December!

Doesn't he look great?  Ryrie has improved so much on the trumpet in such a short time.

Ryrie's first Band concert

We set up our Christmas on December 1st this year!  I was quite pleased with myself (ourselves).

James and Owen worked hard outside on the lights while we worked inside.  They wound the lights so beautifully around the tree!  It was like a mini Temple Square--so festive--and many people commented on how nice it was.  James also added the green outside lights--nice touch, eh?  The best thing though was that no one had to get up on the roof.  

Our Merry Christmas elf--fun to get the Santa hats out again!

December means Tommy's birthday!!  He was the first to experience our new Birthday Wreath.

Thomas has a wonderful teacher this year at school. She reminds me of the teachers I used to have in Wasatch Elementary School.  When children lose teeth, she tells them to put out a bottle of water and see if the tooth fairy's dress makes it change color.  We've had some interesting colors in our bottles of water.  Tommy has lost 6 teeth so far--mostly this year!

Tommy is our grinning boy. He loves to make his brothers and friends laugh.  He loves to be silly and goofy, but sometimes he can get a little carried away.  He has many friends and he is figuring out how to handle everything that comes with that.

This year we put Tommy on Owen's team (age group) for hockey and now basketball.  Tommy doesn't seem to notice that he's the smallest one on the ice or court.  He is full of "vim and vip" as I'm always telling him, and he loves a challenge.  He has really improved in his skating as a result.  I've seen the same progress in his piano practicing.  He is more focused in these past few months than he previously was.  He's actually the boy that I find most often at the piano, just sitting down to play through his pieces.  He was really excited to play for Grandma at Christmas time.  Tommy's reading is taking off too, and it is fun to see him trying to read everything in sight--signs, packages, posters, labels, and of course books.  The world is opening up to him and it is very fun to witness.

We've had a couple of talks about how special this year is leading up to his baptism next December.  He is learning so much every day!  We love this bright happy boy with the sparkling blue eyes and contagious grin!

Friends at the party--we had a gingerbread man party and did an obstacle course downstairs, created by Owen.

A closer look at my creation--James was not sure what it was, but let me tell you, I was proud of this craft because I am not a crafty person by any means.  I'm excited to have an official Birthday Wreath.

Helping clean up before the party--I love this toothy 7 year old grin!

Our activity--making gingerbread houses.  I put them together before with burned sugar (very fast but dangerous--burned a couple fingers) which saved a ton of time and frustration.  They got to take home their house and a Santa hat as a treat bag.  This was a very low key party, but it was everything Tommy wanted.  He didn't want a cake because he doesn't like cake, so we stuck some candles in ice cream and he blew them out.  He requested lemon and strawberry ice cream.  We made the lemon ice cream and bought the strawberry.  He was thrilled!

The opening of the presents