Christmas Ornament Exchange

I received an invitation to make and exchange Christmas ornaments with a small group of women in my branch.  I reluctantly accepted the invitation because I am not crafty and I didn't want the others to be disappointed if my ornaments didn't turn out as well as their ornaments (since pretty much every other person invited is super crafty).  We were given a Pinterest page of rustic ornaments to choose from to make.  I have to admit, I didn't even have a Pinterest account.  I don't like that kind of stuff because it just reminds me of how uncrafty I am compared to others.  

I looked for the easiest ornament to make but misread the directions.  I thought I made one ornament for each person and I thought, this will be so easy.  Nope, I have to make 8 for each person. So I am super glad I chose easy.  I must make 48 of these.  Fortunately I have awesome helpers.

Color Run

Mario and the boys participated in a color run on base back in August.  They had so much fun but I wasn't thrilled with the big color mess that was all over car.

Rock Climbing

Back in August, we took the three boys, plus Caitlin and Chastity (one of Erin's best friends) rock climbing at a new place that opened in town.  The kids had a great time.

Church Basketball

I was just cleaning out text messages when I came across these basketball pictures.  

Erin dominated on the church basketball court.  She scored most of the points for her team and they won most games.

That was one of my favorite activities, watching her play basketball.  I sure hope there are hoops in heaven. 

Her number 15 shirt has been retired and is now part of a t-shirt quilt I'm making the boys.

Erin's Bench

Erin's friend, Kenna Jones, wanted to have something in Papillion to remember Erin.  She asked her mom if they could put a bench at church in her memory.  As sweet as that would be, she wouldn't be allowed to put a bench there.  So the next best thing was to put a bench in her honor at her favorite park in Papillion.  So she contacted the city, and raised I think about $1500 to have a bench with a plaque put in Erin's memory at Halleck Park.  Erin rode her bike to that park often.  So I think it was the perfect spot.

Halloween with Cousins

Melissa brought Justin and Max up to our house to celebrate Halloween this year.  I am so happy that they live close enough now that we can get together on the weekends occasionally.  Here the four boys before trunk or treat at the Papillion Ward.

Nate didn't want to wear his Ghostbuster costume to the ward party but here he is with his cousins and his friend Garrett on Halloween night.

Decorating Early

Since we leave for Florida in a month, we decided to decorate our tree a little early.