Carter's 14th Birthday

Carter's friends were SO sweet to throw him a surprise birthday party. This kid has quite the social life!

 We also celebrated that day by going out to Benihana's for lunch as a family.

I turned 41 and Carter turned 14, so this was perfect!!

2nd Grade Fieldtrip

Austin has always wanted me to chaperone one of his school field trips, but his Kindergarten and 1st grade trips landed on a day that I taught preschool. With me not teaching preschool this year, I made sure I was available to go with him to the Interactive Aquarium.

Bryson's First Trip to the Temple

Bryson had been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time, but when he realized it was an 8am appointment time with an early start in order to drop Austin off at my mom's house, he was no longer thrilled about the experience. It wasn't as spirit-filled as we hoped because of his attitude, but hopefully it was still an indelible impression for good. We were able to go with cousins as well.

The next week, Bryson and I were able to see Les Miserables together--his first musical theater experience! He loved it.

 (Bryson sporting his current orthodontia--huge hooks to hold his nightly headgear in place. He only has one front tooth as we patiently wait for his other teeth to come in after having extra teeth pulled from his gums. If they don't come in on their own, he will need to have another surgery to put chains on the teeth and pull them in place.)

Dog-Sitting

The boys love earning money by dog-sitting! (Except for Caleb, who wants nothing to do with any of the dogs we watch. 😆)

Suzuki Book 7 Recital

Caleb put in so much work and effort into performing his best at his final Suzuki recital. Most Suzuki students don't make it all the way through book 7. He played beautifully and had a good crowd there to listen. He had a spoken introduction to each piece and then played. Each piece was memorized and polished with all the nuances included. His playing is stunning, and it was an amazing accomplishment to put on a 35-minute concert of memorized, difficult music. His program included:

Prelude & Fugue in D Major by Johann Sebastian Bach

Sonata in A Major, K. 331 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mvt. 1 Andante grazioso

Mvt. 2 Minuetto and Trio

Mvt. 3 Alla Turca

Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartók

1. Stick Dance

2. Sash Dance

3. In One Place

4. Horn Dance

5. Romanian Polka

6. Fast Dance

Nocturne in C-sharp Minor by Frédéric Chopin

Admittedly, picture-taking is generally not on my mind. I did video record a few of his songs, but Matt's dad was the only one who snapped a few pictures.

Texans Game

December

Giving Machine

Adult Temple Trip