"Wild Wenesday"

It was another "Wild Wednesday" at the Hogle Zoo. That means it was free on Wednesday.  I knew it was going to be awfully cold that day, but when I woke up that morning I decided we were going to go anyways.  The kids all thought they were getting ready to go to school that morning, but we went to the zoo instead.  I was right, it was freezing cold, but that made it so there weren't any crowds.

The Lions and apes were especially fun this time.

Lightening Burdens

This Christmas we have the opportunity to help some families in our ward who are struggling financially.  For family home evening we made ornaments for the ward Christmas Giving Tree.

Let it Snow?

I don't normally like snow, but we got several inches the other day and it was so cute to watch Qyntn get all bundled up to go sledding.  He was sooo excited!  We headed over to a new sledding hill nearby and had a ball.  Maybe snow isn't so bad after all.

It's an added bonus that he can drag the sled all the way up the hill without help.  Makes my job much easier!

and how does his hair look so good after

wearing a beanie for hours...what a cutie pie!

Visit to the Lights

The Christmas initiative inspired us to visit the lights on Temple Square early this year.  At the visitor center we watched the video "LighttheWorld" to introduce it to the kids.

We made it a day and visited the visitor centers, Assembly Hall, the Tabernacle, the Conference Center and watched "Meet the Mormons" at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (this was their favorite part).

Instead of driving we took Frontrunner which made it even more exciting.

Ben makes everything fun!

Lighting Our Home

We kicked off the Christmas season by lighting our home...

We also added some smells and sounds of Christmas.  Love the way it feels and smells in our home!

#LIGHTtheWORLD

LIGHTtheWORLD
Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place. All we have to do is follow Him—His life, His example, and His teachings. In doing so, we can help #LIGHTtheWORLD.

I am absolutely in love with the church Christmas initiative this year!  Elder Bednar explained that the initiative is inspired by two scriptures from the New Testament, as well as a quote by President Thomas S. Monson. In the first scripture found in John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” However, in Matthew 5:14, during the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior told his disciples, “Ye are the light of the world.” The initiative will invite people everywhere to share the light of Christ by doing the simple things the Savior did during his earthly ministry.

“As we follow the example of the Savior and live as he lived and as he taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others,” President Thomas S. Monson said in his October 2015 general conference address.

We have been invited to Light the World, time to go and do...

Black Friday

This was the first year the kids wanted to go Black Friday shopping, so we did.  We went out to brave the crowds.  Qyntn and Reyn had spent the morning doing chores so they could earn a dollar.  They found out that you can't buy much at the mall with a dollar, so we went to Walmart.

Cheers!  We ended the day playing Risk
and sharing a drink.