Happy New Year!

How do traditions become traditions? By having fun and then making fun again! For us, New Years Eve this year looked like a perfect night at home with movies upstairs for the girls, downstairs for the boys-  

and more phone selfies!

Adam made an awesome Jeopardy for us- the categories were Slang (Daddy didn't do as horrible as expected), NYT Games (a fun activity for all of us this year, prompted by Leah who loved them all first), Things We Did in 2023, Who Said It? and Trivia for One Specific Person.  We all did pretty good on some categories and not so good on others. I definitely did not know when Ninjago first aired and Daddy still doesn't know the meaning of 'gyatt'. 

Taken at 5:05 PM on New Year's Eve, I wasn't sure Noah was going to make it all the way to midnight. Turns out we were all happy to stay up past 1 AM this year. 

We had delicious fondue, first meats and cheeses (so much better than last year, we all especially loved the baguettes in the cheese, and later the chocolate with all the treats.  

There was definitely some cheek kissing going on as foods dropped into the pot.  These cuties. 

We played a new version of Clue, which was supposed to be Alexa-enabled, but apparently that feature has been discontinued.  It was still fun though, and we all laughed at Daddy's inability to talk and play the game at the same time.  He is serious about his fun!

We joked that another New Year's Eve tradition of ours is to scramble at 11:55 to get out the party supplies, pour the bubbly and figure out how to watch the ball drop, and that's exactly how it happened again this year.  

Instead of watching the countdown on the massive projector, we ended up crowding around a phone screen and laughing at ourselves for not getting it right again.  Oh well.  One way or another, 2024 officially arrived! 

This year doesn't feel overly exciting or exception, at least not yet.  Rather, these next few months feel like the calm before the crazy when we have a senior and four kids in four different schools and we are officially in the last year of life as we currently know it.  I'm grateful for every day that we have been given so far and will try my best to soak up every one ahead of us as well.  Shout out to the blog for helping me make that a reality. That is another tradition that just stuck and I know that we are all thankful for that!

Leah is 17!

 Will I ever stop being shocked at these numbers as they continue to climb?  How is it possible that my sweet little peanut is 17 already?  What an exciting time of life! It might seem like a lot to pack in with Christmas, Leah's birthday and New Year's celebrations all happening in one week every year, but we've found that it is the perfect way to spend our winter break time!  And I sure hope that I've recorded this before, but Leah has long been assured that she has to wait longer than anyone else for her birthday to arrive each year because it's not until the second to very last day! I'm so glad she survived the wait again!

Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl, who was already surrounded by doting siblings and a sweet pup when Daddy and I headed upstairs with breakfast. 

Leah wanted to uphold one of our favorite winter traditions on her birthday- mermaid bowling!  We anticipated a crowd so we got there right when they opened and snagged the last available lane.

And the birthday girl beat us all!

We played at the arcade, checked out the fish, and, of course, ended our visit with a 'crazy ride' on the pontoon boat.  Silly traditions, you never can guess which ones will stick over the years. 

Leah decided that she wanted a more low key birthday party than the one she had last year.  She opted for a spa night with a few of her favorite friends, a cheese board (she loves cheese!) and a fancy cake.  La Mie Bakery for the win on a delicious cake that Emma helped me fancify. 

These cute girls played Mario Kart, board games, did some spa treatments and they all brought Leah sweet presents!

Hee hee- when I was taking these pictures I was remembering these pictures- 

The sentiment is the same in all three pictures- knock it off and get out of here lady!

Leah picked The Chicken for her birthdate, and we ended up going there for brunch.  It was so delicious and not at all boring as we talked about personal finance and jobs and college and things that 17-year -olds have on the brain.  

Picture time! 

Daddy did not approve of my pose. Leah calls this the bombastic side-eye.  

He just wishes he was as much fun. ;) 

Ahh sweet Leah-Bee-ah!!  Love these cheekies!

Hoist!!

Leah is such a ray of sunshine in our lives!!

17-year-old Leah loves- 

The temple! Our family tradition of attending every month started with Leah's request five years ago and while we definitely aren't perfect at it, we continue to try to go every month. 

Her car! What teenager doesn't love the freedom and exhilaration that comes with driving yourself wherever you want to go?

Taylor Swift! She and Emma got a record player and several vinyls for Christmas and they have been playing almost non-stop. 

A good bath, nail painting session, or tucking into bed after a long day. Leah knows how to do self-care right!

Classic literature!  She is currently reliving the wonders of Little Women, and loving it. Leah is a classic, timeless girl at heart.  I think she would be perfectly happy living in the world of petticoats and candles and horse-drawn carriages. 

Life right now.  Leah doesn't spend all of her time thinking about life after high school or wishing away the last of her teenage years.  She is doing an excellent job of living life right today.

Colorguard!  I'm so impressed that Leah joined in this fun as a junior, and it has been a great high school experience for her.  

Leah loves peace.  Whether she likes the job of peacemaker or not, she fulfills it beautifully in our family. I recently pondered on the fact that maybe she just doesn't run as hot as the two other ladies in this house, but Leah does not 

Her testimony.  Leah is a shining example of putting important things first, and her phone is filled with daily reminders to "Let your light shine" and "What would the Lord have me do today?" 

Cheese! Especially smoked gouda. 

Coloring, drawing, escape room journaling, letter writing, and wax stamping.  Leah is creative! One of our favorite birthday traditions is to go around the table three times and shares something we love about the birthday girl (or guy).  One of Noah's compliments this year was that he and Leah share a love of drawing that isn't shared by the rest of our family. 

Her violin!  Leah just started up violin lessons with her beloved Miss Megan and is already working toward her senior recital. She's also participating in the pit orchestra for the spring musical and was invited to participate in an honor symphony orchestra.  Leah's love for the violin began early in her life and it has carried her far!

Her relationship with each member of our family.  Leah works hard to develop those relationships and it shows in the joy that each of us feel when we interact with her. 

Her own style.  Leah has been refining her look this year and it has been fun to watch her figure out what she likes best! Plus she can French braid her own hair which is just amazing to me. 

Boys.  I'm impressed with the number of dates she's been on this year and chuckle when she talks about how much she is or isn't interested in any particular boy.  16 and 17 year old boys are sure immature sometimes and I'm glad she hasn't discovered older boys just yet!

Beebees!!!  Leah's number one best love is babies.  She has secured her spot as the go-to ward babysitter and she genuinely squeals whenever there are cute babies around. There is a lot of life to be lived between now and the day that her own babies arrive, but she is absolutely going to be ready for that day when it comes!

Happy birthday Sweet Leah.  It's hard to put into words how much joy and love you bring into our family, but we are all blessed by you!

Going on a Walk

 Laney's stubby little legs sure can move fast when they want to.... and awfully slow when they don't.

  

Something about the hood paralyzes her. 

But the walks are always a delight for all the senses- I enjoy the fresh air and gorgeous views, Laney prefers to sniff out all the poo she can find in the fallen leaves. Win-win!

Back at home she is a total sucker for the sunshine. 

We all are!  The gray of winter makes the sunlight all the more glorious when it does make an appearance. 

Time for Creativity

 I came home from one busy December night and found these three acting out The Addams Family, complete with script, costumes, and music.  Emma was Wednesday Addams, Noah was Pugsley, and Adam was, of course, Lurch.  I joined in as their photographer.

Winter Break

 Christmas presents continue to delight 

and surprise!

The weather has been so disappointing this winter.  As much as we complain about the subzero temperatures and icy driveway and never-ending cold, it all sure beats this depressing low 30s gray skies December we've been dealt this year. 

But we did find snow in Nebraska, and Noah created a snowball named Timmy that he promptly turned into the cutest 10-inch-tall snowman I've ever seen. 

The temple finally reopened and we spent one evening of our break doing baptisms and enjoying some real winter snow!

Since Noah and I stayed out, we brought the pup with us!

What a sweet temple-going pup. 

Other Adam joined us too- poor Leah is never going to go on a proper date with this boy- we were parked in the car right next to them at Zestos after we finished up at the temple.  Emma did a great job of giving us a play-by-play of what was happening in their car. :) Still, going to the temple was the highlight of our winter break.  

Adam and Leah went to a stake dance! I love that they have each other. 

Laney makes it easy to stop and snuggle- 

Best Christmas present ever- Sonny Jr. has returned!

Always time for a bath during winter break!

Our break days were filled with a lot of somethings and nothings- shopping and eating out and activities coupled with movie nights and staying up late and sleeping in and just enjoying being together!