My FEBRUARY HOMESCHOOL Plans

The end of the month means I get to plan the next month's activities! Due to various things, we've been in survival mode the last few weeks; we were able to do some of the activities I had planned for January, but not all. I'm going to plan some easier activities in February and just know that I will get to what I can get to and not worry about what I can't get to. 

Monday, February 1 

Make Valentine's Decorations - This is a simple and fun one, that they can enjoy all month as we put their paper creations on the wall. 

Tuesday February 2 

Ground Hogs Day Coloring Pages - I have found some cute printables on Pinterest that I think the girls will use. It will be easy and introduce them to what Ground Hogs Day is. We'll also find a homeschool video online talking about Ground Hog's Day and watch to see what the groundhog does this year. 

Wednesday February 3 

Make cards for Mailman - Thursday is Thank a Mailman Day, so I thought the day before, the girls could make simple cards to leave in the mailbox for him. 

Thursday February 4

Valentine's Day Volcano - You add Valentine's confetti to baking soda and pink food coloring to the vinegar. Then it's volcano like normal! 

Monday, February 8

Valentine's Dot Painting - The kids love these pages, and always end up making their own pictures afterward. It's a simple activity with very little prep. 

Tuesday February 9 

Make Valentine's Bookmarks - The girls always love getting bookmarks from the library and I think they'll really enjoy making their own. I found these cute printables off Pinterest and it should be easy to glue them onto cardstock paper for the girls after they color them. 

Wednesday February 10 

Make Valentine's Day Cards - The girls love making cards for people. I don't know who they will want to make them for, but for their dad and probably some cousins and grandparents. I want to do it a little early so I can get them in the mail on time. 

Thursday February 11

Pattered heart coloring pages - This is a simple activity that will be good for a variety of ages. Ashtyn can color with attention to detail, Parker can color the different hearts, and Rylee can just color. 

Monday, February 15 

Pokemon Color by Numbers - The girls have been really into Pokemon lately and I think they'll love these coloring pages. 

Tuesday February 16

Make Color Disappear Science Experiment - You use bleach to make food coloring disappear from clear cups of water. I think the girls will love it and it's a really simple activity. 

Wednesday February 17 

Playdoh - I mentioned last month that we don't do playdoh as much as I would like, so I want to plan at least one day a month when I let the girls get out our playdoh stuff. I have a recipe for homemade playdoh with flour and salt that I love. It's super easy and quick and I don't have to worry if Rylee decides to eat it. Last month when we got out the playdoh, they literally played with it all day until it dried out and we had to throw it away. They love playdoh! 

Thursday February 18

Color a United States Map - I've been wanting to do more geography stuff with the kids. They love looking at maps and learning about other places. This is a simple thing to do while we're in survival mode while to get started with it. We know people who live in different areas of the country, so it'll be fun to show the girls where they live as well. 

Monday, February 22 

Make paper books - I planned to do this last month with the girls, but we never got to it. It's an activity we've done before that they enjoy. We take a single piece of paper and turn it into a book that the girls can then color. 

Tuesday February 23 

Letter Hunt - This is another activity that I wanted to do last month but didn't get to. You put letters around your house and let your kids find them! 

Wednesday February 24 

Make Chocolate Covered Nuts - For Chocolate Covered Nuts Day, I thought the girls might like to help me make some. We have a yummy chocolate recipe that uses cocoa butter and maple syrup, and then we can pour it into our mini silicone muffin pans. 

Thursday February 25

Make up fairy tales together - The 26th is National Fairy Tale Day and I thought the kids would love making up their own. Parker loves telling stories and Ashtyn has written her own before. I could help them write them down if they wanted. Ashtyn might want to write her own (with my help with spelling) and Parker could draw pictures from hers.

Some of the trials we are experiencing as a family are going to continue into February and I know it won't be an easy month. I am grateful for my kids and my family, though, and I know we can still make wonderful memories together. 

Joy in Motherhood

 Sometimes in life, the simplest things are the ones that bring the most joy. I find so much joy in my children through simple, everyday acts. I just wanted to record some of those today. 

                                    

Parker drawing 

This is the one that actually got me thinking about this post. I was sitting next to Parker at church watching as she drew different pictures and it filled my heart with so much joy. She's just at the stage where she is drawing things that look a little bit like what they are supposed to look like, but she is still in the phase that little kids go through where their drawings look unrealistic (things like no necks or really long fingers). I love watching her create pictures and tell me about them and she has such an imagination! 

Ashtyn getting excited about something new 

Ashtyn loves to learn new things and she gets very excited about them. These subjects include math, learning to program her own games, playing Pokemon on her DSI, drawing, fishing, playing chess, riding her bike, piano (and learning songs she wasn't assigned to learn). It brings so much joy to see her passion for learning and to watch as she applies herself to something. It also brings so much joy to see the joy it brings her as she struggles with something and then has a break through! 

The kids learning a new skill 

This is similar to the above, but one of my favorite parts of parenting is watching my children learn new skills. This starts as they are babies and master all the "firsts"--rolling over, walking, talking. But it only gets better as they get older! As Parker learns to say words the correct way and is proud of herself or as Ashtyn learned to ride a bike (and it was hard at first!), it is so fulfilling as a mother. I am so glad I get a front row seat to their learning, growing, achievements, and struggles. 

Ashtyn (and her sisters!) reading 

This could count in the above ones, but reading has such a special place in my heart, I can't help but love that my kids love books. Ashtyn has reached a tipping point with reading where she is now able to read small chapter books (Magic Tree House) on her own. She doesn't get every word right, but she gets enough to tell what's going on. She stays up every night with her lamp until I tell her to turn it off, reading in her book. She also loves to carry it around the house and read it other times as well. My favorite thing is when I'm reading on the couch and she brings her book and sits next to me to read. 

Parker doesn't read on her own yet, but she loves when I read to her (something that I worked very hard to cultivate, because she didn't love to read or sit still when she was younger!). My favorite thing is when she takes a book and looks through it on her own. She'll do this often, and for up to an hour at a time. I love that she appreciates books. 

And Rylee is such a cutie with books too. When she was first learning to talk in sentences, her most common was to ask Ben or I to read to her pleeeease. She brings me books still and asks if I will read it to her. 

Rylee talking 

Toddler age is one of my favorite stages. I think their bodies are so cute, I love the way their voices sound, and they are big enough to not be quite as much work (think 1 year to 18 months) but also not big enough to have quite as much sass. Rylee is in a stage where everything she says and the way she says it is adorable. It melts my heart every time I hear her talk (which is often!). 

The kids playing together 

Our kids definitely have squabbles and fights, just like any siblings, but nothing brings more joy than the times that they are playing with each other. They will play make believe often and I love seeing it. I also love seeing the times when they are snuggling together, sometimes all of them "reading" books or sometimes Ashtyn will read to the girls and it always melts my heart. 

Those are just a few of the small things in the life of motherhood that bring me joy. There are many more, including hugs and kisses and snuggles! Motherhood can be so hard at times, it is so important to recognize the blessings of it and to rejoice in the wonderful things! 

My 2020 in Review

I found this idea on YouTube and thought it was a really good way to look back at the previous year while thinking about the future. What was your 2020 year like?  

10 highlights

    · Trip to West Jordan to visit family and friends right before the pandemic really hit

    · Parker's birthday - we took her frog hunting out in the trees at Ben's parents house for her date and then did a Ballerina birthday party with family.

    · Rylee's birthday - we took her on a four wheeler ride to a swing out in the trees and then pushed her on the swing for a long time (her favorite thing). For her birthday, we did a Minnie Mouse party with family. 

    · Ashtyn's birthday - we went on a bike ride to the park with her and then played Pokemon Go at the park for her date. For her party, we did a Pokemon party with family and had both my mom and her cousins from out of town, which was really fun. 

    · Trip to North Dakota for Elizabeth's baptism - it was a long car trip, but it was so fun to see them and their new house. 

    · Starting homeschool - in September, we officially starting homeschooling. I sat down with the girls to find out what they wanted to focus on this year--Parker wanted to learn her letters, which we're still working on, and Ashtyn wanted to do art lessons and piano. She has also loved doing addition and subtraction worksheets. 

    · Going to the lake - we were able to go the lake quite often in the summer. We had a pass and live about fifteen minutes from one. We went with different family members different times (including cousins out of town) and even went night swimming after we put the girls down once! We went out on Danny's boat for fishing and often just went to hang out on the beach and swim to the dock. It's one of our favorite ways to spend a summer evening. 

    · Halloween - Halloween was really fun this year. All three girls had a lot of fun (Ashtyn was a Pokemon trainer, Rylee was her Pikachu, and Parker was Spider Gwen). Rylee especially loved all things Halloween all month and even kept up with her sisters for trick-or-treating. 

    · Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving was a lot different from what we had originally planned because of Covid, but it was still really nice. We had Ben's parents and his cousins come over for dinner. We spent the morning relaxing, the afternoon visiting and eating, and then the evening relaxing again. 

    · Christmas - the whole Christmas season was so nice this year. It felt like a healing period, to focus on the Savior and the things that matter most, after the year we'd had. We did a lot of fun activities, found ways to serve others, and enjoyed family as much as we could with everything the way it is.    

9 lowlights 

    · March, when everything was locked down. We were trying to stay away from everyone, including Ben's parents, and it was a rough time, The hardest were the wet and cold days. On warmer days, we got to go outside and that made a huge difference. 

    · Ben's Grandpa Gary passing away. We know he is no longer in pain, which we're grateful for, and we miss him. 

    · Some family moving away. Melissa and her family moved to North Dakota and Donovan and Jessica moved to Texas. We're excited for them both and know it's the right thing for their families, but we miss them! 

    · Finding balance - finding balance was a harder thing for me this year. I had a lot of responsibilities and things I was wanting to do and it was hard to find time for all of them. I've had to let some things go and learn to set boundaries in other places. 

    ·  Getting sick - at the end of October, Ben and I got sick. We still don't know if it was Covid, but we were suspicious at the time that that was what it was. We stayed away from everyone and just tried to survive with three kids while feeling sick. Ben had worse symptoms than I did.       

    · Iron deficiency - In the summer, I went through a period of having an upset stomach. I didn't feel good, it was hard to eat, and I was throwing up every day or two. It was bizarre. At first I thought it was a stomach bug, but then it lasted a long time. I also was very sure I wasn't pregnant. I tried some different things, and finally figured out it was an iron deficiency. I have been taking iron for a few years now but fell out of the habit in the summer without really thinking about it. When I realized I had stopped taking it, I looked it up and one of the top symptoms was nausea or vomiting. I took my iron and the next day I was feeling better. 

    · Not going to church - we haven't been able to do classes since March (or activities or normal sacrament). I'm grateful for what we can do now, but we all miss church. Just on Sunday, Parker was telling me she missed her class, because they teach her lovely lessons and give her candy. We can't wait until we can go back to the normal two hour block (and without masks!). 

    · Not traveling - we had a trip to Brazil planned for 2020 for the Rio temple, which obviously didn't happen. We also haven't been able to travel out to West Jordan to visit my family, and we've been missed them so much. 

    · Seeing others' trials - Seeing how other people have suffered and had trials this year has been hard to see. I wish I could do more to help them, and that they didn't have to face those trials. 

8 lessons learned 

    · This, too, shall pass 

    · We need to see people. Virtual doesn't replace in person. 

    · Even though church can be hard with kids, it's worth it. I miss it's influence. 

    · The devil really takes advantage of idle time

    · Routines can give comfort in hard times    

    · The prophet is inspired for our day and time 

    · Small changes lead to big results 

    · I am so very blessed

7 influential people 

    · Benjamin

    · Melissa

    · Lindi

    · My mom 

    · Makenzie 

    · My Kids

    · Sarah John      

6 things that made everyday better 

    · Good food, like pizza or homemade bread 

    · Being with loved ones 

    · Putting away my phone 

    · Good books 

    · Being outside, especially on a nice day    

    · Small habits that help me become who I want to be    

5 good books

    · Bonds that Make us Free by C Terry Warner 

    · Atomic Habits by James Clear 

    · Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

    · All that Makes Life Bright by Josi S. Kilpack 

    · The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale    

4 ways I invested in my future 

    · I wrote everyday on my novel (except Sundays, when I wrote on my blog)

    · I read parenting books and scriptures, had parenting affirmations and prayed to become a better parent

    · Started small and manageable habits related to my health to put myself on a better trajectory

    · I was active in my writing group and read a lot of craft books to improve my writing skill

3 adjectives to describe this year 

    · Long 

    · Family-centered 

    · Growth-inducing 

2 things that used to be hard that are now easy 

     · Writing everyday (a little bit; I'm still working on increasing my writing time) 

    ·   Prioritizing other things over my YouTube channel 

1 thing I could have changed to make this year better 

    ·  Eating better - During the stressful times, my go-to was to get take out. Sometimes this was for dinner, or sometimes this was Ben and I having a special date after the kids went down. Eating better is one of the biggest goals I have in my life and I am starting to take small steps to achieve that goal. I'm keeping the steps small so that they will be long lasting and consistent.    

My New Year's Goals 2021

This year, Ben and I have spent a lot of time learning about goal setting and habits. It's really changed the way we set goals and achieve them. We focus on systems and small but consistent changes that will help us change our trajectory. It matters more where we are headed than where we are right now. 

We've actually started having trajectory meetings together, to look at different areas in our life and where we'll end up in that area in five years if we don't make any changes. Then, we decide on a small change to implement to improve that trajectory. 

With the beginning of the year, we had another meeting and set some small goals to help change our trajectory. The changes are small, because when you take small steps, you're able to consciously change that long term. Once that small change has become an unconscious part of yourself, then you can make another small, consistent, conscious change in that same direction. It helps you to not burn out the way most new years resolutions do. 

Here are my plans for improvement moving forward into 2021. 

I'll start with reading, writing, and YouTube. 

Reading

I am on a positive trajectory with reading. If I continue as I have, in five years I'll have read a lot of great books, learned a lot from them, and learned to understand those who are different from me. I'll also have set a great example for my kids to continue reading as adults. My goal this year is to read 10-15 books a month. I want at least one of those to be nonfiction each month and one to be a classic each month. I have a lot of great habits in place for this (including times that I spend reading each day, the format that I read in like audiobook and eBook, and tracking my reading on both Goodreads and in my bullet journal). I am not going to make any changes to my reading system at this time. 

Writing 

I am on a positive trajectory with writing. In 2020, I wrote at least a little bit everyday. I made a lot of progress on my projects and I became a better writer. This year, I am focusing on setting a 30 minute timer to write in the mornings. This is something I started in 2020, but it hasn't become nonconsious for me yet. I also want to read 10 writing craft books. 

YouTube

I am not sure what my trajectory with YouTube is. It's been fluctuating the past little while. YouTube takes a lot of time, and I've struggled to find the balance with that in 2020, along with all my other focuses (including homeschool). As I've prioritized, YouTube has suffered a little bit, which helps me realize it's not a top priority for me. This year, my focus will be on staying a part of the community by watching videos and interacting with them. I will record, edit, and upload videos as time permits, but I'm not going to have a schedule or any sort of pressure to to upload videos. I will also probably do more laid back videos sometimes. I also want to stay active on Instagram, as that takes less time while allowing me to be a part of the online writing and reading community. 

Now on to the non-bookish parts of my life. 

Exercise 

I'm currently on a positive trajectory with exercise. I've been doing ten minutes of yoga with Ben each morning. Recently, I added ten push ups and ten squats to my routine. Because this is a recent addition, I'm not planning on making any changes right now. The next change I'm looking forward to making is adding walking and jogging on the treadmill we have.

Family Time 

We are on a a negative trajectory with this at the beginning of the year. We were not consistently spending time together after dinner. In fact, our go-to for survival was to turn on a movie. We knew this wasn't a good trajectory, so we decided to start small and do an activity together, even if it doesn't fill the entire evening and we turn on a show afterwards. We have made a running list of activities that are fairly easy to do that we will all enjoy and we keep it on the fridge. We have a reminder on our phones at 5:30 (about the time we finish dinner) to put away our phones and do something together. We've tried it this week and it's worked really well for us so far. 

Diet 

I am on a negative trajectory with diet. I find it really hard right now to eat well consistently. I am, I should mention, doing better with it now than I was at our last trajectory meeting, but I know I can do a lot better. The one change I want to make right now is to make a list of easy to make meals that I like that I can choose from when I'm not in the mood for whatever meal I meal planned, and then choose from that list instead of getting take out when we're trying to figure out dinner. I think eating out less (things like pizza or take out Chinese) will make a huge difference to my health. 

Relationship 

Ben and I are currently on a positive trajectory with our marriage. We have a lot of systems for connecting that are working well for us. The change we're making right now is to pray together each night, specifically to pray for help in seeing our children the way God does so that we can parent the way we want to. We have a reminder on our phones and we try to do it right after we put the girls down so I don't get too sleepy or fall asleep. 

One change I am making myself as a mother is to read from a parenting book as part of my scripture study. As soon as I'm done reading my scriptures in the morning, I have been opening up How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen on my Kindle App and reading for a few minutes. It's been amazing to see how much more I remember to parent the way I want to, and to see my kids in a good light, when I have that reminder in the morning. 

Gospel 

We are currently on a positive trajectory with the Gospel. One change Ben and I are making together is to play church/spiritual music more often during the week. We both feel the spirit strongly through music and we think it will bring a wonderful spirit to our environment to do that. Something I am doing myself is to read the Book of Mormon again this year along with the Come Follow Me program. I loved reading the Book of Mormon last year and I just love the Spirit it brings into my life. 

Those are the main areas that I am focusing on. I have loved this method for changing habits and becoming better. I've seen a lot of progress and I know that I will continue to get better as I focus on where I want to end up and the small changes I can make to get there. 

An AMAZING CHRISTMAS and WONDERFUL DECEMBER - Monthly Highlights

 Christmas has come and gone and we made a lot of amazing memories. December was a wonderful, relaxing, fun month for our family. 

On Christmas Eve, I woke up really early (4:15 am) and was too excited to go back to sleep. I got up and watched a Christmas Hallmark movie while I wrote some letters. Ashtyn woke up early as well and to keep her from waking up her sisters, I had her come down and sit with me on the couch. 

When the other girls woke up, we made breakfast. I made eggs, sausage, and bacon, and I had made rolls the day before. We also had some yummy breads that our neighbors had given us. It was a really good breakfast and we had leftovers for Christmas, which was perfect. 

After breakfast, I needed to make the pie still for Christmas Eve dinner (I had wanted to finish everything before Christmas Eve, but I didn't quite manage it). I put on a movie for the girls (they picked Barbie Nutcracker) and made the pie and ice cream. While the pie was baking, we got out board games and I played them with the girls the rest of the morning. They had been looking forward to playing games with me all week and they had a lot of fun. 

Then we had a quick lunch and put Rylee down for her nap. While she was sleeping, I packed the car with everything we would need for Christmas Eve and cleaned up the house for when we got home. Then I recorded Ashtyn playing her Christmas songs on the piano for her. 

As soon as Rylee woke up from her nap, we went over to Danny and Lindi's for an early Christmas Eve dinner. It was small, with just them and Hannah and Dalin and us, but it was really nice. We had turkey and other traditional foods and it was all really yummy. Then we did the nativity. Parker really wanted to be Mary this year, so we had Ben be Joseph. Ashtyn wanted to be a shepherd and Rylee was her sheep (Rylee crawled around since before her nap saying "Baa!"). The nativity on Christmas Eve is my favorite tradition and it was lovely. 

Parker brought her own hat and scarf to be a head covering for herself. 

Dalin was her donkey to ride on.

With baby Jesus in her tummy.

Wrapped him in swaddling clothes.

The Angel appearing to the shepherds.

Then Hannah had the girls open their presents from her (she was too excited to wait) and the girls had everyone open the presents they had made. Around 6:30, we went over to Ben's grandma's house for about an hour. It was really nice to see her on Christmas Eve, a tradition that Ben's family has had since he was little. 

She made them flower headbands. 

The girls were ecstatic.

When we got home, we did interviews in front of the tree with all the kids. Ben took the other kids upstairs to change into pajamas while I did each child. Then we opened up our Christmas Eve gift--this year we did blankets instead of pajamas and the kids were very excited. Then we set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer before snuggling up on the couch to read The Night Before Christmas and sing Silent Night together. Then we tucked the kids in and waited for them to fall asleep before finishing Christmas preparations. 

The next morning, Ashtyn woke up really early to check if Santa had come--he had! I made some eggs and heated up leftovers and took that up when Parker woke up (she slept until the normal time). We ate our breakfast upstairs and once we were all done and ready, we went downstairs to see all the goodies Santa brought. 

Christmas morning was so fun! Santa brought the girls everything they wanted and more. We got Rylee a slide and had set it up for her before we went to bed the night before and she was so excited. We could hardly get her to open any other presents because she was having so much fun sliding. We opened the gifts the girls made first, then Liselotte's gifts. Then we let the girls open their big gifts from us. It was a long process, since we gave the girls plenty of time between opening to let them play with some of their new toys. 

The first thing Parker wanted to do was put on her dress from Santa and then go find the headband Hannah had made her. 

Ashtyn and Ben gave Parker a "special surprise" by giving her the Gameboy.

And then Ben gave Ashtyn his old DSI, something she was wanting to save up for. 

It was a complete surprise to her and was her favorite gift.

Once everything was open, Ben and I took a shower and got ready for the day. Around 10:30, we went over to Danny and Lindi's. The girls each got to bring one of their new presents (Ashtyn brought her DSI, Parker brought her Barbies, and Rylee brought her kitty cat who she named Glitter). We ate treats and watched ballet and exchanged the couple of presents we had left (Danny and Lindi do a "Golden ticket" for a date during the year and a memory page of the last year's date, and we had a picture slideshow for them). We stayed until about 2:00, when we brought Rylee back for a late nap. 

Parker loved sitting with Auntie, eating candy and watching ballet.

During Rylee's nap, I read and then took my own nap. I was super tired from waking up so early and being up so late. After dinner, we watched Abominable together until bedtime. After we put the girls down, Ben and I watched a show together while we took down Christmas decorations. 

When I was packing, I asked Ben what clothes he wanted me to pack for him. Parker got really excited, ran upstairs, and came back with about a week's worth of outfits😂

The next morning, we woke up early and loaded up the car to drive to West Jordan. The drive out was really easy--the girls watched Swan princess and The Tigger Movie while drawing on their new drawing tablets the whole time. 

We stopped at my grandparents' house and visited for over an hour. It was so nice to see them. Then we went to my mom's and hung out their for a little while. After Rylee's nap, we went over to the church to see their cousins and let the kids play. It was sad to not do the traditional Christmas get together, but it was so nice to see who we did get to see. 

We already miss Grandma Dee! 

After we cleaned that up, my mom babysat the girls for us while Ben and I went and hung out with Jon the whole evening. It was so fun to catch up and watch some shows with him. I was too tired to stay super late, so we headed back to my mom's and went to bed.

The next morning, we loaded up and came back home. It was a quick trip and we wished we could have stayed longer, but we were so grateful to be able to go out and see some of the family we hadn't seen for a year. We hope we get to go back soon for a longer visit! 

Here are some other highlights from the month: 

This was technically in November, but I couldn't remember if I shared these pictures of us helping Danny and Lindi get a real tree.

The first day of December, we made countdown chains. Each night, we'd take one off and the girls loved it. 

We watched lots of Christmas movies and I got lots of snuggles.

We spent a morning making paper ornaments, then decorated a mini tree up in Parker's room.

This is Ashtyn's baby Jesus on a star.

Parker's Christmas tree

Ashtyn's gingerbread man.

Parker's gingerbread man.

Ashtyn's tree.

My mom got the girls these beautiful white dresses.

Parker especially loved hers and would wear it as often as I let her.

We spent one Sunday morning decorating the tree before taking pictures in front of it.

There weren't any events where the kids could sit on Satna's lap, but Santa came to our house! We invited Makenzie, Koy's cousins, and Ashtyn's friend Elsee to come see him with us. Parker was so excited, she jumped into his lap first and kept trying to give him presents. 

Rylee loved Santa. She was a little shy on his lap, but after her turn was over, she kept trying to climb up on the couch with him again.

Ashtyn was cute with Santa. She tugged on his beard to see if it was real, but when he asked if she had any questions for him, she said no.

Santa was cute. After each child had a turn with him, he gathered them together to talk about the real meaning of Christmas and the symbols that point to Christ. 

One day, we made paper snowflakes to hang on the ceiling of the girls' rooms. Ashtyn made so many on her own and loved seeing the different patterns that emerged. She also loved making tiny ones.

Parker was able to make some snowflakes on her own, but her favorite thing was for me to make different hearts all over her snowflakes. 

I found a recipe online for homemade snow and it was a huge hit! I wasn't sure how Parker would feel about it, since she doesn't like to get messy, but she was actually the one who played with it the longest!

Ashtyn had fun making snowmen out of it. 

Rylee loved it. Eventually, she started trying to eat it (it was baking soda and hair conditioner), so we had to put it away from her. 

One morning, we had Makenzie and Navy come over and we did a Polar Express party. We had tickets, read the book, watched the movie, and ate popcorn and hot chocolate in our pajamas. 

We spent one day making gifts for siblings and Ashtyn had a couple extras she wanted to make. The kids had fun with it.

Parker liked making the gifts, but her favorite part was wrapping them and then putting them under the tree. After she put them under the tree, she would find whoever the gift was for and give them a big hug.

Rylee was pretty young to understand the concept of giving gifts, but she loved the painting part! 

Rylee loved bells! She had a little collection that she would carry around, including her silver bell and her jingle bell. Her favorite song was Jingle Bells and she had me sing it to every time she went to sleep. 

The girls had a lot of fun helping me make gingerbread cookies, coloring paper ones while they waited for their turn with the cookie cutters. I just used store bought frosting to decorate. 

We ended up with a few extra plates we were able to give away, even with halfing my recipe. 

We used graham crackers to make gingerbread houses this year. We also used upside down ice cream cones to make trees to go with the houses. We invited Makenzie and Koy to come decorate with us. Ben put the houses together while Makenzie and Koy and I helped the kids decorate. 

These are the finished products of the paper gingerbread men Parker did. 

One night when i had young women's, Ben did a Pokemon party with the girls. As part of that, they drew Pokemon. Parker's was the first one and it was sad type. Ashtyn's was the second and it was Christmas type. 

I had bought these jewel stickers, and one day the girls used these and markers to decorate paper trees. It was a great activity for all ages, since Rylee could do it mostly on her own and Ashtyn could make it more difficult for herself. 

One tradition we have is to make a new ornament as a family. This year, we used Ashtyn's perler beads to make a Christmas tree.

This was our dancing Craisins experiment. You put baking soda and vinegar in a jar with water and Craisins. The Craisins then dance up and down in the jar, something the kids love to watch.

We did a lot of baking, especially at the end of the month. Rylee was my biggest helper, always wanting to mix for me. The other girls would play or watch movies more, but Rylee stayed with me most of the time in the kitchen. 

Homemade Christmas Oreos. 

Sugar cookies! 

Rolls

Bread and strawberry jam

One night as we were getting ready for bed, I came in and found the girls like this, snuggling while Ashtyn read Rylee How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

Ashtyn was really excited to get the Magic Tree House books from Grandma Dee and has started reading them on her own. It's her first chapter book and she's really excited. 

The girls set this up on their own ...

I quickly moved it lol 

This was the first time sledding. There's a little sand hill behind Danny and Lindi's house and it was the perfect size for the girls. 

We also got to relax a lot together, especially after Christmas. 

I didn't get any pictures of my birthday, but it was wonderful! Ben got the girls breakfast and made me eggs so I could just relax, and then I read most of the morning with some of my Christmas candy. After naps, Lindi babysat for us and we went to dinner with my mom and Luke's birthday present to us. We went to Swain's Brothers, Vernal's steakhouse. It was yummy. Then Ben took me on a surprise shopping trip to pick out some picture frames for some family pictures. It was a perfect day.

In the afternoon of my birthday, Ashtyn got to go on her golden ticket date with Grandma and Grandpa. She really wanted to go ice fishing and had so much fun! She got to bring some home and we fried it up. The girls love fish. 

Ashtyn was excited on New Year's Eve, because Ben and I let her stay up a little late with us (9:30). We had a special strawberry lemonade drink and played Monopoly deal. Ashtyn had so much fun and felt so grown up. 

This is one of Parker's drawings. The girls got these from Santa and from Grandma Dee and they are constantly drawing on them now. 

These are little papers I had the girls fill out for the New Year. I thought their answers were cute, especially when both Parker and Ashtyn told me (separately!) that the place they most wanted to go this year was Grandma Dee's house 💗

It was such a wonderful month and, despite the craziness and hard times, a wonderful year as well. We're looking forward to 2021 and getting back into our normal routine for January.