2019 :: week 49

December 1

Lauren adds just the right amount of domesticity to our home. On Sunday afternoon she gave me the encouragement I needed to get our tubs of Christmas decorations outside of the basement and set them out. Originally I had wanted to decorate for Christmas while the kids were off school, but then I got a bad headache and wasn't up to the task. It was a bit magical watching Lauren's excitement as she placed each piece of the nativity just so on top of our piano.

December 2

Lauren is a great older sister to Miles. Before she left for school she asked me if Miles and Leah (her doll) could have a play date when she got home. I was surprised when she remembered and insisted on taking Miles into her room. It was actually quite helpful and I was able to get a head start on dinner.

December 3

Nothing gets the John family out of bed like the promise of free breakfast. Tuesday morning Chick-fil-A was offering free biscuits during their normal breakfast hours. We had to leave our house half and hour earlier than normal to ensure the kids would get to school on time, but everyone got up and was ready to leave the house ahead of schedule. It was a fun--and yummy-- start to our day!

December 4

Will had his first Mathletics competition Wednesday afternoon. It was a good experience for him even though his team struggled a bit. It is always a bit different to go from working on problems in the classroom or at home to answering them in a room full of competitors while under a time crunch. The questions were hard! They handed out a question sheet to the parents and I struggled with a few of them myself.

December 5

Our sweet Miles boy is nine months old! He continues to be a light in our home. At this point he is sleeping through the night (most of the time), putting everything he can reach in his mouth and trying his best to get around. Unfortunately he struggles with putting weight on his arms, so he mostly pivots in circles and scoots backwards. His physical therapist has us working with him to teach him how to army crawl and bear weight on one arm at a time. He loves finger foods and devoured the beans we had with our tacos on Tuesday night. As of this week he is officially weened. Miles is a social fellow and rewards anyone who makes eye contact with him a big smile. He seems to like adventure--swinging in the swing and getting tossed around by his dad make him grin with delight. He is such a sweet little guy and we love having him in our family.

December 6

Friday evening Anthony and I went to the Stake High Council Christmas party. We had a fun evening visiting with other bishops and their wives, but as much as anything it was fun to just go out together. We have been bad about prioritizing date nights this year.

December 7

Will had his first basketball game of the season on Saturday. It was against the team he played on in first grade and they are tough competitors. It ended up being a blowout, but Will played hard and held his own. A few of the kids on Will's team are new to basketball and this was the first "real" game they have ever played in. I was proud of the team and Tony's coaching.