The busy month goes on

 
After starting out the month with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Boden, Ryan's preisthood ordination and birthday, Ryan's breakdance performance and the girls gymnastic performance (forgot the camera so didn't get any pictures of that one) we went on with more parties and performances. The triplets have been getting up 2 days a week a little early so they can go to school before it starts and be apart of the school Christmas choir. Yes, this is the same one that I mentioned before when I told you that Chase was doing it for "the party that has food afterwards". I asked if he was going to do it again next year and he said no. I guess the reward wasn't worth the effort. It's too bad too because he was hilarious to watch. He made the program worth watching. He was so animated throughout the entire performance. When I first saw him doing some "motions" I thought that they were supposed to do these motions to match the song but nobody else was doing them. Nope. Chase was making them up as he went and it was so funny! At first I was trying to shake my head no to get him to stop when he would look my way but I had a long time friend/mission companion, Nalene Low, who came to watch the kids performance talk me out of it. She said he was making the program better and that it wasn't a big deal. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, they did great and the girls did great on the lines that they had to give.

 
Every year for the pass 14 years (except for the year that we were in Omaha, Nebraska) we have gone to the Pyott Family Christmas party the Friday before Christmas. The Pyott line comes from Dave's maternal grandmothers side. Marie Pyott married Louis Larsen and they are Dave's moms (Carolyn) parents. It has been something our kids have grown up with and look forward to every year.
Every year it is the same thing; we have dinner, then Santa comes and each child gets to sit on his lap and they each get a gift and a candy cane, then we move into the gym and the kids get to hit a pinata that is filled with mostly candy but some change/money. This year was the first year, however, that they did not do the pinata. I honestly forget why though. It was still fun for the kids to see cousins and play in the gym. Here are each of the kids telling Santa what they want for Christmas.

 

Here are also some of the kids 2nd cousins sitting on Santa's lap. Sure wish we would get together with the cousins more. We really don't see them much and I really think that my kids miss not having their first cousins around. I envy my nieces and nephews who live in North Carolina because they have eachother. I hope they know how lucky they are.