The Beginnings of December

I love being able to volunteer in my kids classes. This week I was working on reading recognition with the students. 

We didnt have time to build the gingerbread house from Grandma Jan so it was one of the first things the kids requested to do when we got home. 

They're so good to share these days.

Tyce helped me remove the lights last year so I figured he'd like to help this year.

There's only about 1/3 of it that is just too tall for him but he hung up all the rest!

It's so nice to have help with this! 

Makayla's lesson for FHE was on the birth of our Savior.

Kaly is getting really good at playing while we sing.

Tyce was in charge of the game. He'd written scenarios on the backs of the fishes and we had to decide if it was kind or not kind.

More of Makayla's lesson.

We made delicious snowmen for our treat. 

The kids were totally ok about this idea.

Random picture of my kids sleeping. At the end of the bed. 

Aunt Heather sent the kids their very own advent calendar. 

I LOVE sending Christmas cards. I love hearing from my friends. I love hearing updates. I love getting to see beautiful family photos. I always underestimate how long it'll take me. It took me about 2 movies to stuff, stamp, address and close each envelope. With Makayla's help at the end because she loves putting on the stamps and return labels. 

This dude built a fort. 

Chore bucks reward: Staying up past bedtime. Makayla invited her brother (who also had enough to pay) so we could all play a game together.

Tyce came home from school with this giant plate of cookies. Whoah! Fun! This is his teachers thank you gift to the parents who help out each week. The kids were certainly pleased. :)

I only got one picture the entire night of Tarl's family work Christmas party. They hold it at the local fun center and we get pizza and wings and the kids get to play arcade games, mini golf, and laser tag. Tyce was especially excited because you have to be 7 to do laser tag so last year he couldn't. So they played a bunch.

Tarl had to work but was able to stop by and eat a little bit with us. I was a bit nervous because, just as I'd expected we ran in and got a table, the kids put their coats down and went to play so I was sitting along for a while. It's hard to socialize alone when everyone else is with their families. But Tarl stopped by and I finally got the courage to talk to some familiar faces and it turned out great. I got to visit and have a good time. 

Tyce singing with his 1st grade class for their Christmas program. Everyone had one special thing to do and Tyce got to play a little beat stick for the song Up On The House Top. We were towards the back and he was up on the front row so we really didnt get to see him much cause we're a family of shorties.

Kaly 's choir class had a winter concert at the Stephens Performing Arts Center here in town. It's a big beautiful concert venue buliding so she was pretty darn excited to get to sing there.

Thanksgiving Trip to Utah

For the first time in many years Tarl was able to come to Utah with us for more than 24 hours. :) Though it still felt packed. There is always so much to do and not enough time to play and visit everyone and everything else we'd like to fit it.

These two are best buds.

Decorating our table toppers.

Grandma Jan and Kaly 

 

Heather and Kaly were pro's by the end.

They turned out so cute! What a fun idea.

In Jan's family they dress up for the Thanksgiving meal. I just couldn't get enough of my handsome boy. 

Tyce and Makayla cuddling up for the movie.

We went down to Utah County to visit Grandma Ruth after our yummy Thanksgiving dinner. She got moved into a new facility about a month or two earlier and it's beautiful. Feels very home-y, clean, and nice.

Heather is so great to grandma. She made her her very own pecan pie without the pecans (since she can't chew them). It was so cute to watch her enjoy her first little slice of her favorite pie. 

The next day we stopped by my Grandpa Duffin's place. It takes so long to sort through things after somenoe passes. As I'm finding out so much since I've lost 3 in the last 1.5 years.  My dad had put aside a handful of things that he thought Tarl would get a kick out of, vintage art supplies and tools. I found a few things I wanted like a bust of Brigham Young, and a few knick knacks. The kids all got to choose a few things to take home too.

But the mostly played while we searched. 

(I didn't take this but I wanted to document how cool it was!)

The Marriage Certificate of B. Cecil Gates and Gweneth Gibbs signed by Joseph F. Smith.

B. Cecil Gates was my Grandma Ruth Gates Duffin's father. He was also the son of Jacob F and Susa Young Gates and Susa was the daughter of Brigham Young. 

If you're wondering, Brigham Young is my great great great grandpa.

Tyce found this cool hat that he got to take home. He had my dad try it on too. I'm not certain but my best guess, I think this was the hat he wore around the construction sites at BYU? 

We also stopped by my moms grave. My friend shared an interesting thought last week as she was preparing for her mother to pass on in the next few days. After reading her thoughts I was sharing with Tarl what I came away with and wanted to note it here. I have faith in Jesus Christ. I have faith in the plan of Happiness. I have faith in my temple covenants. I have faith in my testimony. But it still hurts. And it's still painful. And it's still difficult. So while I'm sad at times, or tearful or sometimes I just want to do nothing for days it doesn't mean I don't believe and it doesn't mean I have lost trust in God. It just means it hurts. 

Halloween 2014

My pumpkin. I carved Tigger!

The evening in a nutshell (more pictures below). 

Spooky dinner and pumpkin carving for FHE, 

Mummy dogs. Makayla helped me cut and wrap them.

Kalyana's pumpkin. She did the entire thing on her own!

Makayla's pumpkin. Tyce cleared all her guts out for her.

Graveyard dirt pudding. Makayla made the pudding, everyone helped smash cookies and both girls helped write RIP on our gravestones.

Makayla likes to wear gloves. I can't tell if she doesn't like to get dirty, like her dad, or if she just likes to be girly. :)

T-dog. 

His was spiderman eyes and we were going to scrape the pumpkin but then realized we didnt have tools or know how on what we were doing.

KitKat

M-skittles. 

The crew at work.

Our ward had a trunk or treat the day before Halloween (hallelujah. I hate it when they do it ON the holiday. Halloween is fun/busy enough.) I think there were only 3 or so cars that had decorations. One had pumpkins on the ground and I think one had the paper teeth. Ours was by far the coolest. :) I can say that because it's true. Hahah. A handful of adults walked by and did a double take because they weren't expecting anything to be inside. This is one of my pride and joys, is hearing/seeing peoples reaction to my trunk creations. 

The kids trunk or treat outfits. I didn't direct them into any sort of pose. This is all their doing. And they're brilliant!

My trunk or treat costume.

Halloween is always a little celebration to my man and me. It's the day he asked me to marry him. :) 

I was in charge of Makayla's class party on Halloween. We had stations that the moms each helped run. Mine was making a joke book. I had all the books made and a bunch of jokes printed off so they just had to copy a few of their favorites into their books. It was a hit.

Makayla's in the middle in the purple.

Halloween 2014. Lambson crew.

Debbie and Tarl

Tarl's snazzy outfit. 

(Also I haven't bragged about it anywhere else, but I widened Tarl's pants so they could fit around his stilts and sewed all that straw onto his clothes, and it took me like 2 hours because that stuff wasn't going anywhere.)

I've usually done our spooky dinner on Halloween but this year I did it for FHE so our Halloween could be a bit more easy. (We're always doing a bunch of last minute decorations and costume modifacations and make up.) No stress dinner, I think this was a hit.  

Tarl took the kids out and I stayed home to pass out candy (again because I love hearing reactions to my hard work at decorating the porch). The went for about 1.5 hours and did really well. Then the girls wanted to go to a few more places so they went off alone for about 30 minutes. They got a good load!