Party All Night

Happy New Year...now go to bed!

That is how we rang in 2023.  Summer was crying when I put her to bed because she had visions of playing and partying all night (and so begins the giant let-down that is New Year's Eve haha).

So...this year, when my friend Geneva invited us to a "family" New Year's party with a countdown at 8pm, I jumped on it.

Summer had so much fun "blinging" everyone up, including herself:)

Kya and Clayton came and celebrated with us, even though they barely knew anyone there haha.

Summer is officially too old to trick with the early countdown, and when I tried to put her to bed she said "Alexa, what time is it?" and then started crying because she wanted to stay up until midnight.  

Needless to say, we did two countdowns.

Let's see what 2024 has to offer us!

Surprise!!!

How is it possible that Christmas is the only time all the girls cousins will be together until Kya's wedding next summer?!  When I realized that, I knew we had to throw her a bridal shower over Christmas break. It was a little tricky, but we made it happen...and of course, made it a surprise:)

So grateful for my team of helpers!  I couldn't have done it without them.

The jeopardy game was a big hit!

Last minute switch from breakfast to lunch, when I found out Kya had to work until 11am, but it turned out super yummy.

Drawing the bride on your head.  Becca was the winner.

The Bride!  Can't believe it!

Becca will be the MC at the wedding:)

Jill will be a bridesmaid

The middle girls 

Holly will be a bridesmaid also

With "The Big Girls"

Jordan gets to be a bridesmaid too

Junior Bridesmaid

Mother of the bride;)

Aunties

Grandma

Alaina

We were still missing Janae (who was there for part of the shower, I just didn't get a picture) and Brooke who couldn't make it.  Kya was so happy with all her gifts and I think she felt very special.  It was so fun celebrating her and Clayton.  Now we just have to wait 9 months for the wedding haha.

Christmas 2023--A Whole Lot of Plaid

Christmas has always been magical to me.  

Now that the kids are mostly gone, it's even more magical when they all come home and fill the house with love and laughter.  It's my absolute favorite! 

Santa went all in on pajamas this year!  

And somehow we got our "present pics" which have been absent the past few years!

And Jordan made a charcuterie board for all of us with Dad's Hickory Farms gift (per usual haha)

Dinner was delicious!

  Mike's crown burst before we could get a picture this year.

Traditions, New & Old

Some traditions fade to make room for new ones.  

Some will have to wait until next year.

Some will change slightly to accommodate ever changing schedules.

And some will continue on year after year!

A new tradition that started just a couple years ago is hot cocoa at the Starbucks in Barnes and Nobles.  Is there anything cozier than hot chocolate in a book store at Christmas?!  

Ginny and I have a lunch or dinner date every year before Christmas to exchange gifts before everything gets too hectic.  The past few years, we've started taking a selfie with the big Christmas tree down the street from the restaurant we eat at.

Nanaimo bars are a tradition I'd be happy to let go, but Mike won't let me haha.  I think it's also a tradition to make them with expired ingredients, since it seems to happen every year.

A Christmas Sunday picture all dressed up is a tradition I love.  This year, we took two separate cars to church and the boys had to go sing carols for a member of the ward, and Kya and Jordan weren't home yet, so Summer and I did a selfie;)  Good enough for this year.

Our tradition of matching Christmas jammies and baking sugar cookies held strong this year!

Kya wasn't home on Christmas Eve this year and we missed her.  

Hopefully she and Clayton will both be with us next year!!

I absolutely love this time of year, and it doesn't really matter what we do as long as we're together---and I get some good pictures:)

This is what 24 years looks like

Our anniversary landed on a Sunday this year...AND it was the only weekend all the kiddos would be home before Christmas, so we celebrated all together...and I don't regret it!

Finally all together:)

I love it when there's a family friendly movie at the theater, especially around the holidays!  The night before our anniversary we saw Wonka.  It was great!

We broke into teams and had a gingerbread house competition.  

Mike and I won...although, really I did all the work;)

Clayton didn't come until after Christmas, so Kya did hers solo.

Jordan and Mikel had a few frosting issues, but then pulled it together:)

Summer and Tyson get the award for the loudest team:)

After dinner and gingerbread houses, we headed to Evergreen Lights.  

Somehow all our pictures turned out terrible. 

(The guy taking this picture cut off the Evergreen Lights sign and took the picture when none of the lights were on!!)

(This one Summer is too far in front of everyone with weird lighting on her face...not to mention her posture haha)

And here we are in the fake snow:)

  Happy 24th Anniversary to us!