Dashing through December

We've had a very eventful December with Young Women in Excellence, Christmas, and a trip to Utah. It's been fun being busy, but we're also excited that life has slowed down a bit after all the madness. Here are some pictures from the past month.

Cardinals date night!

This ornament that Lily brought home made me laugh. 

She'll take any opportunity given to strike a pose.

Lily did ballet this fall/winter. She absolutely love it. She is pictured here the second from the left.

 This is Lily's winter dance performance. We died at how adorable she was. She is the third one from the right.

Lacy's favorite day ever. Meeting ol' Saint Nick.

We made a trip up to Utah before Christmas. One of the things that we did was bowling with Gma and Gpa Sperry. The kids just loved it!

We got to visit Grammy. The kids loved picking out fun sodas at the soda shop in the mall. :)

No idea what is going on in this picture.

Lacy chillin in Eric and Tammy's new giant Love Sac. :)

The kids built this awesome snowman with Dad. (Cause heaven knows mom is not going out there).

Jack had to borrow his cute cousin's snow pants, but he was surprisingly ok with it knowing that was his only option if he wanted to play in the snow, haha. 

 

Making little candy christmas trees with Aunt Jeanne!

Jack and Lily had lots of fun with their cute cousins. :)

Temple lights at Temple Square in SLC. 

 All bundled up!

My cute mom took me to breakfast. Loved getting to hang out with her. :)

 Pigtails for the first time!!

Christmas morning.

THANKSGIVING 2015!

We started Thanksgiving morning off with a solid game of kickball with the Sperry cousins. Besides the random sprinklers that were coming on to water the winter grass, it was a blast and we stayed fairly warm.

 I think Lacy was the biggest fan of Thanksgiving dinner. 

She ate more than I've ever seen her eat.

This girl knows how to pound down a bird. 

And of course, Lily's favorite was the Oreo turkey that she got to make AND eat. :)

We also had a spectacular time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Sperry!

They came for visit for a week and a half so we got to spend lots of good quality time with them. 

If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.

           We were at Jack's baseball game this past weekend and I was feeling particularly proud of how far Jack has come.
            When Jack was a baby, his third word was "ball," just like Lacy actually. He has always had a deep love for playing ball. It doesn't even matter the sport, give him a ball and he will be entertained for a very long time. When we noticed that he seemed to come wired this way, we decided to start him in sports as soon as possible. In Utah he could start as early as three years old, so he's currently in his seventh season.

(In this video Jack is two months away from turning three).

There's also another part to Jack. This was the part that tore him apart, and that as his parent, made me feel so sad for him. Jack has always struggled with anxiety. His love for the game was real, and the passion deep, but his feelings would sometimes handicap him. We would show up to a practice or a game and Jack would randomly burst into tears and say he couldn't play. It was sad to see this talented little three year old, who could actually hit a ball being pitched to him, feeling inadequate about himself and his abilities. Despite his fears, he wanted us to continue to keep him in sports. We did so, patiently hoping that with time and exposure, his passion would overcome his feelings of inadequacy.

As I watched Jack play this past weekend, I hardly recognized him as that same anxious three year old. Today Jack plays with kids who are 1-2 years older than him, because we were able to petition for him to play coach pitch instead of tee-ball (again).  He doesn't just keep up, he's killing it out there. I'm so proud of how far this guy has come. It's amazing how much change can take place when you choose to fight your demons, and pursue your dreams.