November Activities…….

November is a fun month for a little bit more family time together while we have a break between football season to basketball/Christmas season. Ryan recieved a pie from the Bishops wife and of course pie night turned into pie fight night. It was a good pie until it had treven's face print in it

With Grandma and Grandpa Strong gone to London on their mission, I decided to carry on the Gingerbread House tradition. Since I have never made real Gingerbread houses I decieded to make them during the first part of November to make sure they would work. The girls had a fun time helping me out and made gingerbread girls and boys.

The reflections contest was during this time of year and Treven made a entry. The funny thing about his entry was he deicded the night before it was due and then ended up winning. He did a music video of him dancing. He did a great job and was soooo excited about winning. He only did it because he loves getting the free crayons, but this year he got to come home with a trophy! Way to go Treven.

I had to take a picture of my accomplishment of making my first every gingerbread! And it worked!

November also brought our VIP night out to see Catching fire. Stephanie got us VIP tickets two night before it came out to the public so I took Tyler and Ryan's sisters and Lauren to see it. Tyler even won some free Catching Fire socks. He got to sit by his friends while I was with the girls.

Thanksgiving this year was at our house with the Lamberts and Larsens and Janette. It was my first year hosting and thankfully it all turned out good. Ryan made some great Prime Rib and Holly made the turkey. We had a great Thanksgiving day. We started it out playing some football down at the church with some neighbors and had doughnuts and hot choco. Then it was time for the family to come over and eat, and eat, and eat. The kids played around while the grownups talked and lookded through the black friday ads. That night we then went down to the Clements house to have pie and game night. It was a blast and had a good time laughing and having fun!  It was really a relaxing and fun time on Thanksgiving. Friday we spent time helping Ryan in the basement and then I took the kids to the movie Frozen. It was a cute movie and the kids had fun spending even more time with there cousins. After we came home and had Jackson sleepover and help us put up our Christmas stuff and watch A Muppets Christmas Carol.

Saturday came and it was time for the gingerbread party to begin. We had all of Ryans family over and I never thought I could fit that many people into my house. We started off the night with a gingerbread house decorating contest. Each family had a house and 40 mins to decorate it. Janette was the judge and did a great job! I had gotten awards like the best use of candy award, the shooting for the starts award, and the Happy, Happy, Happy award that went with a game or like duck dynasty playing cards along with a polar express book. So everyone walked away a winner! The kids then had fun running around, decorating sugar cookies I had made and having a yummy hot chocolate bar that Janette set up. Then it was time to go see the Spanish Fork lights, another yearly event! the kids love getting in the back of the truck and freezing their buns off. Emery has been so against wearing shoes, a coat, warm clothes, that we let her sit in the back of the truck in her slick pj's and a blanket and hopefully help her learn that you freeze when you don't wear warm clothes. She came back in the truck with teeth chattering and we thought she had learned a lesson until today she threw the same fight about getting cloths on. Can't wait for the Emery teenage years, they are going to be fun!

Oh yes the next highlight of the night was the face decorating contest. Movember we support you!

So this year Treven has put together that Santa may no be real and he was really struggling with it. So he came up to me and said, "I know that it is you and dad that put out the PJ's on Christmas Eve, but Santa does the presents right?" Well we took him back and tried to explain to him about Santa and how Santa is real and that he lives in each of us, that he is the spirit of giving like Christ. They both give everything they have to help other people. Well treven has this confused look on his face the whole conversation and finally I asked what was wrong.  "Well, my left brain is telling me he is real, and my right brain is telling me he isn't real, and I don't know which brain to listen to." I was a bout to cry he so wanted it to be true about Santa. He finally laid down by me for a minute and I asked if he was okay and he told me he had just little tear but he will be okay! I love this boy