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!

Orchestra Concert

Courtney had her Christmas orchestra concert.  She loves where she sits because she is next to her best friend and they share a stand.  They are a really good orchestra.  I think it helps that many of them took early morning orchestra for 2 years before they started at Lava Ridge.  This is their third year playing together.

 She and Sammie got to introduce the first song together,

Cabbage Countdown:

Winter Wonderland:

Polar Express:

Linus and Lucy:

Sour Pop Rocks

Courtney got some Santa Sour Pop Rocks from somewhere and decided to share them with Ethan.  If you don't know this already it may be important for you to know that Ethan will eat anything that is sitting around.  He once drank cooking oil because it thought it was apple juice and it was just sitting around.  So when Courtney asked if he wanted some pop rocks he was quick to say yes....he didn't know they were sour!

Here is what it sounded like..

Here is what Courtney's sounded like...

Soccer Pictures

It was time again for soccer team pictures.  We have the BEST photographer who does an amazing job and is so patient with the crazy girls on the team.  This year we went to Tonaquint Park and they posed on the bridge.

We got there and, while the girls were having individual pictures taken, the ones who were finished played in the leaves.  They had a blast throwing them and making a heap to jump into.

 What a cute bunch of girls!

Playing in the leaves.

 Courtney is starting to do the "Calvin and Hobbes" thing now.  Ugh!!  She makes faces all the time!

When the pictures were finished the girls wanted to throw leaves and have the photographer take their pictures.  She was so nice that she did it!

Geckathon Awards

There was an awards assembly for the Geckathon participants.  It wasn't a huge deal but it was fun to see all the kids who participated.  They gave them a beautiful certificate and then their shirt.

 She moves too fast!

 What a great time!!