December

I started the month out making Christmas candy with a friend.  We made caramels, peanut butter cups, turtles as well as some rocky road for a few friends and family.  

While Cody was home he also cooked for us a few times and taught everyone how to make their own pasta.  It was fun and also very delicious😋

 

 

He's a very good chef and makes it look beautiful as well.

He made beef wellington a couple times while he was here.  So good!

                               Casey also got in on the cooking venture and made some scones...

Casey, Cody and I went up and watched one of Josh's basketball games.  

It's always fun to watch him play. Go Josh🎉

Kaitlyn, Cody, Casey and I  took a day and went on a tour of Casey's new office in their new poultry science building on campus.

                                       

Casey's poultry/professor humor🐔

                          A puzzle he and the kids put together that he framed for his office.

His mother made him this quilt(she was an amazing quilter) that he also hangs in his office.

Apparently space is limited, so Casey and a colleague made their own signs to "save their space" 😂

and make sure that there isn't any loitering....

It was a beautiful day on campus.  It was fun to walk around and enjoy the views.

We all went over to Helen to enjoy their Christmas displays.  We didn't realize it was the weekend of their Christmas parade, so it was PACKED!  It was fun, but we won't be doing that again😅

  Back in the day when my kids were little, sitting on Santa's lap required standing in line at a mall for an extended period of time, so if my children were not SUPER excited about the idea of a picture with Santa we opted out. Hence, no pictures of my children sitting on Santa's lap.  However, Ry and I both had the opportunity at work to have our pictures taken with Santa, and so we did🎅

Once everyone arrived, we did our annual Christmas cookie decorating.  

    

                                          Cookies were made just in time for Santa's arrival 🎅

                                       

                                                        Late night Christmas Eve crew...

                                                

      

                                              

                                         Christmas naps are always much needed  😴    

                             

We had a delicious Christmas meal.  We made a ham with a few sides.  Kaitlyn made a gorgeous Charcuterie Board and Yule log for dessert.  Janelle and Andy also brought a couple Christmas cakes from a bakery close to where they work😍 

Josh got a telescope for Christmas and was very excited to use it to view the night sky.  He told us about all things astronomy.  It was fun to watch and listen as he taught us about the different stars, constellations, and planets.

                                                And he loved his new baseball VR game...

                                   Casey was happy, because he was able to burn (his favorite).

We puzzled, read books, and just enjoyed the Christmas break doing fun things together. The best thing about being a parent is when your kids grow up to be your friends.  I'm so incredibly proud of them.  Life has it's challenges, but it also gives us time to grow, learn, and evolve together.  They are smart, kind, fun, talented, and I enjoy spending time with each of them.  This is my happy place. They have always and continue to have my 💓