November and December Family Update
These two months were focused on healing. I was still recovering from my surgery in October. Even with the slow pace, we still enjoyed a lot of good moments. We stayed close as a family and made memories that felt simple and special.
Warm Weather
Denver surprised us with warm days. It felt strange for winter. We worry about snow levels for the mountains. But it was nice to get outside every single day.
This is our first winter with Kingston. The girls love taking him on walks. I love that we are not stuck inside all day.
New Workout Routine
My favorite Zumba teacher stopped teaching on Fridays. I am sad about that. I went to her class for six years.
I tried a barre class instead. I like it. I am also thinking about trying a Body Pump class. I am figuring out a new routine so I can still stop by Costco afterward.
Thanksgiving
We kept Thanksgiving small and peaceful. We went to the Reeder family’s home, and it was very nice.
The day after Thanksgiving, we saw the new Wicked movie. The girls loved it. We also went to the mall with the Blakeleys. The girls tried on fancy prom dresses just for fun. It made us laugh a lot.
Sydney had an orthodontist check. She still has a few baby teeth. It will likely be another year before her next round of braces.
We also bought a stocking for Kingston. That still makes us smile.
One weekend, Denver could see the Northern Lights. We missed them every time. Our neighbor took a picture, though, so we can pretend we saw them too.
Christmas Activities
We went to our church Christmas party. The girls also tried ice skating and loved it.
The ice arena is close to our house. They have good Wi-Fi. I can work while the girls skate. This feels like a hobby that fits our family. We will see how it goes.
Health Updates
I finished my iron treatments at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center.
Nine weeks after surgery, I feel a big difference. I can work harder in workouts. I still get tired. But my energy is better than before. I did not know how low my levels were for so long. I am grateful to finally feel stronger.
Tyson also had a scope done for his heart. They found a small opening. It is not dangerous right now. We may get a second opinion. We are thankful for answers and help.
Simple Christmas
Christmas was very calm. We wrapped gifts early. We focused on useful items and fun treats.
The main gift was a trip to the Gaylord Rockies for two nights. We chose an experience instead of more things. We want the girls to remember moments more than presents.
The girls had some feelings about the smaller Christmas. That is normal. We talked about why we do things this way. We want them to see that love does not depend on piles of gifts.
Christmas Day Memory
We opened stockings. We opened gifts. Then I took a long nap. Three hours. It felt amazing.
Later in the afternoon, we remembered the scavenger hunt. We grabbed the clues and headed out. Seven stops. Some at the park. Some at the school. One at the mailbox.
Everyone was tired afterward. It was still worth it. Grandma and Grandpa were with us. That made the day feel full and happy.
OK, let's talk about after Christmas since our biggest thing that happened was that we chilled at home, but we knew that Debi and Gaylan were flying in on Decembe
r 27 and then on December 28 after church we headed to the Gaylord Rockies for two nights, three days. The Gaylord Rockies were really fun. We did the huge ice exhibit and all of the ice sculpture was amazing; however, it was so stinking cold.
The girls loved swimming. They loved all the fun Christmas decorations, and it was fun to do all of the little activities like gingerbread decorating, ice hockey, and indoor tubing. I would probably say that it's a little hard because they were not huge fans of the pool and they got kind of tired of all the other activities, so I think the girls are kind of quickly outgrowing some of these things, but it was really fun to go with them and spend time and things that were pretty decorated and honestly, the weather was so good and so pleasant so we were even able to play cornhole outside and hang up with the fire and it was just really nice.
Both Debbie and I got to work from our hotel room some of the time, which was also nice when we came home on December 30.
We chilled at home and then for New Year's Eve. We went to brother and sister Burton's house and we played some games from 7 to 9:30, so of course I was happy to be home and in bed by 10, but I know London really wanted to stay up till midnight, but this year was just not the year.
