More Bulls Games

Jason and Logan went to their second and third Bulls games this season. Once, a friend gave them some tickets they weren't going to use, and once Logan paid for 5th-row seats behind the basket for him and his dad because he wanted the experience of sitting so close.

Can you see them less than halfway up in the middle? Look at how close they are to that player!

Logan bemoans the fact that he wasn't alive during the Michael Jordan era, and Jason (who became a fan during that era) loves the fact that his son loves the Bulls so much.

Working Man

Eli decided that he wanted a job and that he wanted it to be somewhere he could walk or bike to, since he can't drive yet. That gave him about three options within walking distance, and about a dozen more within biking distance. He called a few of the places, and they were either not hiring or not hiring 15-year-olds. But one place, 3Chefs (a Persian restaurant right by our house) seemed very interested. Eli went in for an interview, and the owner/chef flat-out told him that he was thrilled he was a white guy who spoke English because he didn't have any other employees who fit that description! He spent the first few weeks helping him update his menu, app, and website (I think he wanted native English eyes on all of those things), and then they taught him to work the register. It has been a great challenge, and Eli has really enjoyed it!

Band Concerts

We've enjoyed a couple of band concerts this winter.  Ali has grown so much as a musician over the last seven years!

Outings

We had some fun outings during break. I took the boys to Altitude:

The older kids went to a friend's house to watch the series finale of Stranger Things:

This cute foursome went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the BYU Bowl game:

Logan bought Jason Bulls tickets for Christmas:

 Jason, Ali, Eli, and Jake also went ice skating. Fun times!

College Kids

One of the fun parts of Christmastime is seeing all the college kids home again! Ali was glad to have some of her friends back at church.

The kids got to see their cousins, too, which was so fun.

Merry Christmas Break

We had a wonderful Christmas break. It was nice to have time off to be together, rest, have fun, and think extra about our Savior. 

First up: Spirit Days before Christmas Break (I twinned on accident with Jake's teacher from last year):

As a little boy, Logan was OBSESSED with the "toy papers" that came out at Christmas time. I joked that the catalogues we get now in the mail are the teen version of "toy papers" (this one was from one of his favorite gym gear brands):

Evie and Mistletoe were up to their usual shenanagans (finding them every morning is one of Jake's favorite Christmas traditions):

We saw the movie Home Alone at our favorite playhouse in downtown Aurora. I thought it would be a fun outing (and super cheap- $1 a ticket), but it surpassed my expectations. Seeing this movie I'd seen countless times in a theater with nearly 2,000 people, was so much fun. The sound of all those people cracking up at the funny parts (of which there are many), everyone breaking into applause at certain iconic moments...magical.

Jake helped me with some of my Christmas Advent puzzles.

Of course, we went to our traditional Christmas Church and Christmas Street:

We had our annual Christmas Eve dinner, candle-lit brightly because of all the ways we tried to Light the World all season long, and were thankful to be able to donate at the Giving Machine.

What a wonderful, joyful Christmas Season. I am truly blessed.

Chauffeur and Errand Bud

Eli has done a great job so far with his driving. Having a fall birthday means that more than half of the 10-plus hours he already has under his belt are night hours, but he's taken to it like a champ (and since those first 10 hours are the most nerve-racking for the parents, we are thankful for that). 

With three busy older siblings and a dad working downtown almost every day again, it is a frequent occurrence for Jake to have to ride along with me on drop-offs, pick-ups, and events. He's mostly a good sport about this (as long as he has a book and can control the music).