First week of January 2017

Happy New Year!  We enjoyed the little bit of time we still had with Kimberly and her kids.

Uno!

Making slime

Playing with bubbles outside

Hanging out at the park - getting more time outside (You've got to get out after being cooped up playing with all that Christmas stuff!)

Kids are enjoying this marble run toy they got

Fun with slime - Kaitlyn

Fun with slime - Tyler

Late night games together

Maxwell has been sleeping on some blankets in our room while Kimberly was here.  He has loved it.

She loves looking at our Christmas cards

Saying goodbye :(

Maxwell asks to do more science experiments everyday.  I love that he's into it.

We started up swim lessons (sort of).  The kids have a bunch of make up lessons so we are using those up and then we will sign up again at least for Emmalyn.  We will see how it goes for Maxwell.  Since his favorite teachers aren't here any more I'm not sure how into it he will be.  It was fun because they were swimming right next to each other.

Emmalyn moved up to the next level!  I no longer have to get in the pool with her.  She's now a level 3.

Katherine and I are still getting out and walking multiple times a week.  We just have to really bundle up right now.  This time it was 26 degrees ("feels like 14") and we still did it!  Committed to keeping up the exercise and weight loss in the new year!

We got a tiny bit of snow.   The kids were so excited.

Trying to get enough snow together to make a snow ball but it just wasn't the right type of snow.

We took the kids to another movie (again, have no idea what we saw).

Emmalyn is so loving.

After the movie we went out to dinner.  Was a fun evening together!

Max's Holiday Preschool Party

I went to Maxwell's Holiday party at his school to help.  I was glad for the chance to participate in something else in his class besides reading to the kids during their library time once a month.

Miss Cynthia explaining the book "exchange"

(It was not a great process in my mind nor was it an exchange between two people)

Boys give to boys, girls give to girls

(Maxwell is sitting next to Sophia and Bella)

Max sitting patiently waiting for someone to want to exchange

So there was no method for the kids to know who still hadn't exchanged a book and Miss Cynthia just let them keep picking who they wanted to give their book to.  What happened in the end was that everyone had exchanged except Maxwell.  No one picked him to give their book to.  He wasn't upset about it but oh man, my Momma heart just hurt that no one had picked him.  :(  

There was another boy, Dylan, who was really upset about having to give up his book and crying so Miss Cynthia didn't make him give his book to someone.  When Maxwell didn't have anyone to give his book to, she told him that he could have the book Dylan brought later when Dylan wasn't focused on it anymore.  

So in the end, Max went home with Dylan's book and Dylan went home with Max's but there was no exchange done between the kids.

Stuff like this makes me sad and worried that Maxwell isn't making friends at school or kids don't like him.  :(  I don't want my darling, sweet, funny, kind, and timid boy to be the last kid picked for a team during recess in Elementary School!

Maxwell enjoyed eating the "treats" - they weren't treats in the normal sense of the word because Max's school is a sugar-free school.  It was fruit, veggies, cheese, crackers, and juice.  He usually only gets water at school so he was excited about getting juice at the party.

Thanksgiving Trip to Utah - Day 3 Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was filled with lots of family!  We started out the day at Aunt Tammy's and did an early dinner with my Blank family and then we went to have dinner with Peter's family.

We bundled up and went to the park so Maxwell could burn off some energy.

Maxwell and Maryn

All wrapped up - she was thrilled to be outside and in the stroller

Racing down the slide - it's still a big deal to see Maxwell willingly go down slides

Emmalyn loved playing with her second cousins and they were so sweet to play with her and Maxwell

Our early dinner - Grandma Grandpa, Tammy's family, Russell's family, and Paul

Ethan held the baby so I could eat

Maxwell played a little nerf wars with the big boys

We then headed south to have dinner with Peter's family.  They were meeting in a banquet room at a hotel because Alex's house was having plumbing issues.

The minute we walked in, Lola was all about Emmalyn.  :)

Payton

Korben and Morgan 

Payton pulling funny faces for Maxwell (I gave him my phone to take pictures with because he wasn't very entertained by hanging out in the banquet room).

Lola and Emmalyn

Emmalyn and Grandma

Aunt Aja and Emmalyn

Uncle Alex

Peter stayed late playing games and enjoying his family while I left to take the kids back to Tammy's so they could go to bed.  They were both exhausted and ready for bed after a long day.

I love this fruit salad!  Heck, I love all Thanksgiving food. (especially later that night or the next day...leftovers!)