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Family Fun

Scattered Pre-Christmas Update

This has been an exciting time of year! Our only Christmas party was our church party at the very beginning of the month, we got our shopping done early, we didn’t do Christmas cards, and we’re not traveling, so it’s been a very chill time for us.

One thing we’ve been up to is this: We’ve been eating tons of sugar. TONS. Especially Yours Truly. I think we’ve had a record number of treats from neighbors this year, and most have been brought over within the last week… So you’d think that we wouldn’t be baking any sweets. But of course, we love to make treats! We made lots of decorated sugar cookies to hand out to the neighbors. And here’s Chase, making some delicious No-Bake Cookies. He did it all himself and I just told him what to do! And then I ate most of them afterwards!

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The picture below is NOT very cute, but it’s one I took recently of all three kids together! I love them. All three have blue eyes. How did this happen? “McCulloch Blue is dominant,” as Granddaddy would say!

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We got together recently with Becky & her kids, plus her nephew. Between the two of us, we had 8 kids running around at the Del Taco play place. Awesome! We always get together around our birthdays in December (the rest of our December birthday roommate group has moved away). The original plan this time was to grab some lunch, then take all the kids to a jumpy place, but this play place was fun & FREE so we ditched the first idea & bribed our kids with treats.

I love Becky. She was in my church stake back home & we’ve been friends ever since we met when we were 12. She is just a wonderful, talented friend & mom and I like to hang out with her not only because she’s fun, but also in hopes that some of her awesomeness will perhaps rub off on me!! (Photo courtesy of Chase)

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My birthday was great! Pace took the day off work, which made all the difference. Among other things, we went ice skating in the morning as a family while GG held Caroline. Pace is just so hot when he speed skates with ease and does some of his old hockey tricks, like the hockey stop. I just love it! As for Chase, he is doing really well at ice skating & is almost ready for hockey! He practiced with us wearing hockey skates, which were more slippery, but he did just fine.

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This is my cousin Leann & two of her three girls. Her oldest is 9! She just had twins as a surrogate mother. Surrogacy is a controversial topic, but I was so amazed by her decision to help a couple have their very own children, when they couldn’t do it on their own.

We visited Leann in the hospital when she had the twins a few weeks ago, & I choked back tears to meet the couple and to see them showing off their twins (girl & boy who were 5 & 6 pounds. Healthy & adorable)!

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We haven’t had much snow at all around here so far. But when we do, here is what our front walkway generally looks like. Sometimes I make them clean it up, & sometimes I just do it myself. And when I walk over to put things away, my socks get wet from the snow that has been tracked in the house. Someday I’ll miss this!

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Random photo. I just love reading books with my kids! I get this from my mother. Kids’ books are a lot of fun and I can actually focus through the whole book, unlike adult books! They love that book that Chase is holding, Tikki Tikki Tembo. Weird book. But they love to shout Tikki’s entire name as I read it: “Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo!!!” Good times.

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And a funny picture below from a while ago. Just had to post it!

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