Moore and Moore: 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year's Week

We started off the week by having Izzy and Siena spend Sunday night with us. The girls thought the sleepover was awesome. Andrew adds a different dynamic and the girls scream whenever he gets near them, but then when I give him special activities to do downstairs with me they of course want to be with him which then reminds him that he could be with the girls so I end up refereeing the whole time. ;) Hopefully this little brother will even things out eventually. That evening I got a really bad migraine and was tossing my cookies and I didn't sleep very well which kind of lead to me being tired the rest of the week. Tuesday morning I was dragging. Steve went skiing with Dad, Jake, and Nate and I was trying to get the kids ready to go up to Mt Green to spend the night with Mimi and Grandpa. Venessa invited me to go to the temple with her so I was trying to get ready for that, pack the kids, and get ready for Steve's Christmas work party that evening (the reason why the kids were staying the night). We eventually made it up and Venessa and I enjoyed a nice visit to the temple for intiatory work. Steve and I got ready in Mt Green for the work party and then met his co-workers at Roosters for dinner. After which we went back to the office to play some games. It was an enjoyable evening. When Wednesday morning came we relaxed a bit, but were trying to get ready to go to the movies. It is always a little different to wake-up with out kids, but it was nice to just have the two of us for a bit. We went to the 9am showing of Star Wars then off to my doctor's appointment. We hit Costco to pick up a few things and some lunch to take to Mt Green where we spent the afternoon visiting and finishing setting up their new tv system. We came home and had a quick dinner, put the kids to bed and I was exhausted. As I laid down in bed I realized that I didn't decorate the banister for our New Year's Eve party as usual. I was too tired to get back out and decided I would have the girls help me during Andrew's nap time. Then we decided on Thursday to go to the Clearfield Aquatic Center to go swimming since we had 3 passes that would expire that day. We fed everyone a quick lunch and headed off. Andrew played on the little kids structure for almost 45 minutes, he even enjoyed going down the slide after I stood there with my arms out and said I would catch him. The girls played around in the lazy river and other pool area. Then Ellie came asked if Steve would take her down the big slide. After one round she went down by herself and Steve took Lila down a couple of times. Then Andrew went down and every time as soon as they got to the end he would say, "Again. Again." He probably went down the big slide 6 or 7 times. He got pretty cold so we took him out and wrapped him in the towels for a bit while the girls kept swimming and Steve sat in the hot tub. Then he said he wanted to play some more so we got back in the pool for 15 minutes before calling our 2 hour swimming adventure a success. He came home and crashed for a nap. I was also tired so I got french bread dough rising and laid down for a bit (which is when we were supposed to decorate the banister--oops). Anyway when I got up we started making homemade pizzas for dinner. Everyone wore their 2016 glasses and drank sparkling cider.

We played our new 2016 Just Dance game--a family favorite game.

Then we watched some firework shows on YouTube while enjoying some fudge and then let the kids pull some party favor like firework things--they all loved that.

Then we decided instead of popping balloons with jokes in them the girls could read us a few jokes from their new joke books they got in their stockings, that was fun. Then we brushed teeth said prayers and put Andrew to bed. I let the girls stay up a little later and play SpotIt with me (I may have been feeling a little guilty that I never did the traditional banister thing this year). Then I sent them off to bed by saying, "See you next year." They thought that was pretty funny. So, we'll see you next year too.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Holly Jolly Christmas

Steve had put a big piece of cardboard up so the girls couldn't get to the railing and peak at the presents. We also gave them the spare cell phone and told them they could call us after a while, but to try and relax until at least Andrew was up. A few minutes before 7 we heard a door open and shut and knew the excitement would soon begin. So we got up and started getting ready. We could hear the girls running around excitedly and then they would come close to the cardboard wall and giggle at us. Andrew was still sleeping so we told them to relax a little more. Finally at 7:30ish I went up changed Andrew's diaper and took down the cardboard. The kids giggled with excitement the whole way down the stairs. The girls went straight to their stuff and began ooh and ahhing over it.

Andrew wasn't for sure what was happening and stood behind the girls like this for a minute.

Then he found his pile of goodies.

The kids played with their Santa stuff for almost 30 minutes and then I went and put some Christmas eggs (a recipe I found on one of my favorite food blogs--you cook the eggs in a muffin tin with some cream, easy and excellent) in the oven to bake to go with banana muffins and cinnamon bread we had. While the eggs baked we opened the rest of our Christmas presents. Andrew understood opening presents and got all excited--he took his presents over by Grandpa to open them.

It was a simple and sweet Christmas. The kids played with their new toys all morning. Lila wore her Elsa and Anna dresses several different times-trading back and forth. Steve and Ellie took her remote control car out for a spin in the fresh snow and then eventually built a track with jumps and stuff. For lunch we had ribs, mashed potatoes & gravy, rolls,and a strawberry spinach salad. Then we went up to Mt Green and did some sledding, the girls played with Izzy and Siena for a bit, and Steve installed Mimi & Grandpa's new TV system.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Stockings Are Hung

by the chimney with care . . . Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The notes and Christmas cake are left out for Santa.

Really cute notes this year: Lila wrote, "You know I believe in you." Santa wrote back, "I believe in you too."

We watched Mr Krueger's Christmas and then talked about sharing the joy and knowledge we have of the Savior with others and then we watched a Nativity video before going to bed.

Noel

Another fun year has come and gone in the Moore household...

Ellie (9) worked hard this year to memorize 4 Christmas songs on the piano. This year she also started doing ballroom dance through the school. So she gets up early twice a week to go to her dance class. She loves to come home and practice with Dad (Steve took ballroom a couple of times at BYU, once earlier in his education--he thought it would help him woo the girls and then a second time with me--unfortunately, I don't remember much of the class, guess I'll have to start practicing).

Lila (6) has the opportunity this year to participate in a singing and dancing company that performed at the Festival of Trees and she had a solo at the Christmas recital. She continues to amaze us at how much Chinese she is learning and how well she is reading (this skill has revolutionized bedtime for me--everyone in bed by 7:30 reading for a little bit).

Andrew (2) loves to sing and dance with his sisters. He loves to play Just Dance Disney on the WII with the girls. He has quite the vocabulary, we call him a parrot because he will repeat anything you say and then use it correctly the next time. One thing he says often comes after we ask him to do something or stop doing something; He'll say, with a teenage dramatic flare, "Oh, fine." (think he got that from one of his sister's--ahem, Lila). He also loves to help me cook and will call everyone to the table for, "bweakfast."

Steve has a policy of no Christmas music, decorations etc before Thanksgiving. Well that is kind of hard to adhere to when the kids are learning Christmas songs in their music classes. So with all of the above going on we have been hearing Christmas music since September. That seems to be how life goes, you make a plan and then do your best to adapt to what actually happens. I didn't think I would be having a baby this late in life, but we are excited to welcome #4 in February. I thought for sure it was a girl and the doctor said something to that affect at one of my appointments so we decided to find out and make it an early Christmas present--I was shocked and quite excited to find out we'll be having another boy. I imagine he and Andrew doing karate classes and such together as the girls do gymnastics and dance stuff together. The kids are growing and learning so fast it continues to be the highlight and sometimes the drudgery of our life. Steve and I joke about how we've extended our retirement age by having another baby, but we love our little family and are so grateful for each of their little personalities and the light they bring to our lives. We are grateful for this time of year to reflect and sing Noel about the Birth of our Savior.

We wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Steve, Britney, Ellie, Lila, Andrew & Baby Boy

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Buckley 2nd Annual Christmas Party/Games

The kids were so excited about the Christmas party. This morning Steve and my Dad made a drive down to Draper together--Dad had a doctor appointment and Steve needed to get some things from a company he's consulting for there. Andrew was so sad Grandpa did not come in to play with him that after shutting the garage he came in and threw himself on the floor and cried, "Grandpa. Grandpa."

When they returned, he was taking an early nap so that we could head up to the party. As we were waiting for Andrew to wake-up from his nap Lila kept running around the house saying, "I'm so excited for the party." (driving me crazy of course). When we arrived we were able to visit with Jake, Marcee and Anson for a little bit. Then Venessa and her family came and we ate a wonderful dinner and then were ushered downstairs to clean-up for the games. The kids were given their annual Christmas pajamas from Mimi & Grandpa to open.

Then the Christmas games began. Mimi & Grandpa had setup a bunch of Minute to Win-It games for cash prizes. The kids cheered us on and even participated in a few. Andrew was quite hilarious clapping and cheering throughout all of the games. We had a good time, playing and laughing.

Then we went upstairs to open Christmas presents

and the kids were greeted by these adorable tents with their names on them.

The last present of the night was to everyone from us so we let all the kids open it. We found out the baby's gender and decided to announce it as a Christmas present. All the adults were surprised and excited especially since we all thought it was going to be a girl due to some confusion from the doctor and what I was feeling. The kids were a little confused by the present and Lila kept looking down at the sign. Marcee finally explained that she was right--the baby is a boy. It was fun.

I was a little worried that we might get snowed in at Mountain Green because they had received a lot of snow the previous 24 hours and it was quite windy causing things to drift and be slick, but Steve cautiously and safely drove us home. We stopped at a house on Gentile that does lights correlated to music and let the kids watch for a couple of songs and then we came home and sent everyone to bed. I asked Andrew if he wanted to wear his new dinosaur pajamas and he said, "football. football." He had received a BYU football jersey from Mimi and Grandpa and somehow recognized and remembered it and insisted on wearing it to bed so I let him put it on over his pajamas.

Such fun memories. Oh, the kids made little ornaments for Mimi & Grandpa. The girls made a little nativity and Andrew beaded a candy cane pipe cleaner--he was so excited to work on that yesterday and when he got done he kept saying, "I maked it." and then clapping. We told him to give it to Mimi and say, "Merry Christmas." Which he did and then he insisted on telling her that he 'maked' it and hanging it on her tree for her. :) Ellie also wrote everyone a note on a paper Christmas ornament she made (always so thoughtful). Lila proclaimed it to be, "The best Christmas party ever!"

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Christmas Recitals

We have had a flurry of Christmas performances starting with Ellie's piano recital on Friday the 4th. She performed Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and did ok--it wasn't her best performance and I felt bad that I hadn't recognized she needed a little bit more help (or push) to make it good. It is a hard balance to find letting them practice/work on their own and when to push a bit.

Lila then performed at Festival of Trees on Saturday the 5th.

She then had her Christmas Recital on Tuesday the 8th where she did a singing solo and a dance number we hadn't seen yet.

Then Ellie performed two dances at a school assembly today she learned in her ballroom class.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Gingerbread Extravaganza

Back on Andrew's birthday I made a quick run to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick-up another noise maker (turns out our kids really like sleeping with them). So after Activity Day's I took all my coupons and the kids and we went to the store. While there, we found a vast assortment of gingerbread houses. Ellie picked an Elf one and Lila quickly fell in love with a Frozen one. I thought sure why not . . . then I wondered if we should get Andrew one and I discussed it with the girls. We looked around a bit and couldn't really decide then shoved back behind some other gingerbread houses we found a Minion one and knew we had to get it. They've been stashed away for a month and we decided to put them together while we watched the 2015 First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. Unfortunately, Andrew did not take a nap before our 1pm church so he was quite frantic and tired during the activity so he eventually went to bed while the girls' finished theirs. Ellie just decorated happily after Steve helped her set it up and Lila needed a little bit more assistance from Mom because her's was a sugar cookie and was a bit more intense, but it turned out so cute. Then Andrew and I spent the week finishing his at random times. He was quite excited about it the next day and would even grab the frosting bag and dab frosting everywhere he could.