January 10, 2021

 Let's try this again...

We picked Shelbi up for Thanksgiving at the end of November, and since her school was going to be online for the rest of the semester, she just stayed home with us through the rest of the year.  It was heavenly. Here's the best of December, although I honestly don't have the pictures to properly show how awesome it was. Definitely one of the best Christmas seasons I've had in a while. With EVERYTHING being cancelled (orchestra/choir concerts, church parties, class parties, piano recitals, etc.) we had a lot of time to come up with our own fun at home and just enjoy Christmas simply.

The boys both made their middle school grade basketball teams.  This is new for us but has been fun to go to their games each week.

At the Amarillo Botanical Gardens

Making Christmas cookies.  Nobody actually likes to eat them, so we decorate them and I throw them away a few days later. It works.

Can you see what Brynn is doing? I guess it's a good thing we don't eat the frosting/cookies.

Erik turned 14.  He really is a great kid.

I feel like this was our most successful gingerbread house night yet. This is a Christmas Eve tradition. All of the houses came together really quickly and each of the kids seemed genuinely happy with the end results.

Shelbi and Jeff worked on the geometry of her yurt for quite a while and got it just right. 

Jammies from Grandma Larson. Always a favorite.

Our goofball children got creative with the wrapping this year.  This "table" was kitchen tools...

And Jeff's "sword" was a tie.

Christmas dinner

The sun setting on the last day of 2020.

Barbies all enjoying a movie together.

I was smart this year and took pictures of different parts of my house that I decorated for Christmas so next year I can just look at the pictures and know exactly how to decorate again. It's too much work to do something new every year.

A very excited 3-year-old at her first dentist visit.

As much as I tried to convince her to stay, she's back in Arizona. Such a pretty campus.

We brought a little Arizona home with us. When we first took Shelbi to school, we saw these Eeegee's restaurants everywhere. We stopped at one for lunch and it has become a legend in our family. An Eegee is a mix between a slushy and a smoothie that somehow just doesn't seem to melt. They have real fruit bits. Shelbi keeps us updated on the Eegee flavor of the month. Jeff and I promised the other kids we'd bring some home to them this time.  

9:00 church isn't so bad when we're home by 10:00 and the kids are out in the newly fallen snow by 10:30. I was inside eating cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate.