Piano recital

Ethan and Nate performed in a piano recital on Tuesday, and both did a great job. Nate played Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Good King Wenceslas (a duet with me.) Ethan played Pat-a Pan (a duet with me) and O Christmas Tree. They were so cute. Ethan was really nervous beforehand, but he did better under pressure than Scott or I did in our recitals when we were younger. Luckily, I didn't make any mistakes either (unlike my last unfortunate performance when I was 14.) The picture is of the boys with their piano teacher, Christine Curtis.

Gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Smith

The kids were excited about the pillow cases they received from Grandma and Grandpa Smith. As you can see in the picture, Scott was a little confused about our gift, but we finally figured it out :) The tree skirt looks beautiful, and we enjoyed listening to the cd (especially the last song.) We will begin the book tonight. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Smith!

Gingerbread houses

It's that time of year again--the making of the gingerbread houses. It took Kim and I about 3 hours to make the houses and another hour to build them (we split that between 2 days.) It's a tradition that my family has had since we lived in Japan, and my dad (yes, my dad, since my mom was visiting relatives in the US) learned how to make them at Homemaking meeting in Relief Society. Apparently, his house was so good that the women were quite mad at him. Even now, his gingerbread villages (he can't do just one house) are amazing. The kids each invited a friend or two over, and they decorated their houses with candy. It's a lot of fun, and they eat as much candy as they put on the houses. Harrison decorated a gingerbread man; he really worked hard on it.

Pregnancy

I'm almost halfway through my pregnancy and feeling much better. I can finally eat chocolate again! Well, maybe that's not such a great thing. I have my ultrasound scheduled for December 26, and we'll find out if Madeleine will finally have a sister. The boys are definitely hoping for another boy, so either way, somebody will be happy. I think Maddie enjoys being the only girl, but a sister would be good for her, especially when she gets older. My sisters are my best friends.

Maddie's birthday

I can't believe Maddie is 7! It's amazing how time flies by. We celebrated her birthday while Grandma and Grandpa Yeoman and Kim were in town for Thanksgiving. Grandma, Kim and I took her to Color Me Mine in Provo, where you can pick out pottery items and paint them. Then they fire them and the pieces look beautiful. Maddie picked out a coaster, Kim picked a bowl, Grandma picked a penguin (for Grandpa, of course) and I picked a vase. Maddie had so much fun painting her coaster. Then, we went out to lunch at Macaroni Grill and took her shopping. She picked out an outfit (from Grandma) and shoes (from Mom.) She got to open all her presents that evening. She got a cd player/ipod dock from Mom, a dress and coat from Dad, an Island Princess elephant from Nate, a movie from Harrison and shoes from Ethan. What else will she need for Christmas??

Festival of Trees

Maddie was able to perform at the Festival of Trees in Sandy. The Festival of Trees is a big fundraiser for Primary Children's Medical Center. Maddie's dance school, Southwest Ballet Academy, performs at it every year. Maddie danced to "Baby it's Cold Outside." As I searched itunes for the right version of the song to download, so Maddie could practice at home, I thought, what version would her teacher pick? (She's a 20-year-old BYU student.) I finally found it...a duet by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.

Halloween

Symantec hosted another trick-or-treat this year, and the kids always get a ton of candy because they just go up and down rows and rows of cubicles. One hour later their buckets are filled. Harrison did not want to wear his costume, so he cried until I gave him his treat bucket. He realized he was going to get candy, and that made him happy. After the trick-or-treating at Symantec, the kids went around our neighborhood..and filled up their buckets again. Harrison refused to put on his costume at home, so Scott and I stayed home with him, which was fine with me!