Christmas season is here!

With our San Diego trip bringing us back home the day before the December rush it seemed like Christmas was coming to fast. So we  got to work on making sure we got in all of our family traditions! I had prepared ahead of time and made the gingerbread a week prior. Thank you Carolee for teaching me how to make homemade gingerbread houses! So on December 1st for our FHE we made our gingerbread houses with help from our Aunt Janette! The kids did a good job and I loved eating the icing and scraps of candy along with the rest of the kids!

Halle is doing Jazz and Ballet this year. With her Jazz class they don't do competition but they do go and perform. This year they did their "Hot Chocolate" dance at a retirement center and then the next day went and performed at 2 schools, one being Brookside so her and her friends felt like stars since they knew the audience! It was a fun day getting to be a dance mom along with Stephanie and Allison since Halle takes dance with Ellie, Paige, and Brynlee! Liz and Ellie were out of town. We took the girls out to lunch during the break and had a little playgroup of our own! The girls did a fantastic job!

Another Family tradition is that of Christoper PopKins that comes to our house to spy on the kids for Santa during the month of December. Christper didn't take long getting into mischief when we awoke to finding him trhying to eat Halles gingerbread house!

Treven playing in his first Bantam basket ball game!

You can't have Christmas without going over to the Spanish Fork Festival of Lights. We took Janette with us and went over with the kids, minus Tyler who was at a Christmas party, and had fun looking at the lights and then singing Christmas carols on the way home while we took the long way home trying to find more lights! Ryan even got into the spirit and sang along with us and then threw the beanbags in the back of his truck so we could be comfortable during the light show!

The best present this holiday season was Grandma and Grandpa Strong returning from their 18 month London Temple mission. All the kids went up to the airport to welcome them home and then we all went out to eat at JCW's after to get some food and catch up with the missionaries! WELCOME HOME ELDER AND SISTER STRONG!

Emery's dance class had their recital out at Timpview High school. The costumes were so cute and even though Emery wasn't happy about her hair having to be in a bun she did it and it didn't kill her! She loves taking dance with her best friend Suzy and the two did a great job performing their two dances! The whole family came along with Grandma Roses! After we treated the little dancer to dinner and then home to were she wore that costume for the next two days!

Halles ballet class does an in class demonstration for their Christmas program. This was fun for me to go down and watch Halle and her friends. Ryan was unable to come since he was at Treven's basketball game. Dived and conquer!

Treven didn't get our of performing this Christmas season. Treven did an awesome job at his piano recital. He even memorized his piece Deck The Halls. He as so nervous and kept telling me he couldnt' memorize it, but he did and he did so good! I as so proud of him along with Grandma Roses who came to support him!