Nora Boo Turns 8!

 Nora turned the special 8 years old! We love having Nora in our family! Here are some things about Nora:

- She is always thinking of others and her kindness inspires others around her. She loves writing sweet notes to others and leaving them on pillows. She loves bringing friends little gifts. 

- You will often find Nora downstairs building Lego creations or playing with her Calico Critters. 

- Nora is SO sweet with Jane and Jane absolutely LOVES playing with Nora. They are such a cute combo. 

- She's been a little homesick going to school this year and Nora hasn't always wanted to go, but she has been so brave and still gone every day even when its tough. 

- Nora still loves tacos and could eat Taco Amigo almost every day. Other favorite foods are taco salads, meatball soup and pancakes.

- Nora is becoming quite the amazing violin player and just played in her school talent show. She wasn't even nervous one bit in front of all those people. She still likes to play the piano too. Nora works hard and never complains. 

WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!

Christmas Break Fun

This Christmas Break was a little different than past years. Emma and Reese drove with Gma and Gpa Close up to Oregon to visit the Close cousins. And they had the best break of their entire lives. I am so glad they got that time. Time away from Mom and Dad. Time with their closest cousins. Time to just enjoy without doing chores or having responsibilities. They had the best time and definitely did not want to come home!

 I had fun taking Nora, Lucy and Jane and Benson to Thanksgiving point. We took Lucy and Sadie Swan with us to the Butterfly Biosphere and another day went to the Curiosity Museum. Lucy also got to go on a Daddy-daughter date to a BYU basketball game with her friend Olive and her dad. We had lots of snow play and movie nights and just enjoying not having places to be! It was a great break! 

As I do these blog books, I love looking back at all of the memories we have created as a family. This last half of 2021 was an extremely tough one for me and all of us. But these people by my side have been absolutely remarkable. Benson has been a very tough baby- especially the first 4-5 months of his life with very little sleeping and little eating and lots of crying. I also dealt with postpartum depression for the first time in my life and had more days of sobbing in my bedroom than I would have liked. I have much greater empathy towards those who battle depression on a daily basis. My outlook on life is a little deeper and my closest relationships a lot more special and important. I could not have gotten through the last 7 months (as I write this Benson is 7 months old) without Cade and my older girls. Emma, Reese and Nora have taken on the house chores like a champ. They have watched their younger siblings any time they have been asked and often will ask me, "Mom, is there anything else I can do for you before I play with friends?" They have risen to the occasion and have forgiven me and helped me when they would again find me in tears another day. I am forever grateful God blessed me with the family I have. I love them all more than I can express on paper. 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

 This year we got to have Grandma and Grandpa Close for our festivities. Christmas Eve we had a wonderful program with stories from Gma and Gpa, a book read by me, music provided by all of us and the Christmas story in Luke read by Dad. I grew up with Christmas Eve being very spiritual and memorable. Hopefully these traditions are doing the same for our kids. 

Gift from the Heart is one of my favorite traditions. This year Emma gave Reese a cute puppy puppet (made out of toilet paper rolls and string). Reese gave Nora a cute box frame with a picture of her and Nora in it. Nora learned how to sew by hand made a cute sock cat for Lucy (with Grandma's help) and Lucy gave Emma a painting with gum and candy taped on. I love to see what they come up with for each other and how they use their talents and creativity. SO. MUCH. FUN. 

Christmas morning always starts at 6:30 am SHARP with the girls who have been waiting anxiously to awaken their parents at the specified time! The morning was full of excitement like all Christmas mornings. Of course there were lots of Legos but also a trampoline for Jane and a big block set for them all. It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Close join the excitement again. It had been a few years since they had joined us. 

Bleak Fam Christmas Party

 This year the Bleak Christmas party was at Bryan and Jennie's in Bountiful. It was supposed to be at Kristen and Andrew's but they got super sick a few days before. So last min we went to Btown and we had a great time. Always food, the nativity, cousin gift exchange and this year...SLEDDING! That was so great. Bountiful has the best hills for sledding. We had such a good time. Boose came dressed as a Christmas tree this year...never a dull moment with her!!

Winter/Christmas Festivities

 The Christmas season always starts off with decorating the home. This year I noticed our fireplace is brim full of stockings...super fun to have a home full of children. And this year Lucy got to put the star on the tree. It's always an argument who's turn it is- haha. 

My all time favorite tradition of the year begins December 1st...the gifts of togetherness advent calendar. Every day the girls take turns picking from the calendar to see what we are going to do that day. Simple things like make snowflakes, Christmas light scavenger hunt, wish cousins merry Christmas, gift to someone in need and a hot chocolate bar. I love that it is simple but brings us together each season. 

At our Relief Society Christmas dinner, Emma and her friends played their cellos for us. It was fun to hear Emma perform in front of others and that two of her friends play the cello too!

Reese and Emma got invited by their friends to go to Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point.  They had a fabulous time. 

This is our favorite two homes in all of Utah County during Christmas time. The first home is decked out in lights from head to toe- giant trees to tiny bushes. It is AMAZING. Then the home next to it has a lit up sign that says, "DITTO" with an arrow pointing to the home next door. SOOOO funny!!

Lucy's kindergarten Christmas program was super cute and fun we got to attend!

A new thing we started which will hopefully turn into a tradition each year is "Christmas Around the World." Emma learned about how the people in Mexico celebrate Christmas and so we got tamales for dinner and other Mexican type food (and real authentic candy that no one liked because they add chili powder to EVERYTHING) and we had a presentation from Emma and ended with breaking open a piñata! Hopefully we will do another country next year!