Mic Drop Bowl Game

The priests and teachers have been talking smack about football.  They were going to play a game last month but the weather didn't cooperate.  Last Sunday one of the priests went into the teacher's quorum to challenge the teachers to a football game.  When he went to leave he tried to do the mic drop but kind of tossed it instead.  The teachers thought it was hilarious and named the game the "Mic Drop Bowl Game."

They met at the high school Saturday morning and, with the Bishop as the ref, they played a 5 on 5 football game.  In the end, the priests won 10-9 but Ethan made a touchdown and "a bunch of other great plays."

Fun ward!!

Gingerbread Army

I needed to make cookies for a cookie exchange, Courtney's piano recital, neighbor gifts and the Primary (as a favor to the primary chorister) so I decided to make a huge batch of gingerbread men that could be used for each occasion.  My gingerbread men aren't made with molasses and are soft and chewy, so people really like them.

It looks like a little army.

Christmas Lights on Our House

Ethan put the lights on our house this year.  It's great having a teenager!  I helped him borrow the ladder from the neighbors and then we got the lights on the house.  He was really gung ho...at first.  But it was hard work so he decided that a strand on the outline of the front was plenty.

Christmas Piano Recital

It is time for Courtney's Christmas piano recital.  She did a great job practicing her songs and had a lot of fun getting them ready.

She won the drawing and got a piano bag, piano book and a huge chocolate kiss.  She was pretty happy!

Here are her songs.

Looking at Christmas lights

Another of our Christmas traditions is to make hot chocolate, load in the van and drive around to look at Christmas lights and the Temple.  This year we drove to The Gardens on Red Hills Parkway.  It is a garden full of native plants to the area where people can get ideas on what plants work well in desert gardening and landscaping.  We hadn't been there before and were amazed at how beautiful it was all decorated in lights.  The pictures I took don't do it justice at all.  They even had Candyland!  It was amazing.

 

We went to the temple after that to watch the Nativity and look at lights.

We always take a picture in this arch.  It's crazy to see how big the kids are getting!

Courtney took this picture.  This is how the temple looks from her vantage point. ;) 

Typical brotherly love to his little sister...

It was the perfect night for walking around and looking at lights.  Usually it is either really cold or rainy, but this was great.

PDT (Performance Dance Group)

Courtney had her first dance performance of the new season.  It was at a half time of a tournament held at Dixie High School.  It was only for the Jr. All Starzz and the younger girls.  They did a great job!

 The hair this year is a curly pony tail which was so much easier than the bun from last year!

Here is the video:

Gingerbread Houses

We made our gingerbread houses last week.  I think the kids want to continue this tradition just so they can eat the gingerbread houses!

They glued the house together with royal icing...

 Eating as much frosting as went on the house.

 And eating the candy also...

 One candy for the house...one for the mouth...

The finished product ... but it didn't last long.  Ethan's broke apart when he tried to move it and so he just ate it.

Courtney made a North Pole house with lots of candy shingles.

It was a fun night!