Chilling At the Park

A major cold snap is coming through tonight, so we hit up our favorite Twin Silos Park for some fun before it comes. 



The kids had fun on the zipline.  Kate discovered that she loves the huge silo slide and went on it over and over again.  She has no fear!



It was a beautiful day and perfect for playing.  There was lots of running, climbing, and laughter.

Cousin Movie Night

Dustin's family arrived from Iowa on Saturday morning and on Saturday evening we met up with Mandy, John and the girls to celebrate John's birthday.  We had a pizza buffet, then went back to their house for games and a movie night.  The cousins loved cuddling together in the movie room. 

Frosty Temple

Our first order of business in Colorado was a temple date to the Fort Collins Temple.  It's about two minutes from Nana and Pop Pop's house and we enjoyed some quiet time before heading back to the craziness of lots of cousins. 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's been a long time since we've flown anywhere, but we are headed to Colorado to see Nana, Pop Pop, and lots of cousins.  It's so much easier flying with bigger kids now.  They colored, watched movies, and were super excited to be up in the air.  We arrived in freezing Fort Collins and are excited to see what the week brings.  I know kids that are hoping for snow.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Christmas Eve was spent in our usual way - gumbo, playing and preparing for Santa. Dallin was stuck working most of the day, but luckily made it home about 3 o'clock. The kids got their new Christmas pajamas



They left food for Santa and his reindeer and Jack composed this note for him. 



Santa did not disappoint.  He brought Legos, Barbie camper vans, and even left a selfie for Luke. We didn't take pictures on Christmas Day, but we spent it playing, relaxing and enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner.  Merry Christmas to all!

The Great Coffman Bake Off

In between hikes, we spent the day baking Christmas goodies!



The kids loved helping with the chocolate pretzels and decorating sugar cookies.



The kitchen was a mess of flour and sprinkles, but it was totally worth the fun. 



We made sugar cookies, toffee, fudge, and chocolate pretzels. 



We spent the next day delivering cookies to different friends.  The kids loved ding-dong-ditching everyone.  We have mastered our getaway.



While we were out, we checked out lots of Christmas lights and even found this church where you could walk the courtyard and learn more about Jesus.  It was the icing on a delicious weekend.

The Kid’s Trail

Sam Houston Jones State Park had the grand opening of their new Kid's Trail. 



They even had a special visitor.  Kate is obviously still not a fan of him



We had fun hiking the new trail and checking out the various signs that teach us about the wildlife in the area.



There were even cute little play areas for the kids to stop and rest.





We liked it so much we hiked it twice.



We can't for more hikes on the Kid's Trail

The Nutcracker

Tonight was Jack's holiday art show at the library.



It was a nice evening with food, art, and a gift of watercolor pencils from Ms. Julie.



We are grateful for Ms. Julie and all the hard work she puts into teaching.  She inspires Jack to be a better artist and gives him confidence!

Party Animals

The countdown is on to Christmas break and today was party day at the school. 



Kate snuck in and pretended to be a part of Luke's class. There was pizza, activities, and a coloring book exchange. 



In Jack's class, they ate pizza and did some relaxing Christmas activities. 



We are ready for our Christmas break!

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Today is the last day of dance before Christmas, so they are having their dance Christmas party.  Kate dressed up as a beautiful sugar plum fairy and enjoyed the cookies and juice.  They put on a cute performance of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Jingle Bells.  She was as adorable as ever!

Breakfast With Santa

John and Haley hosted a Breakfast With Santa at their house.  There were activity pages, reindeer food, donuts, and a hot chocolate bar.  The kids got to visit with Santa again, with only Luke really being willing to talk to him.  But at least we got this cute picture!

Quarantine

It's been a rough week around here.  Kate woke up with a terrible cough that was racking her poor little body.  The doctor gave her a steroid which helped the cough somewhat.  But then she ended up with a double ear infection. 



I've had a cough and cold since Thanksgiving, so we won't to urgent care, where we had to wear masks for our coughs.  The doctor gave me a steroid shot and a prescription for antibiotics.  Let's hope this does the trick!

Once in Royal David’s City

It's time for the ward Christmas party!



We brought a wise man...



a shepherd...



and an angel



There was a yummy breakfast for dinner, a beautiful program, and then a visit from the big guy.  Lucas was the only kid in our family that wasn't wary of him. 



Jack asked for a Lego set



And Lucas asked for Legos too. 



Kate asked for a Barbie camper van.



Let's hope they were all angels and Santa will bring them what they asked for.

Young Entrepreneur

Jack participated in the gifted holiday market. He made Jack’s Car Conversations, conversation starters for road trips and parties. He turned a pretty good profit. He hustled hard and talked to a lot of people giving them his sales pitch. He still has a few available if anyone is interested - $2 plus shipping. He’s had such a good day that he can’t stop smiling.

Little Besties

These "part time sisters" love playing together.  Today we went to the park to get out some energy.



They had fun swinging and running around together.



They also had fun building a fort.



It's never a dull moment with these cute girls!

School Social Studies Fair

Jack decided to enter the Social Studies Fair at the school. 



He decided to use what he learned on our trip and do it on Yellowstone.  He did a lot of research and decided to make a replica of the Roosevelt Arch



He was super excited and nervous about his project. 



He received Honorable Mention



Now he's moving onto the Regional Fair in January!

Bundling Up

The weather has cooled off, but these little buddies wanted to go out and play. 



So we bundled up.  It's so rarely cold in Louisiana that it's a novelty to wear winter gear!