Christmas Eve

I have a lot of catching up to do because our computer was on the fritz for a couple of months, but I'm going to capture our holidays memories before they pass us by and work backwards (and forwards) from there. I hope y'all had an amazing December just like we have!

For the kids December seemed to drag by so slowly, but for mom and dad we couldn't believe Christmas Eve was already upon us! We had plans in Waco, the kids dutifully asked Santa for Disneyland tickets and Melvin showed up every morning throughout the month so hopes were high at the Monsen house and the kids couldn't wait to get to Waco to start the celebrations!

First we had to document how warm it has been in Texas! Playing outside every single day has been pretty easy with the sun shining and all the kids out of school to play together!

  

(And yes, you better believe that's sandals in December! Those Saltwater Sandals have been worth their weight in gold down here in Texas...she has been wearing them since June!)

We finally made it up to Waco around 3pm and the kids snacked (Aunt Kelsie nailed the rice pudding!) and played and tried to do their best to pass the time before it was time to spy for reindeer!

Eve and Christian "playing" nicely... 

And once I took a shot of Eve, June had to get in on the camera action! 

We also FaceTimed with family in Utah wishing that we could all be together for this wonderful holiday.

June and Wes disappeared during the video call and we had to show them where they had gone- 

 Just reading in bed together! So cute!

And you would never guess these three are cousins, would you? #triplets

We got Chinese food, decorated ginger bread houses and ended the night with the nativity reenactment. I have to say it was a pretty fabulous Christmas Eve!

 We had to get creative to keep Eve from eating and ruining everything, so cardboard, frosting and some candies did the trick!

 Brian and Thad were the masterminds behind our marshmallow igloo and I just put the frosting where they needed it. 

The nativity was sort of last minute, but we couldn't let Christmas Eve pass by without turning our attention to the most important thing that makes Christmas what it is. The kids were great sports, June took her role pretty seriously and Wes was as bright as the Angel Gabriel with that smile of his!

These cousins sure make a good team and I hope they always remember the Reason for the Season.

All three kids fell asleep on our ride home and were excited to get home and in jammies so that Santa wouldn't pass us by! 

So we read "The Night Before Christmas"-

Eve was not happy about not being able to sit on Dad's lap and block the whole book from the boys.

We set out cookies for the Big Man and carrots for the reindeer-

And last, but not least (even though we forgot and had to come back downstairs to do it), each kiddo picked a spot for their stocking- 

Wes just being the big helper he is-

 And off to bed it was-

The magic of Christmas is pretty spectacular! They couldn't wait to see what the morning would hold!

Remember September

September wasn't that long ago and we sure had a lot going on! Enjoy some snippets of our September to remember.

School was in full swing for Thad and Wes and Eve are always around to send him off!

I love that they were obsessed with their backpacks because of Thad.

Labor Day weekend rolled up before we knew it and the boys got to participate in another triathlon that Michael Duke organized.

I'm not sure how this is the only picture I got of Wes, but it is- 

He didn't win his age group, but he finished strong anyways!

Thad was excited on his bike and did really well with his pace for the whole race. 

And luckily he has that cutest brother to always cheer him on! 

We stuck around to help out and watch the older boys.  

 These Duke boys sure are two of our very favorites. I am so glad my boys have these two to look up to. I often ask, "What do you think the Duke boys would do or say in this situation?" My boys always come back with the right answer.

Go Dukes!

The day after Labor Day Wes finally had his FIRST day of Pre-K. We waited somewhat patiently for two weeks while Thad left to school every morning and was over the moon when it was finally his turn!

 Miss Shelley is also in the Primary presidency in our ward so was very well acquainted with Wes. I knew that everyone who has sent their kids to her loved her preschool, but she has been nothing short of amazing and I am so happy we decided to send him to Laughing Hearts Preschool this year. He has flourished just as I thought he would. 

I started teaching him to read a couple weeks ago and he is catching on so well. Being a part of teaching my children to read has been so fulfilling to me. Being able to read changes an individuals world and watching it open up my four year olds eyes and mind is such an awesome thing to witness. I am so proud of him!

I love seeing this smile every single day when he gets in the car after a day at school. He sure brightens our world!

The night before Eve's birthday Brian's Aunt Sharlene invited us to a varsity football game, Belton vs. Round Rock. We had not seen Sharlene and Bryce for a while and never been to a varsity game and couldn't pass it up! The stadium was only ten minutes from our house and the kids were so excited about it!

We found out that Eve is a football game lovin' fool when marching bands, cheerleaders and all sorts of dancers are involved. We had to leave around 9:30 p.m. because it was a school night, but all the kids would have loved to stay for the entirety of the game because it was so entertaining. It also helped that Sharlene is the nicest and gave each of the kiddos a toy and snuck in some yummy treats! It was a really fun night and even though we didn't get to chat with Bryce we enjoyed watching him coach on the sidelines.

We made a goal as a family to make it to the San Antonio temple and we finally marked our calendars and headed down on September 17. We had to make our favorite pit stop, of course-

Salt water taffy and Beaver Nuggets tied us over until lunch time! We love Buc-ees!

Brian headed into the temple first thing to do initiatories while I hung out with the kids on the grounds. I left Thad in charge while I ran to the van to grab something and I came back with them sitting perfectly together on the bench- 

When I saw them from afar like this it was one of those, I-can't-believe-they're-mine-and-they-make-me-so-happy moments, that I hope I never forget. I love them so much.

It was a little warm out so we hung out in this shade for the whole time dad was inside- 

And the exciting thing that kept ups busy was the "beanut berries" the boys discovered- 

We weren't sure what they were...Beans? Nuts? Berries? So I dubbed them "beanut berries" and the boys loved it!  

We had to stomp on them to get them open and sometimes stomping on and searching for random items makes for a really fun afternoon! 

We only had to wait about 45 minutes for dad and I headed in while they walked around and checked out the distribution center. 

The Monsens love to see the temple!

BUT, we don't love when we get home from the temple to a broken A/C...womp, womp, womp. 

We didn't realize for a couple of hours that it wasn't working because it was a really hot day (heat index of 111 degrees) so we just figured it was doing it's best to keep up with the heat. Well when we finally figured it out it was too late to get the repair man over so skimpy jammies and fans everywhere were in order for the night. 

We all slept surprisingly well but I got REALLY grumpy getting three kids ready for church in an 85 degree house! Three hours at church was just what the doctor ordered and kept us safe from the sweltering heat of our house. After church Brian stayed home and waited for the repair man while the kids and I headed to the Duke's for lunch because there was just no way we could all function and be sane. Luckily it was a quick fix and the house was ready to for us before dinner time. Texas and it's heat is no joke, folks!