Playing with Shapes

Sometimes it's hard for me to step away from all my chores, to-do lists, errands and every other thing that keeps me busy - and focus on playing with my kids. Have I ever mentioned that?

Well today was a victory for me. I sat down with Rex and played with his shapes. And I even had to pretend a little. We created an elaborate war scene, and then had an epic battle. I felt so happy and content playing with him, and it makes me wonder, why is it so hard to let these moments happen? I decided to take a little time to capture this in hopes that I can use it to remind me how much I actually enjoy these moments!

One Step Closer!

We've been planning a summer trip to Costa Rica for a long time.  It started out as just a "wouldn't it be cool if..." kind of plan, but we finally decided to make it happen.  Matt is going to cash in all his hard-earned travel points from his years of student trips, and buy us all airline tickets to Costa Rica.  We haven't worked out very many details yet, but we have our flights booked and we got this awesome package in the mail today:

We are one step closer to spending our entire summer in Costa Rica!

Ruby Hill

We threw around a few ideas last night for what to do today and Matt really wanted to take everyone skiing at Winterpark. Not as many people supported his idea as he would have liked, mostly because none of us like skiing. But we agreed to his Plan B which  still had a skiing option, but it also included sledding and not driving up to the mountains. So here we are at Ruby Hill:

We didn't get pictures of Nina's big crash. She wasn't so happy after that. 

The Tournament Dinner

Tonight was the annual, wonderful and most beloved Tournament Dinner which took place at Outback Steakhouse. That's pretty much all that needs to be said. Amen. 

I will, however, note that Nina has an expensive palate. She ordered a decadent salmon dish and ate every last bite. 

Family History, Live!

Tonight my grandparents came over to celebrate Jackson's birthday. We ate dinner and had some cake and ice cream and then enjoyed listening to them share stories from their childhood and courtship.  I loved hearing about the time my grandma crashed her family's car when she was only 12.  And how my grandpa had 2 new cars before he graduated from high school.  They talked about their siblings, their parents, Grandpa's proposal, their early years of marriage - so much neat stuff!  I wish I lived closer to them to hear their stories more often!  

Star Wars!!!

Thanks to Santa's Christmas Eve present last night, we all got to see Star Wars today! Everyone also got a cool Star Wars shirt to wear to the movie. There was a whole lot of excitement and anticipation!

We made sure to arrive nice and early to get good seats. We were pleased with our seats and seriously, everyone loved the movie! Rex got a little nervous at a couple of points and climbed up onto my lap, but he couldn't look away. 

The Nativity Cast

The tradition continues, and this year Evan passed the torch to our family to organize the Nativity.  Matt went to work on costumes and came up with the best beards ever!  I love traditions and I love seeing our kids get excited for those things they remember so fondly.