December

December is always such a fun month filled with Christmas traditions. We spend a lot of time with family and friends enjoying eachother and remembering the reason for Christmas. The month started out with the Tabernacle Choir concert on Thursday the 10th. This year we got to take Jarik and Tairee with us. They loved it! It is always fun for the kids to see their Grammy and Papa singing. This was my dad's last Christmas concert. He has to retire in April, he's too old now ;) He is sad and we are sad and so we took Jarik so that he'd be able to see his Papa sing live. It was a great concert with Natalie Cole as a guest. She sangs some fun songs and we really felt the spirit. Sam and Camilla Gowans were able to come with us too.

The next week on Wednesday the 16th, we got to go see Voice Male with my brother and sister and their spouses. This is always such a fun concert! We are going to make sure and save enough money to take all the kids with us next year. They are such great entertainers and they can have fun but also sing beautiful, sacred songs with such great feeling. Voice Male is such a great acapella group! It was fun to spend time with my hubby and have a date night too!

The next night, the 17th, was the school choir's Christmas program. They sang for the school during the day and for parents at night. Jarik and Bree were in the choir and Tiaree had a speaking part. Aunt Emily made the best nightgown ever for her in less than 2 hours! Thanks again Ems! I help direct the choir and I got to be the rag doll to help the Kindergarteners and 1st graders on their song/dance. Ems let me borrow her awesome nightgown and Tracy made me a red yarn wig. It was fun!!

On the 19th we had a progressive dinner with my family. So much fun!! I think it will be a new tradition. We got to see everyone's houses all decorated and we had a little something to eat at each place, ending with dinner at our house. The only house we didn't see was Jared and Em's because they had awful downstairs neighbors who smoked all the time and their apartment was filled with 2nd hand smoke. They were getting ready to move the day we had our dinner, so that was a bummer.

I got to help in Jarik's class for their Christmas party on the 23rd. It was a lot of fun! 2nd graders are all crazy!! LOL!! I'm so glad I get to stay home so I can help with parties and choirs and all that fun stuff. I'm so very lucky! Here's a slide show of December.