December

In December, I was mostly hanging on to the fact that Christmas break was coming, finally. It had been such a crazy fall for all of us. 

A lone piles of leaves near our apartment. There are quite a few trees that lose their leaves here, but maintenance or the wind keeps them from forming piles. 

 Gordon managed to get outside in his Buzz Lighyear costume. He wore that thing almost everyday for a month, and slept in it over his jammies about half that time too. 

 Playing in the gigantic fleece blanket Grandma Cows made for my bed. I need that extra layer under my quilt so I can be warm enough. It's been quite cool for SoCal this year, although it warmed up over the holidays. But with single pane windows, a humid 50 degrees seeps in all night through the glass and makes me chilly. 

 Ben can put me to shame in the photography department any day. 

 Evelyn showing off her monkey bar skills. She's so proud to be able to do these now, and she can swing like a champ. 

 A view from one of Ben's many bike rides. This is part of why he rides. 

Ward Christmas party where three kids wouldn't let go of me so I could take a picture of them with Santa. None of them would go up by themselves either, much less talk to him. 

 One night some friends in our ward pulled out their white screen and projector and played a movie on the lawn next to our building. It was so fun, I hope we can do it again! 

Evelyn's really been getting into helping me cook in the kitchen. And she actually is helping, whereas Gordon is usually trying to throw some sort of toxic spice combination into my baking. Jilly is still at the stage where she only wants to sample my cooking. That policy applies to meals as well. But if chicken nuggets are served, bring 'em on! "I want more Mom!"