December 2015

I love living in Draper.  They have so many fun events.  The lighting ceremony is beautiful.  We loved going over with friends.  

Abby and I went to lunch one day with Ang.  My car battery died :(  so Ang gave me a good push and we costed down the avenues until we found someone who could give us a jump.  I love good friends.

Then I came home to my window taken out of my basement and sheetrock filling the basement.  It was the start to a great week of workers sheet rocking, taping and mudding.  They are fast workers!

Abby is loving her big girl bead.  Sometimes she still loves to sleep in her crib.  but finally we are transitioning smoothly.  

I also got to celebrate my 36 birthday.  We had yummy breakfast cake then mostly sat around sick all day.  But it was a relaxing day.  I had lunch with friends before my birthday and lunch and a pedicure with friends after the birth day.  That made up for the rough couple days in the middle with Bronchitis.

We love having friends over.  Kids playing, doing art, flying paper airplanes.  love love love it!

Tyler has to work on push ups and crunches for scouts.  It becomes a family event sometimes.  Abby thinks she can read now.  She focuses very intently on those big chapter books and tells me all about them.  She loved the buttermilk syrup we had one morning.  forget the waffle, just eat the syrup.  

Our First Christmas alone as the Darren and Amy Balls family

We had a lovely simple quiet Christmas at our home.  We watched a family movie.  We watched a video about Christ's birth. We had some yummy treats.  We talked about the gift that Baby Jesus was.  Then the kids went to sleep and Darren and I went out for a lovely walk in the new snow.  We walked to the Draper Park and enjoyed the lights all over the trees.  It was a lovely evening.  We enjoyed presents in the morning.  Then the kids had to show the neighbors their new things.  That turned in to breakfast at Grandma Days house and games and playing!  It was a lovely day.  Darren and I did shovel our extra long driveway for almost two hours.  What a workout!

That night we headed to Primary Childrens Hospital so share some songs with the patients there.  Tyler played some songs and we sang songs and others shared also.  Thanks to Aunt Ronda for putting it all together.  

But if Darren has off work we fill the time with outdoor activities and projects.  We also tiled the backsplash in our kitchen.  He did a great job.  I appreciate all his hard work.

Harston sisters for Christmas

I cant believe I only have two pictures from all the days we spent together.  My sister Jenny came into town and we played the days away.

Meals at each others homes.  Skiing one day at Brighton.  Swimming at the rec center.  Movies and games with cousins.  Lots of playing with cousins.  Maybe someone else will have pictures I will have to post here later.

Balls Family for Christmas

We love to have family time.  A highlight is always Aunt Nellie.  She took Abby and I took a makeup store.  Abby was so happy.  She applied her own blush down one side of her cheek.  And instead of Nellie doing Abbys hair, Abby wanted to do her hair.

We made gingerbread homes with Jordan and Nellie.  We all drove down town and saw the lights.  Then Jordan, Nellie, Tyler and Ella stood in line to get stand by tickets for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert.  Tyler was on the edge of his seat the whole time, just eating it up.  Darren and I headed home to put Abby to bed (after stopping at the toys for a minute at City Creek).  After the concert, the kids got burgers and then rode the train back home.

We had a lovely dinner at Corie and Nolan's house on the 23rd.  The table was amazing.  It set the mood for a lovely night.  The food was wonderful, traditional chicken BBQ sandwiches.  Delicious.  Nellie gave the kids all fun musical instruments and they danced and sang as she played the piano.  Pat, Seth and  Nellie got on a late night red eye flight to spend Christmas with Jason and Whit in Florida.

Hermana Harston's visit

My mom assured me that missions are not the same as they were years ago and it was ok to make a quick trip home to see her children before the holidays.  We love it!  Candaces daughter Liesel kept finding Grandma throughout the night and standing there until Grandma picked her up.  She was so happy to see her.  We got to all see her the first night she flew in.  We love and miss Grandpa too.  Abby said, she wanted to see Grandpa too.  Thank goodness for Skype!

Getting to Christmas 2015...

The kids wrote a Christmas their Christmas list this year.  I dont really remember them doing it much before.

Ella she wants a puppy and a baby a live and a baby.  I dont think we can manage two of those things.  Maybe a pretend baby that she can take care of.

Tyler wrote a crazy list.  He later rethought the list and said he really didn't want an iPad, Wii, electric scooter or nerf guns.  But he did say he wanted a watch and collared shirts.  He wrote he wanted Pokemon cards but "don't get me these if you don't want to!"



Darren got to dress up like an elf for a work Christmas party.  Oh boy! he looks good in tight pants!

We had a great Neighborhood Christmas Breakfast.  It made me happy to see Tyler on Santa's knee.  And of course Abby wouldn't do it unless Ella was right there!

We also went to a friends house for a fun Christmas Party.  So fun to visit, eat and play some silly games!


Our neighborhood also does a super fun tradition of no neighborhood gifts.  Instead we meet and donate food and gifts to a needy shelter.  The family hosting provides donuts and hot cocoa.  This year it was snowy and cold but so wonderful! Santa was there.  He told the kids he had to go and that his reindeer were right around the corner.  Oh boy, they wanted to follow him around he corner!


And it has snowed and snowed and snowed.  That is one sure way to make it feel like Christmas.