BETWEEN Thanksgiving & Christmas!

It's been an incredibly busy season around here but none of which we haven't enjoyed.

To back up a bit (like all the way to Thanksgiving) there are a few things we don't want you to miss (although sadly still missing so much)! 

In this season of "newness" and "change" for us, these are a few of the pinnacle events:

Kai accompanied me to the rollerskating rink for my YMCA class graduation. It was his 1st attempt on skates and he did awesome! In 2 hours, we made it around the rink about 5 or 6 times together. He balanced only holding my hands and we only had 1 major wipe out together.....meaning he fell to the ground and needed help up and I pulled something and just wanted to lay there :)

Process Skate Ministry was also super blessed to be able to buy a shuttle bus to haul skaters to and from the skate parks, for mission trips, and for outreach opportunity! It's awesome and the guys love it! Thanks to all our supporters and contributors for believing in God's call to love these skateboarders!

Although crazy busy, we were able to hit a few holiday parties/traditions! Derrick and I got an evening out together and decided to go Ugly Sweater Style....yeah it wasn't the theme of the party but we rocked it well!

We went downtown CO Springs to watch the Christmas Light parade with our great friends, the Tadlocks! We didn't get there early enough for curb side seating, so the kids perched on shoulders for a good view! We did remember chairs and blankets (lugged by stroller through the crowds although barely used) and sipped hot chocolate to get into the Christmas/winter spirit even though it was like 60's most of December.  

We had our 2nd annual get together in Denver with a few college friends and their families! So fun to keep in touch and hang out together a few times a year now that life is so different! We are growing exponentially!

 We had our 2nd annual Skate Church Ugly Sweater party & white elephant exchange as well! It was slightly thrown together this year....since we had moved into our house only days before. The menu included hot dogs and brauts, chips, Egg Nog, soda, and cookies (yikes I know). The guys make us laugh...they ate it all and a few of them remembered their sweaters! 

  Kai also had his 1st preschool Christmas program! We all dressed up to attend the program and then birthday party for Jesus in his classroom afterwards.  He knew all the words, although I never heard him practice. He gave us like 10 thumbs up from the bleachers between songs. So precious! We ate punch and cupcakes together in his classroom and he shared a special gift ornament he made for us.

We picked our Christmas tree this year from a tree stand (which we've never done) but it was a new and different experience! We got a beautiful fir tree, much less "charlie brown" and much more expensive than we usually choose in the woods :) Shopping through the isles of trees was somewhat like hiding in the clothing racks in a department store for the kids. They loved it.

We only managed cookies for my cookie exchange at work before Christmas. The kitchen didn't produce much until the other cookies we frosted ON Christmas Eve. The kids helped by unwrapping the kisses to top the cookies for the exchange. I was all about the help this year as it was hard enough to find all the pans and ingredients to cook anything after the move and renovation!  

Although Christmas is a busy season by nature and with moving added to the mix it became just that 3 fold, we are grateful for family and friends who helped us so much by helping pack, move boxes, babysit, etc and we are extremely grateful our kids who are flexible and gracious to us during change, disorganization, and pure chaos. 

More to come on our Christmas with family and our NEW home.