December Recap

December was another quick month. This month was good in so many ways. Our littlest baby turned 3, we all took Christmas break off together and stayed home, just us 5, we had the best Christmas together, Riley played basketball for an extra-curricluar, and so much of everything in between. 

Another month of dumping photos to share:

Sunrise at our house after our first beautiful snow fall in December. 

So much food we go through. I've gotten really good at food prepping and these fruits and veggies don't make it a week at our house! But, we are eating more cleanly than I've ever eaten before. 

Riley did basketball rookie sports this year. He had so much fun and improved significantly in his short time of this activity. 

We took the kids through a breakfast to go/meet Santa morning. It was so fun and we brought home so many activities to do and decorations to make, like this tree ornament. 

The kids got outside to help their dad. 

Each year we "adopt" a few kids and buy gifts on both their need and want list. We try to keep the genders and ages similar to our kids and it is always so worth it. Payton was so excited to deliver these gifts. We always hope this helps other families to have just as magical a holiday as ours is. 

Lots of playing together!

My husband's family did an online painting class as a group. So he, I, and Payton all did the class at home as it was after the boys went to bed. The next week, I helped Riley complete this same set of pictures so that we have a set of 4. It was a good way to add some fun into our break and we are looking at doing another class someday!

Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids a cardboard cutout house and the kids spent a huge chunk of their break playing with it. We put it away one evening and hope to pull out again next Christmas.

                                                      Preschool before winter break started.

Gingerbread houses! The 3 kids made this together in an afternoon when it was too cold to get outside.

                    Fresh bread. We ate and cooked and baked and ate so much during this month. 

Outside playing.

One morning the kids asked me to do something special for breakfast and this was about the fastest, easiest I could do. Cookie cutter shaped toast with eggs and grapes. The kids loved and asked for on repeat all week! My kids are God's sweet reminder that it's the littlest things in life...

Riley and Payton both wrote notes to Santa. Riley used his sight word flashcards to do his all on his own. 

Santa left a little note for the kids on Christmas morning.

So many crafts! All three pictures from above are crafting time for preschool! We made hanging art, cards that we mailed to others, decorated Christmas trees, and disguised a gingerbread man (so he hopefully won't get eaten)!

I pulled down the hand me down clothes and found Riley some of the cutest Christmas sweaters this year! He was so excited!

Payton really wanted to bake and asked for some assistance making brownies.

We got some good snowfalls in December and the kids loved getting outside to play. Payton liked being dressed as pink as she could! Only for all of them to get their clothes so dirty and muddy that I had to wash everything as soon as they came inside. They had so much fun though!

Jayden and Riley asked to work some baking into their school schedule and so we did!

We did take a trip to see Santa and if this picture doesn't sum up the Pandemic 2020, I don't know what does. I laugh every time I see this photo.

We just stay so busy that poor Jayden just begs for a tv break. And when he gets it, he looks like he's about to fall asleep. Every. Time. 

We got outside to explore on our property, a piece of land we never go to. And, I always leave asking myself why we don't go over there more often. I got some gorgeous photos of those that would pose and we burned off so much energy running around. 

Another round of this little guy requesting tv time. This time with mom and he posed for a picture before zoning. 

Payton and Riley worked on one last project before wrapping up December. These cute magnet picture tiles are the best! I look at each of these pictures daily with so much fondness.

Batman came to visit. Jayden is just now getting into costumes, while his siblings will live in them! It's been so fun to see him decide he enjoys this as well.

Ending this round with a picture of Riley and Payton snuggled up and watching a show. We had so much quiet, down time sprinkled in to all the busy our family brings. I am treasuring how much I saw all of our family cuddled up together. It was just the sweetest month.

Here's to January! May it be just as sweet!