lewis. They played "We wish you a Merry Christmas." They did awesome and it was fun to see Lydia learning. After her recital she also got to learn "Jolly Old Saint Nicolas." It was fun because she got to the point of memorizing the song and at night would beg to just play it a few more times.
Practicing at our house beforehand.
At the recital.
The more she plays the more the boys want to join her as well. I love music. I feel like it truly brings light and joy and happiness into our home. So here is to hoping my kids have some musical talent because I do not have even a tiny bit.
Bruce came out to visit from New York for Christmas and the kids loved playing with him. Here they are wrestling him to the ground.
He also read them books, took them to get ice cream and was a great uncle.
The kids had fun in Morgan.
Shantel was in charge of the ward Christmas party. It has been a big party planning year for us because the primary (Shantel) was in charge of the ward walkabout (summer activity). Elder's quorum (which I was helping with) was in charge of the Fall Festival and then because the relief society president had a baby, Shantel ended up in charge of the Christmas party. Needless to say Shantel put in a ton of work. She did an amazing job. She had a committee help her and they came up with the theme of a "Cozy Christ centered Christmas." It was fantastic.
We wrapped a lot of presents. I actually really love wrapping presents. This year was great because we did it well before Christmas, which means it was not stressful, plus we got to enjoy the presents under the tree during December. We still had a few late nights wrapping, but we just put in a hallmark and enjoyed it.
We gave neighbor gifts to our friends. It is interesting because many in our neighborhood have opted to give money to charitable causes, in lieu of neighbor gifts. Which is great if that is what works for them. However, for Shantel and I, we really feel like neighbor gifts are important. They help you connect to your neighbors and build a feeling of unity. They help bring the spirit of Christmas through the whole month as you both give and receive. We are glad to be able to enjoy that tradition and both remember that growing up.
The kids with Grandpa Peaden reading books.
Sledding in Morgan (look at that awesome sled hill).
And finally, the kids had a great time playing with their presents after Christmas.
Lydia and Austin with their skateboard and scooter.
Austin with his new race track and new cars.
Lydia making her paper bag animals.
I love these kids.
Happy December!
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