Puck will still come

So this year was a big one at our house ... in terms of Christmas. Emmrey joined the "team" and we no longer have believers at our house. At least not in the same sense that we used to. I really dislike this "milestone" and if it was possible, I would have my girls believe forever. Of course if it were up to me they would also stay 3, 7 and 10 forever too. With each of our girls they would get to about the age of ten or eleven and it seemed like they just stopped asking questions about the reality of Christmas. It's like they knew or suspected and didn't really need or want that confirmation. On our end we're suspecting that maybe they are figuring it out, but we really want to hold onto the magic ... even for just another year. We felt it was time to let Emm know. So I begrudgingly sat down with her and gave her the same letter I did for her sisters with a little ornament. If memory serves, Bay felt a little excited to be part of this "grown up team". No tears... only from me. Kars was indifferent and informed me that she kinda already had it figured out {I guess she was just waiting for me to come around}, and Emm flat out cried. Basically she "thought that it might be true, but really didn't want to know". I felt awful. It's like I had just robbed my kid of her innocence. Holding onto that hope of things you really want to believe and then having it pulled out from under you can be crushing ... I remember it was for me. After she had some time to process it all, her first question was whether Puck would still come. Childhood goes too quickly. Kids grow up too fast. I will let it linger for as long as I can. So Puck will continue to come and spread his little bit of joy and magic for as long as someone is still looking forward to it.

Laramie Life {Fall semester edition}

Bailee doesn't send me quite as many pictures as she did last year. I think part of that is she is busier and part is she doesn't miss me quite as much .... maybe?  She has made it through her first semester as a Sophomore and is really loving{almost}every minute of it. She took tough courses this semester that really pushed her {Microbiology, Chemistry, Abnormal Psychology and her Honors Colloquium}. In addition to being busy with studying, she taught swimming lessons on campus, helps with Institute Council and is part of a Research Team with the Nursing School. On top of all that she is pretty much on duty all the time as an RA. She still manages to maintain an active social life and has some really great friends that she spends a lot of time with.  Not very much down time .... but I guess that's college life.

Winter Orchestra Concert

Emmrey had her second Orchestra Concert just in time for the holidays. They treated us to Chanukah, Chanukah along with Jingle Bells and Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

It was so fun to hear how much these little beginners have grown since their first show in October. This time Mark was in town to see her skills.

She really enjoys playing, but doesn't necessarily like practicing. I hope she'll stick with it enough to decide if its her passion or not. 

2nd times a charm

We have another licensed driver!! Kars was super excited and impatient about getting her license. She was eligible to take her driving test on November 29th. We took the first available appointment on the 30th. The experience at the DMV wasn't unlike previous ones ... most of them are just all around unpleasant. Is this part of the qualifiers for  a job there I wonder? Anyway, she didn't pass the test for  what they felt was a rolling stop and being slightly over the speed limit at one point. SHE WAS DEVASTATED ... and determined to try again as soon as possible. She called around to some driving schools that you can test with and made an appointment for a Sunday afternoon at Mountain States {a very reputable driving school in our area} In hindsight we should have went there in the first place {both for her and Bay}. I don't believe they are any more lenient, but I do think they provide an environment that is less intimidating and that goes a long way. She passed with flying colors ... seriously .... the instructor complimented me on how well we had taught her...HA!

The next day we were back at the DMV to actually get her license. After an hour of waiting to give them papers, money and get her photo taken ... she was a little disappointed that she walked out of there with a paper version of the plastic that will come in the mail:) Now onto the really scary part, which is letting her drive without us. I trust her. She is a pretty conscientious driver, I just don't trust others out there:/

The Mighty Tree Trek 2018

Since we were gone Thanksgiving weekend, we weren't able to get our tree until the first weekend in December. 

We hoped Bailee would be able to join us, so we had to work around her desk shift which didn't end until 2:00.

 With daylight burning, we headed to the Snowy Range. We found more snow than I think we have ever encountered on our tree hunts. The roads were still sketchy up in the mountains so it limited how far we could drive up.

 We pulled off in a less than ideal area and began our search. The snow was deep ... about 3 feet. Unlike other years, there was very little flat ground to cover which meant a lot of climbing.... in heavy snow:)

We found one we all agreed on {that would also fit our space} ... another Sub Alpine Fir. 

Emmrey really wanted a little one for her room.  She liked this one, but we convinced her to leave the babies to grow. 

 Kars got to sawing ....

Bay showed off her muscle too by dragging it down the mountain

It felt a bit fast with the restrictions we had, but I thinks we picked a good one. 

 A quick {okay it's never really that quick} family photo for our card and we were off!

We had dinner with Bailee and then headed back to Wellington. Sunday night we got her all decorated.

 It's strange not having Bailee here to decorate with us. One of those things I may never get used to.

 There she is .... perfectly imperfect!

 And here is Emm's little tree. It adds a nice warmth to her room as well.

This and That .... {Sept-Nov}

Bailee started the first of many desk shifts as an RA

These started showing up on the counter every morning

Emm's things to remember

We had a new set of wheels for a month ... while our hail damage finally got repaired

Had a few successful pumpkin and veggie sales

 Sold our furniture much faster than we expected and so our house looked like this for a couple of weeks

 Snuck over to Laramie for family weekend and took a nice hike with our girl

The year is looking good on her! 

 Kars got into the spirit with 80's day at school

 Emm had her first Orchestra concert. 

They showed off some of the things they have learned in 6 short weeks.

 I attempted freezer salsa with our final garden harvest ... it turned out pretty good.

 Had a surprise visit with Bay when she and her friends made a trip to Costco and Walmart. We thought a quick hug/hand-off in the parking lot was all we were going to get .....

 They decided to stop by the house after all and have chili with us. These girls are all so cute!

Kelsey, Daphny, Bay, Emm, Kars

 Kars went to Denver with friends for Fright Fest at Elitches. Mark and I were not on the same page with this one. Ultimately, one of the parents went along which was the only reason I agreed to it. It was so so hard for me to let her go. I trust her ... just not everyone else out there:/ 

They had a great time by the way and made it home safe and sound.

Taeson, Lu, Kennedy, Morgan

Our weather went from this one Sunday morning ....

 ... to this by noon that same day!

 We anxiously welcomed Mark home after two long weeks in West Virginia for NCLI. 

 I am trying to get him to write a little about it. ... we'll see.

 Emmrey attended her first MIDDLE. SCHOOL. DANCE ....Yikes!! She had fun, but had to tell a cute little guy that her mom wouldn't let her go to the dance with a boy ... just with friends {sweet, but.. she's only 12}

 She and her friend Jacque volunteered with me at the Eyestone Fall Festival

 When Mark got home we went right to work on building a new kitchen table and bench.

There was another round of cupcake baking & decorating.

Mark and I took a date over to Laramie to be with this girl who was having a rough week and needed some extra love. Even though she insisted she was fine ... I really needed to hug her💗 

We voted ..... all three adults at our house:)

This beauty got finished and immediately became an invitation for puzzles. She was an absolute beast to get inside. Didn't intend to go for too much of a weathered look, but we bumped her up pretty good.

We made someone pretty happy when we delivered our annual newsletter.... just look at that smile:) 

It was close, but I think we are off  the "list" {at least for that;}

:)

Favorite Things and the rest of our Utah visit

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we had our 2nd annual Favorite Things luncheon. 

I forgot to get a picture of all the favorites, but it's fun to see what the girls are loving and even more fun to go home with a handful of new things to try. It was a pretty perfect afternoon for me. Love spending time with my mom and sisters (and niece;). I wish Leslie and Kristin would have been able to make it. 

After a few hours of eating, talking and gift exchanging,  Shana and I took my mom to the Chocolate Covered Wagon while everyone else headed home. It was actually not too bad around Gardner Village. The skies were clear ... cold but clear. Not too crazy with shoppers, considering it was Small Business Saturday. I loved pushing my momma around and wish she wouldn't feel like she is a nuisance or in any ones way.... because she's not. This was our attempt at getting a selfie as we strolled .... funny girls!

While I was enjoying time with the girls, Mark took our girls to do a little shopping and visit his parents for a while. Later that evening, Jami, Kole and Hazen came by to hang out with us.

Shana had also stayed around and we watched/listened to the BYU/UTAH game. It was a heart breaker {for many in that house}.

Sunday morning we headed for home filled with more memories to carry us through until the next time. We got an early start. The interstate had been closed due to a snowstorm, but we had clear roads through Rock Springs. 

 It changed quickly between there and Rawlins.  The roads were pretty bad, but we were a little confused why traffic was so backed up. We were nearly at a standstill for quite some time. 

 Still not sure what exactly happened here, whether it was wind or slick roads, but this was one of 4 we encountered on this stretch of I-80

 It went from bad to worse!  The photos are deceiving. Blowing snow and really slick roads had traffic in both directions moving at 15-20 mph. Scary stuff! We have made hundreds of trips back and forth on this road over the years and aside from the time it closed and we had to stay in Rock Springs, this was the worst. We had some bad luck both coming and going on this visit.