Winding Down the Old

 

It was so glorious to have the kids home from school for 2 weeks for Christmas break.  We had fun hanging out with friends, hanging out with us, relaxing, keeping busy, eating, sleeping in, going to bed late, laughing and just being together. 

All of those things are my favorites.

I love having my kids home

with me.

These are just a few moments that we captured on camera...

 

Our Christmas Sunday attire

 One night when my kidlets were with their dad I went on a date with 3 of my brothers.

We went to a movie.

SO FUN!

Such good brothers to invite me to their "boys night out."

I'll hang with these guys any day.

They treat me nice.

 We went bowling with all the fam.

We adopted a new daughter... Alex. 

She's a great friend in our ward and a good friend for Maryn to hang out with.

Being from the Bronx and all she hadn't bowled too much in her life. 

We showed her how to do it!

One day Ady was having a hard time sticking with her piano practicing. 

It felt like it was taking the whole entire day because she was jumpy and hyper.

So, I told Kaden to go and be her teacher, and to be a mean one.

I was amazed at what a great job he did.

Ady's practicing got done super fast after that.

We babysat the Shuman cousins for a day.

Ady was so pleased that she got Lexy to fall asleep in their bedroom and then we couldn't stop looking at her while she was sleeping,

cuz, she's so stinkin' cute!

A favorite way to end the year for me was attending Tabernacle Choir Broadcast,

The Music and the Spoken Word.

We've done it now for 2 years in a row, does that make it a tradition?

I LOVED it!

Dallyn Bayles was the guess soloist.

He is divine and sang one of my most favoritest songs ever!

Apparently the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson thinks so too because he showed up.

WOW!  What a great opportunity for the kids and us to feel the Spirit of the Prophet as he entered the room.

A definite extra special surprise for sure! 

I love these kids of mine!

I was proud of them for waking up cheerfully for this program.  President Monson made it totally worth it to wake up early by him being there too.

 

I am so blessed!

They are my beauties.