January - The Circus

Last year the Jordan World Cirus came to our little town.

The tickets were cheap and the venue was a little older but we had such a good time.

So we were excited when we found out that the circus was coming back into town.

We invited the Greenwoods to join us this year.

And they did, even though it was David and Chelsi's wedding anniversary.

That just shows how much they love us!

The kids were excited about cotton candy. We don't go many places that sell it.

Ty got to eat it for the first time.

Apparently Ty wasn't so sure about taking a selfie.

Here's the venue and set up.

The tiger act was impressive again this year.

It just amazes me that such powerful, wild animals can be trained.

And that someone is crazy enough to train them!

The dog act was funny and entertaining.

There was a transforming car this year that was pretty cool.

David was picked to participate in a lip singing act. 

The kids didn't realize it until he was out on the floor. They were really excited to seem him out there.

We wanted to get a ride on the elephants but the price either went up
or were more expensive then I remembered. $20 a person was more than we were willing to spend.
So we settled for a picture instead.

December 2018 - Christmas Eve

The Greenwoods came over the morning of Christmas Eve.

We played games, the kids watched Home Alone 2 and we ate lunch together.

We introduced David and Chelsi to Imaginiff, one of my very favorite games.

That afternoon, we did the sibling gift exchange.

We normally do it right before bed but since we were going to Michelle's house that night, 

we did it earlier in the day.

Ty had just woken up from his nap and he was grumpy!

The sibling gift exchange is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

Lexi and Avery had to earn all the money for their gifts.

And Eli had to earn half the money for the gift he bought.

I just love how excited they get to earn money for their gift and to pick it out and wrap it.

Lexi got Ruby doll stuff.

Ruby was so excited!

Ty got Eli gel pens.

Eli has been wanting those for years.

Ruby got Avery a new Barbie.

Eli got Lexi a Land of Stories book.

That's one of Lexi's favorite series.

Avery got Ty a stuffed dog.

After that, we went to Michelle's.

The kids played while the grown ups talked.

Then we had a delicious dinner.

After that we talked about the birth of Christ and sang Christmas song.

Then my mother-in-law gave all of the kids their Christmas pajamas.

Before bed that night, I had to take a picture of the kids around the Christmas tree.

I sure love Christmas Eve! And this year we had a great one!