Tinselcolor Christmas Show

Fred & I went out with some friends for some fun Christmas cheer! We first went to a Mariah Carey Christmas themed bar in downtown Los Angeles. We had to make a reservation & were able to be there for a few hours. It was pretty cool. Then we went over to Inglewood to the CineVita to watch the Tinselcolor Christmas Show with host, Joey McIntyre. He was in the band New Kids on the Block that was famous back in the 90's. THAT was really fun!! It was full of singers singing all the famous Christmas songs. It was beautiful inside & felt so Christmas-y! Fred & I wore Christmas sweaters too. He's such a good sport wearing things I tell him to. I love dressing in theme for whatever we're doing. We've been trying to go out more lately & do things we've never done before & it's been such a fun adventure!!

Kings Hockey Game

 Fred & I were invited last minute to go to a Kings Game with some of our friends we recently met. It was so fun!! This was only my 2nd hockey game & I've learned its so fun to watch! It's fast, full of fighting, fans are loud & die hard followers & the game was easy to follow. Even though it was a late night for us on a Tuesday, it was worth it! I love doing spontaneous things like this!

Christmas Kickoff

To end the whirlwind that was Thanksgiving, we had Christmas Kickoff the Day After Thanksgiving with Fred's family. We started the day doing the big decoration stuff which isn't really part of the fun Christmas Kickoff stuff. Fred did the lights outside, the kids helped me with setting up the trees, the Christmas Village, wreaths etc. Then we stopped to get cleaned up for family pictures. We went to take family pictures while Ethan & Nickell, our photographer, was in town. It was the only time that worked for everyone.

After that, we stopped by the grocery store, got some things we wanted for actual Christmas Kickoff & went right back to work. We snacked, decorated the trees while listening to Christmas music, teamed up for Gingerbread houses, opened our Christmas PJ's & finished the night watching Elf & a new Stranger Things episode. The final season released a few episodes so we're watching them all together as a family. Asher did a great job putting the star on the tree all by himself too!

Asher & Dad teamed up & made a Stranger Things house. It looks amazing!! Caleb & Mom teamed up & did a Traditional house. It turned out so amazing & festive! Ethan & Macie teamed up & made a weird, random house with who knows what on it. But they giggled & laughed the whole time making it & loved doing it. Ethan was a good sport. Macie has really missed him so much!

LIke I said, it was a whirlwind of a weekend but I'm glad we could do all the things we usually do while our whole family was together. 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was small but wonderful. It ended up only being our family, my parents & my brother. We had a nice dinner, went around & said what were thankful for & had a nice time talking & eating. My parents had a nice time seeing Ethan & getting caught up on his college life.

Aunt Mary's Family Visit

Fred's sister, Mary, & her family came to visit this Thanksgiving. Since they were here for the week, they spent a day at our house. It was a last minute planned thing. Did I mention they have EIGHT kids? Yeah, they have eight kids. Once it was decided that they would spent the day at our house, I quickly decided it was best to get a bounce house. It ended up being a lifesaver. The kids were in heaven. The older kids of Mary's had a fun time visiting, talking & essentially meeting my kids for the first time. Her daughter, Jane, is the same age as Macie so they had lots of fun together too. The other kids just bounced, played, & ate all my snacks & drinks. We ordered pizza for dinner & they stayed from 2pm-10pm. 

Caleb & Sarah are the same age & really had fun getting to know one another. Fast forward to Day After Thanksgiving & Sarah had painted a skull for Caleb as a gift to put in his room. It was so nice of her!! I'm glad our kids were able to meet their cousins. Especially cousins they have things in common with & are their age. I don't know the next time we'll see them again since they live in Idaho but I'm glad they came down to visit for the holiday!

Macie's 10th Birthday!

Macie turned 10! No more single digits. What is happening?! She had a minimum day & no school the next day so we had planned a party for that evening. Unfortunately, it was cold & raining so we had to cancel. Instead, we went to BJ's & invited grandparents, Aunt Julie & Uncle Travis over for gifts & cake. During dinner, we went around & said what we love about Macie & Ethan was able to Facetime too. At school, her class sang to her & she got a little goody bag from her teacher, Ms. Smith. 

Here's a overview of what Macie is like & into at 10 years old:

-Her favorite foods are Mac & Cheese, pasta & Top Ramen.

-She loves all things girly & glittery.

-She wears a size 13 shoe. Still so tiny.

-She is now in size 8/10 kid clothes.

-She has no started wearing little training bras. Not because she needs them but because they make her feel more comfortable.

-She loves to read, draw & play with slime.

-She loves to watch Gilmore Girls with mom. She also started watching Stranger Things with the family. They boys are teaching her to be into 'scary things' so she can eventually watch scary movies with them.

-She hates brushing her hair.

-She hates tying her shoes & always wants to wear Ugg slippers to school. 

-She is starting to get into 'fashion' & changes her outfits multiple times a day.

-She is in dance & currently taking technique, lyrical & ballet.

-Her favorite things to do are hang out at home, play with the dogs & have friends over.

-She doesn't like sleeping over at peoples homes. She always wants them to sleep at our house. She doesn't like being away from the family.

-Her best friends are: Veda, Beatrice & Juna. They're all in her class this year.

-She is a sensitive girl & always thinking about others. She's kind, loving & so smart.

-She is reading at a 6th grade level.

-Her favorite subject in school is art.

-She tells me everyday she doesn't want to go to school & hates it. She'd rather be at home. But she's a great student & always ends up having a good day at school.

We sure do love our favorite girl!