Birthday Celebration--43rd!

It's here....the week of Christmas!  And guess what I did just 3 days before Christmas Eve?!  Dumped paint all over in the coat closet.  Ugh. I thought the lid was securely closed.  I was moving the can of paint to the top shelf and tilted it to make it fit.  Next thing I know I feel paint running down my arm.  It took me 4 or more hours to clean it all up.  The only casualty was my rain jacket.  I couldn't get the paint out of that.  What a mess! Thankfully I didn't care about my shoes.  I am still sad about my rain jacket though.                                                           

We got a clean closet out of it.  Argh.

On December 23rd, Lee took the day off of work so I could celebrate my birthday with just us. The weather was pretty crummy on the way in to DC.  In DC it was just raining.  On one of the highways we saw a Tesla go out of control right in front of us...on wet roads, not icy roads.  I was amazed that it didn't crash in to us, the person in front of them, or into any cars when it slid across the flappy barrier sticks into the EZ Pass lane.  It was crazy!

Our first stop was the National Holocaust Museum. It was such a great place to go!  I had heard about it, but had never been.  It was great to take the kids too. 

This lady was a Holocaust survivor.  She was able to stay hidden from the Germans in France, but suffered much through WWII. Her mom helped some kids who were being deported and she ended up dying with them.  The lady I am pictured with went back to their house after the war, she was only 16, and waited for her mom to come home.  The mom never did. 

We did baptisms at the Temple, went out to eat, stopped at World Market, and got Crumbl Cookies!  Not in that order, but all the same day. Later that night we went back to the Visitors' Center and watched a fun big band perform. 

A cute diner for dinner!

Loved seeing the many nativities at the Visitors' Center. 

Another highlight that night was using the Giving Machine by the temple!  I've always wanted to use one, and it was so fun!  You get to purchase the "items" you want to give. 

It was a fun birthday celebration.  It's been nice celebrating my birthday on a different day than my actual birthday. We are always with extended family, which is fun, but becomes more of a hosting day and cooking for everyone day than actually a nice birthday time with just my little family! I think I'll keep doing this!

Christmas Music,ingerbread Houses & Then Some

I think every year our stake does a Christmas concert, except for you know cough cough COVID time. Shanna, Haley and Lee participated this year and went to several practices before the performance.  I wanted to invite a friend or two, so I didn't participate, plus Elden wasn't old enough to be in the older age group. Sadly my friend didn't end up coming.  It was an awesome performance though!  We loved attending.  I'm planning on all of us participating next year. 

Haley and Elden had their Christmas piano recital!

We received some hot chocolate bombs that someone had purchased at a holiday craft fair. Sadly they weren't very good. 

Shanna and Cal started winter track! This was a "polar bear" meet in Waynesboro. 

We had a fun Relief Society Christmas activity.  You could make a yummy homemade scent, do a holiday apron or oven mitt, and/or write a card to someone. 

About a week before Christmas we had some winter weather!

Elden's Winter Concert! He is still playing percussion. 

We had an adult ugly sweater party and gift exchange which is always fun. 

We invited our friends the Kriels over to have dinner with us and build gingerbread houses.  We loved it!  I hope we can get together with them next year too. 

Out of order, but at the end they had fun with the whip cream game, trying to launch spray cream into the air and catch it in your mouth. 

Cal's burgeoning house.  

The poor bear!

Cal's house before it ballooned. 

Cal and Isaac. 

Haley doing more work on the mural!

Haley's house again for the contest.

Shanna trying a method for wavy hair. 

Another annual tradition, singing at the nursing home, along with some piano songs too. The residents are always so grateful when we come.  We really should try to go during the year!

A cute letter from Henry Weiler to Elder Robertson!

I visited my friend Frances around Christmas and she has such beautiful Christmas decorations. Many of them she painted herself. 

Always a good night with lava cakes to eat!

Home church puts some kids to sleep like Cal and Haley. 

Always nice to snuggle with a blanket on a cold, winter day!