Preschool Pictures.

It is that time of year when school pictures show up in backpacks - brought home by the kids.

What a cutie!

I couldn't help but purchase Trumans school photo and the class photo - I want them for the memories!

Adele, Sofia, Miss Camee, Maya, Sadie, Marley

Siena, Jaxon, Truman {not pictured: Christian}

Nursery.

 Our kids love nursery and I dare say we have the best nurseries in the church!  It is a completely structured environment that is the same week to week.  Puzzles, snacks, lesson {with coloring}, music {someone comes in a does this}, cookie Grandma {each month a new lady comes in and readys a story and gives a snack}, and free play {they always end blowing bubbles}.

Truman is in the older nursery with Brother and Sister Green and he adores them.  Every week during sacrament meeting he looks for them {and has even been known to go sit on their laps}.

Trumans paper looks like this after he brings it home and colors on it more.

 Bodie is in the younger nursery and he loves his leaders.  Today he fell asleep during sacrament meeting, when he woke up he was a power grump until he saw Sister Cowan in the hall, he reached out for her and off they went!

Bodies idea of coloring is taking a coloring crayon and stabbing the paper {see the markings on his paper?}!

White Horses.

This fall Truman and Bodie were in a "Sound Beginnings" music class which is a division of "Let's Play Music" - this semester was called White Horses {I go with them}.  In the White Horses semester they learned how to tell time (o'clock hours only), major scale ascending, numbers 1-30, subdivision, sequencing, primary colors, conducting and body parts. 

The really fun part was that their cousins Jean and Anna took the same class in Herriman so whenever they got together the four of them would 'jam' to all the same songs!

Echo Edie is always a favorite - they learn in-tune singing through pitch matching and vocal play with this puppet.

Bodie loved the class almost more then Truman.  Bodie got to come to class as a 'younger sibling  but I think he learned just as much.  He can't quit count to 30 but he can count to 10 and knows his primary colors {at 20 months old}.

The bells are always a favorite - they learn scales, solfeg hand signs {which I still don't know}, low and high, up and down, colors, letters and they begin to develop relative pitch!

Bodies favorite song, The Color Song

Last week they were introduced to Symphony No. 9 Beethoven and given a straw to explore conducting.  Last Sunday when our substitue chorister in Sacrament Meeting used a conductors wand my boys that was pretty cool.  Now when this song comes on in the car they grab whatever they can and start conducting!  So cute.

 As you can see the boys adore Miss Emily.  

They also have a workbook they bring each week.  Occasionally they have an at home assignment.  I thought this page Truman colored of his bells turned out really cute.  He will play like it is real bells - can't wait until they do get their real bells!

Sold.

This beautiful home was my in-laws.

It sold today.

It has been a stressful couple of weeks getting this house closed {I was the listing agent} Real Estate deals are harder these days - now add to that selling a house for family and the Holidays {Thanksgiving and then Christmas knocking on the back door} and that adds up to a lot of stress for everyone!

With a lot of man power it all got packed up and moved out.

I took this picture right before the new owners showed up to do a final walk-through.  It was really sad to be in the empty home - there are a lot of good memories!

Girls Night Out - Birthday Celebration.

Tonight some of my girlfriends and I went out to dessert to celebrate Laura's birthday {last month} and my birthday {in a couple of weeks}.  

It is always so rejuvenating and fun to have a girls night out {and we have had a bunch of them lately}!  I love these girls, and I love that we make time to leave the kids and husbands behind so we can just talk - we need it - and we need each other - and tonight was no different!

We met at Zoom in Park City and it did not disappoint.

I think we ended up ordering one of everything on the dessert menu.

{there was also a creme brûlée which I polished off - it was the best I have ever had hands own!}

Thank you friends!

{I told the girls we should start writing an official review of all the dessert menus in the area}

  

Family.

We had a nice surprise from my family this weekend - Nathan and Lauren flew in from San Francisco and stayed with us so consequently Dallin came up from BYU and McKay ditched the parents in Park City to came and play!  We had a blast, good food, good talks and a slumber party under the Christmas Tree.

 Late Saturday night we somehow got started on arm wrestling wagers.  All the boys had to arm wrestle each other with both left and right hands.

 "did you see that"

Nate's only win for the night!

Little brother is winning ...

Gregg beats Nate.

hurt? what?

 Is that a cheaters move I see ...?

 Two hands and he still can't win ... sorry Nate.

 Next up were the sisters

{Laurens younger sister Shannon came up from BYU)

 Is that Nate yelling at his wife?

 Nate was promising Lauren all sorts of gifts if she could beat her sister - there was some serious wagering going on between Nate and Lauren ... 

 ... but in the end her little sister beat her.

And what is a weekend with family without some game playing?!

I tried a new strategy in Ticket to Ride Europe and beat everyone!

{even though Lauren tried to show this Instagram photo of my hand of cards to Nate ...}

German Pancakes*

German Pancakes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoon sugar (I like 2 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a blender mix eggs, flour, salt and sugar.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees - put a 9x13 pan in the oven when preheating with the 2 tablespoons of butter so it can melt.  When preheated (and butter is melted) pour in the batter and bake for 20 minutes.  It will puff up while baking (if you don't over mix it).

Cut and top with fruit, jam, yogurt, syrup, whipped cream and powdered sugar.

*I did a little research online because there is always a debate over whether these are 'German' pancakes or 'Swedish' pancakes.  They are in fact German pancakes ... Swedish pancakes are more like a crepe.

Another fantastic recipe I made a couple of week ago:

Pumpkin Waffles

2 cups flour (can use whole wheat)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups eggnog (I like the pumpkin spice flavor)

4 tablespoons oil, melted butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Combined dry ingredients in a bowl.  In separate bowl combine wet ingredients and then blend into dry ingredients.  For an extra treat throw in a handful of chocolate chips.

ho, ho, ho.