remember November

Wasn't it just November 1st?

what happened?

oh yeah, life

and birthdays

and turkey

so let's catch up shall we?

someone turned 5 last month!

and apparently it means you can do all things, just short of getting your license

or so, the 5 year old tells me

there was only one thing that she really wanted to do that day

it was decided the day we first visited the mall and she spotted the long stretch of ice

"Mom, I've never been ice skating in Oregon before"

she talked about it for weeks, leading up to her birthday

so that's exactly what we did

happy as a clam the second we stepped on the ice

once Haley fell and discovered the small pieces of shaved ice

there was no getting her back up

Aidan's been skating before

and this time her goal was to skate without holding on to the side

still happy 2 minutes in

girl set her goal a little too high

and about 5 minutes in, the mood took a drastic change

for everyone

sobs of "this is the worst birthday ever"

were heard around the mall

We wanted to be tough parents

"You were the one who said you wanted to ice skate" played in our mind

but we just couldn't get the words out of our mouths

this was the first big family thing we've done since we moved here

and it broke our hearts that she wasn't enjoying it

We decided to get some lunch, and try to salvage the day with a movie

Thank you Wreck it Ralph and popcorn

the day ended a happy one

and got even better when some friends came over in the evening to celebrate with dessert

the rest of the month has been filled with friends

more birthdays

and all things warm and festive!

Turkey for Thanksgiving

(well done Mr. Jason)

decorating

and cookie making

with a little Nutcracker performance on the side

Merry Christmas everyone

May you be filled with the joy of the Lord

during this entire Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our blessed Savior

Luke 2:10-11

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."