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.