Tis the Season - December 2015

December was really up and down for us. Between all the tests and Drs appointments we were pretty drained and worn out. But, we also had a lot of fun things to do and we worked really hard to still enjoy the season. We saw so many miracles and blessings this month that it really added to the spirit of Christmas in our home. Even with the hard things we are going through we are really blessed.

Abe turned 4 this month! His favorite things are Play Doh and super heros and when he can combine the two he is VERY happy. He loves Pizza and would probably eat it for every meal if we would let him. He takes really good care of his little sister and is excited to have another sister soon.

I usually really like to make fun birthday cakes for the kids. This year I was not feeling up to it BUT we came up with the idea of letting Abe make his own cake! He was so proud of his work and I think he will remember this for years to come. I love my little chef and I am glad there are ways we can help him discover the things he loves to do.

 Not only did he mix the cake mix and do the baking but he also did a lot of the decorating. I put down a layer of frosting and wrote "Happy Birthday Abe" on the cake, but the rest was up to him. He concentrated so hard and put a lot of energy into decorating. Monet sat close by and watched him work. It was a really sweet moment.

The finished product!

We had family and friends over for a party and Abe really liked showing off his creation. I think he had a really happy birthday.

Tyson continues to work on the castle for our little ladies. Monet loves every part of the process!

With Bridget's heart condition, every week that she stays in is a pretty big milestone. She was ALMOST delivered at 27 weeks, so I was pretty excited when I reached 28 weeks and she was still cooking!

We took Abe and Monet to the Aquarium. We had no idea that SANTA and MRS CLAUSE would be there! The kids were more excited than they look in the picture. Abe told Santa he would like "presents" for Christmas and Santa let him know that he thought he could make that happen. Mrs Clause called Monet by name and Monet thought that was pretty cool.

After we saw Santa we went around and saw the rest of the Aquarium. The kids were so interested in the fish that they wouldn't turn around for any pictures. They really loved it!

 I was able to go to a sock exchange party with some friends in the neighborhood. It was so fun to get out and have some girl time. Plus I got some AMAZING socks!

The work on the Castle continues.....

 We went out as a family to Tucanos for Tyson's birthday. It was really fun because we were able to meet up with some of his sisters, his brother and his parents. The kids also really loved seeing the lights that are up all over The Riverwoods.

We spent the night at Nana and Papa's house for Christmas Eve. Natalie and her boys were there too and the kids thought that was really cool! Here they are in their awesome BYU jammies from Nana.

 The morning of Christmas we made them sit on the stairs together. Can you tell they are excited to see what Santa brought!?!

 It is so fun to watch the kids opening their gifts. It is also really sweet when they get excited to give gifts and watch others open theirs. These kids make my heart so very happy.

There was A LOT of snow up there! So Tyson built a snow cave for the kids and Natalie built a big sledding hill! All the cousins spent hours outside playing in the snow and it was so fun to see how excited they were just for snow!

We spent some holiday time at Grami and Grandpa's house as well. We love decorating graham cracker houses with them! The kids worked really hard making their houses perfect, and of course filled their bellies with sugar at the same time!

Tyson discovered the joy of Legos. Abe got Legos from Santa but I think Tyson has spent more time playing with them than Abe has! Maybe we will have to get Tyson his own set :)

AND construction on the clubhouse has begun! This is the area ABOVE the bed cubby. Tyson and his Dad built an area that is great for the kids to play in. As progress continues I will post more pictures.

We celebrated Tyson's Birthday/New Years Eve at the McBride house this year. Spent time playing games with family, watching movies, eating food and really enjoying the wrap up of the year 2015. On to bigger and better things in 2016!

Even with everything that was going on it was an amazing month. We have been so blessed and the support we have felt has been overwhelming. We love our family and friends and we are so thankful for everyone around us.