Happy New Year's Eve...

We will be spending a not-so-quiet evening at home with Olive Garden to Go, a dance party, some movies, an apple cider toast, and some serious banging on the pots and pans!

Look What Santa Brought....

Merry Christmas! We hope everyone had a great day. We have enjoyed this Christmas Season very much and have tried to feel the love of the Savior as we think about his birth. Santa Clause did find us at our new home and brought the kids plenty. They were really excited about their new bows and arrows, and with a little coaching managed to hit the hay.... sometimes.

After a few misses we had to round up some more hay bales from the neighbors so we have somewhat of a hay fort going on in the back yard. There were far too many sailing into the mud. The kids have joked that it looks like we are training militants because in addition to the bows we got one pellet gun (Torey), three night vision binoculars, laser tag, pocket knifes, and a tomahawk. Weird. Taylor was delighted to find a cell phone in her pile, and Jake got a criss-cross crash which I think Reed was more excited about as he had one when he was a boy. All in all I would say between Santa and Grandparents the kids are pretty darned spoiled.

Temple Square...

When planning our Christmas to do list there were several requests for a trip to Temple Square to see the lights, at which point Jake informed us that he had never seen the lights. So after congratulating ourselves on being horrible parents we made arrangements with the cousins to go and see - and it was beautiful.

The weather will best be described as misty, but not intolerable. We saw a movie, walked around, and also ran into the best neighbors ever, with their recently returned missionary in tow. It was great to see the Miller's and to hang out with family.
Christmas is just around the corner and we can't wait!

Santa or Jake?

Due to economic uncertainty he had to let three of the reindeer go.

Gingerbread....

The kids really love my Grandma's gingerbread recipe and beg every year to make some. Last year Taylor single handedly wiped out an entire batch and subsequently grew 3 inches in a month. This year before it happened again we decided to try our hand at decorating...

We ended up with cookies in every variety and in every stage of life. Torey even decorated one who was "great with child" by adding mini gingerbread sprinkles to the belly. I had intended to give them away, but I think this batch is best left for our own family to enjoy!

Evans Family Party

Tonight was the annual Evans Family Christmas Party. We had a great time with good food, great people, and fabulous games. As you can see from some of the pictures, some of us took the games more seriously than others.

Here are the three resident teenagers who were so excited to be included in the activities. Everyone was included this year, much to their dismay!
Some of the parties guests were very deep thinkers like my Uncle Max. After the games the kids decorated cute ornaments with their handprints and then it was time for the evening to end. Many of us thought it was too soon, and can't wait until the next family game night.

Christmas Recital...

Tonight we were treated to a very special Christmas Piano Recital hosted by the world's best piano teacher, Natalie. She does a great job with the kids and is very encouraging even though she knows for a fact that they barely practice. I need to be a meaner mom.

Taylor played "Away in a Manger" and "Angels We Have Heard on High."
Jake did actually practice, and practice a lot! He played "Jingle Bells."
Torey played "What Child is This" and "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

They did pretty well, but the highlight of our night was getting to see all of our old neighbors who we love so much!

Our Saturday...

Our Saturday began with two basketball games at 11:00, at different schools of course. It was the first games of the season and Taylor and Jake's teams both lost. Sad. There was not a lot of time to replay them, however, as we were due for the cultural event of the holiday season. Torey danced at her first ballet recital since she was a little girl. The dance was to "the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy's" from the Nutcracker. She danced beautifully and was really good at extending her arms through the full movement. She is a very graceful dancer.

Here we are after the recital. Grandma and Grandpa Thompson came to watch and brought her the beautiful flower bouquet. She was more than thrilled. Jake also learned the value of honesty as he lost his wallet, which was later turned in at the snack stand. We were so grateful as it contained his rec center pass, his gift card, and his favorite picture of the Savior. Thank you to whomever it was!
Later that evening we enjoyed Grandma Glenda's famous Christmas party where Taylor won the coloring contest for her age group (I won't tell you how many kids are in that age group), and we made merry throughout the evening. The night would not be complete without the obligatory family picture, so here it is.

We love Grandma Glenda so much and are so grateful for the time we get to spend with her. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Ice Skating..

Reed called last night and asked us if we would like to accompany him to the South Jordan City "Light the Night." For those of you unfamiliar with this, as were we, this is the tree lighting ceremony. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find out that this was not just a boring flip the switch and we're done, but a well planned, fun filled event, which has now found its way into our "pro column." As part of the fun the city provided everyone with free ice skates to skate around the tree. We also enjoyed an appearance from Santa Claus, free hot cocoa and cookies, and free chicken sandwiches - which was awesome because we hadn't even begun to think about dinner.

The kids had so much fun that they forced us to take them again the next day with some additional friends. The skate rental is only $1 so even if you stay five minutes you feel like you have gotten your money's worth. For the record we stayed longer.
This was the kids first foray into the sport of ice skating so you can imagine that Jake spent a lot more time on his knees or bottom than he did on his skates. The second day he did much better. Torey did pretty well, only falling a couple of time, and Taylor brags that she never fell - perhaps because she traveled at the pace of cold molasses. All in all we loved every cold minute of it and would love to spend some more time there this winter!