Community service day

Sometimes serving and temple work is hard to fit in... but it's always worth it.  Jer signed our family up for Our Home town.  It's a community service project.  We helped a cute couple fix their fence and pull weeds from their yard.  These kids were adorable and capable.  Seth was dubbed 'screw boy'... because he was everyone's screw holder.

 

Misc

Jer is the cutest.  He has been practicing duets to play with me.  I think it's my favorite "extra" thing he's ever done for me.

Ada "playing" with the daycare.  She came out to water her garden and jumped in with the kids.

Evelyn took a turn as the usher at church.

She was stretched out so funny.

Summer daycare

My friend, Michelle, and our yearly campfire.  I enjoy talking to her.  I know this year has been rough for her and I hope she has a better one.  I love seeing her and chatting.  She's a fun friend.

I say it looks like a nose.  Seth says it's a mitten.

Evelyn gave the prayer at church the other day too.  She was nervous and wanted to say no.  But she did it and did it well!  Bro Murinaka was so cute.  He walked to our house and asked her in person.  Then he helped her not be nervous.  Good man!

Ada gave blood for the first time.  Jer goes regularly and invited Ada to go too.  She was nervous but did it anyways!  I'm proud of my kids learning to do things that scare them.  She has o- blood, so they might be asking her again.  Grandpa has golden blood.  His is O- and it's negative for all the things that they test for.... universal donor. She might be related.

 

Helping hands

Cousin Aubrey is pregnant but they needed to move before the first of the school year.  Between her parents, in laws, friends, Joe and us... it went really fast.  The kids loved the square donuts that she bought as a thank you.  

 

Christmas 2024

I had the opportunity to work with the Spanish branch as their choir pianist for the Christmas program.  I enjoyed my friend, Cristina's, company and meeting all these new and wonderful people.  It was a new experience for me.  Most choirs that I've played for all have the basics on how to read music.  This choir only had two or three that could read the music, yet most of them had perfect pitch.  They would record their parts while I played and would come back the next time and not need any help at all.   It was a little hard to be away from my family during the Sunday evenings for the weeks leading up to Christmas, but it was a blessing for me to be able to experience.   One Sunday I literally played the piano for 4-5 hours of the day.  Our sacrament meeting, our choir practice, their 2 hour choir practice and then the Stake Music of Christmas.  I loved singing out our stake music night.  It always brings the spirit and my kids sing out beautifully and boldly.  Evelyn came with me to the spanish program and enjoyed listening and understanding people in Spanish.  She was so cute listening intently and responding appropriately.  I'm impressed with how quickly she's learning the language.  There wasn't light for me to read the music so Evelyn helped by holding my cell phone up to the music so I could see.  Then they surprised me and asked me to accompany the Primary singing Away in a Manger.  They had to stop the program and find the music for me, then the Primary had never actually sung with accompaniment, so they just rushed ahead without any heed to the music.  It was funny and a little frustrating.  Also, a little sad that a branch in Utah that needs at least two pianists has none.

Christmas Sunday, we all dressed in Christmas colors and sang proudly with the choir and Primary.  Seth borrowed Ada's work bow tie that changed from red to green.  He was very proud of it.

Ada crocheted this fuzzy whale for her friend as a Christmas present.

We went to the Wilcox Family Christmas party.  Almost all of the grandkids are older teens now.  Grandma and Grandpa said that we didn't have to do a nativity and that we could just talk about it.  Our cute teens went and grabbed the dress ups, assigned roles and did one anyways.  It was our best one yet.

Sharon's girls especially love Sam.  It's adorable.

We chatted and Sophie told us about taking her sister's name through the temple that week.

The three wise guys

Ada was the camel/donkey/etc... she was cute.

Isaiah found this fake beard somewhere and it was a funny thing.  It fit with him well but was such a fun addition too.

Ada, Michelle, Isaiah, Sam, Devin, Evelyn, Aubrey, Jordan

Seth, Viv, Thea

Seth like's grandma's Santa.  He carried it around all night.

Jordan borrowed my camera and took some pictures.  These two are some of them.

Uncle Seth bought everyone sunglasses and googly eyes for Christmas.  So fun.

The next morning, we joined Aunt Nellie at her new place for breakfast.  

Our family did a fun Christmas medley that we'd prepared for our Ward as our family talent.  Me on piano, Sam on flute, Jer on recorder, Evelyn on violin, Ada singing, Seth on the bells.  Then we pulled out kazoos and played Jingle bells.  That was fun.

For Christmas, Seth made this for Jeremy.  I thought that was spectacular.  Jeremy is best.