dec 2k18 adventures with Grandpa Braden

We love meeting Grandpa at the Discovery Center; this particular day they had a ton of cool activities set up for the Hour of Code and the boys loved it:

Of course we made time for our favorite standby exhibits as well. 

Many towers were built, and an equal number fell:

The boys all got certificates for completing an entire hour on coding. Pretty cute!

Later in the month I got to be my dad's date to a wedding reception:

 My cousin Lori's oldest son Trevor got married to a princess (according to Carma) named August and it was so fun to congratulate their family and catch up with everyone. And I remain convinced that Middleton is the biggest small town ever, because I got to see some Steeles and some VanVleets which warmed my heart - and Brooklyn and Savanna and I even took a quick picture :). 

I love this group of men - my uncle Randy, my dad, my cousin Trent, and my cousin Brady. So fun to see the two uncles catching up with their nephews.

As always, my dad talked his sister into a twirl around the dance floor. 

... which meant that Carma June was quick to secure a couple dances for herself!

Carma was in heaven when Aunt Diane showed her some moves too! 

Quinn's family came up after Christmas so we all met up for some holiday merriment at the church - the cousins were so cute and happy to play with each other and Grandpa:

I just love my goofy younger brother.

Jett gets by with a little help from his parents:

It's not a Braden gathering without some athletic competition - this year it was a couple foot races.

Will took my approach - slow and steady at least finishes the race, and you might as well enjoy a juice along the way:

Isaac and Jack were more than happy to help Grandpa open his gifts!

 Quick piano duet of Heart and Souls with my daddy.

Twister was brought out and things began? continued? to get a little crazy haha:

I'm pretty sure this is the closest to the splits that Clyde and Will ever intend on getting...

Poor Isaac and Leila never stood a chance with Quinn's rump in their way...

My dad and his two favorite younger children!

december 2k18: school edition

Round-up of middle school sub jobs: mostly at EVMS with a day at West and a day at South mixed in.

I don't sub for the money. I sub for the praise.

Literally. For the praise. I chant these nice things in my head when defiant kids tell me they don't have to sit in their assigned seats or take their hat off or whatever, because I'm not their real teacher or they don't care what I say haha. Ohhh angsty teenagers!

I spent two days in one of my favorite jobs, theater at Columbia - ohhh I love those kids! Got a steal of a deal on that Sharpie tattoo, probably the best dollar I've ever spent.

Ohhh cute kids!

I also subbed two days in Jack's classroom!

It was sooo much work! Kids were darling, but dang you have to be on your toes. In the older grades you can always take a minute to re-read something in the sub notes if you're confused or can't remember. First grade? These kids have been taught so well and held to wonderful high standards but still... they're six and seven. You can't pause to flip through sub notes - you'll totally lose them in the meantime. Elementary teachers are the best!

I got to see some of Jack's work - such as this one where he shares that if Santa got stuck in our chimney, our family would help him. And then Santa would fill his stocking.

And this classic story about a bear kicking Jack in the nuts.... then the bear taking a nerf dart to the eyeball in retaliation... then Jack getting the bear right in the back with a block of ice... then the rest of the Izatt boys joining in for some nerf action... primarily getting the bear in his nuts. A whirlwind ride!

Instagram caption: Second cousins make for pretty cute school rivals! We loved watching Cecily in action; girl is a superstar on both ends the court but she’s particularly stellar on defense 🤩⛹🏻‍♀️🏀. Clyde remained loyal to East Valley but Carma happily yelled “Go Sage Valley!” loud enough for the whole fam 😅😉

Seriously, Cec was everywhere on defense. Such a babe!!

East Valley holiday choir concert was combined over at the high school and super fun to watch:

Santa and Mrs. Claus came to Carma's preschool! Super cute; Carma June loved it. 

Sing-a-long at Park Ridge:

 And Christmas gifts for Will's and Jack's teachers - Carma helped out and delivered Sarah's to her :). Perfect way to wrap up school for December!

december 2k18: church edition

Once upon a time in November Jack requested a suit. The same Jack who previously wore shorts and a polo to church every week, even in the winter. Far be it from me to discourage the wee lad's interest in fashion and expressing himself, so off I went to D.I. and Savers and procured black slacks and a suit jacket:

And he proceeded to look SO DANG CUTE each week! 

Doesn't he just look like a tiny grown man here? 

Ha, it might have taken me a extra week to supply him with black church shoes, whoops! Either way, Jack and Clark are possibly too dapper in suits. Can't wait to side by side this with a picture of them when they're sixteen...

I got to sub in Jack's primary class one week, allowing me to see him in his suit and towel to be a shepherd haha:

Carma and I also dialed things up a bit when it came to getting dressed for church in December haha.

Heart-warming sibling picture on the Sunday before Christmas! 

 It miiiiight have been lightly snowing. Makes for a better pic, right? My kids did not get that memo.

Here we have an emerging talent, following in my footsteps by developing The Look. Obviously still in the early stages, but we are excited to see Clyde hone this deadly expression in years to come!

 Aaaand we'll call this one a winner. 

Insta caption: I mean, we don’t go to the temple just for the extra flattering selfie effect... but it’s a pretty sweet benefit. Also, I love Emily 💙💙💙.

 

 And we'll conclude with some sweet instagram screenshots. I feel like there should have been more church-related content in December... did we possibly skip the ward Christmas party?? Or was I in a very Grinch-y mood and neglected to photograph it at all?... I feel like that's most likely ;).