December happened

Matthew turned 10!! He is a delightful person and I'm glad he's mine. We celebrated him with the traditional pancakes. We went to a very cold park. He wanted a donut for his "cake." His Poppa brought him his favorite lemon meringue pie ice cream. We went roller skating with a couple of friends. It was a great few days of fun. 

On one of my trips to Joann's Fabrics, I saw some really cute fabric and I took the kids to choose their favorite. I made Matthew a pillow case out of some Minecraft fabric. I made pajamas for Sean from some Star Wars Christmasy fabric.

The boys and I headed to Oregon to spend a few days with Adam and my grandpa so my mom could visit Amy. Adam's dog, Lobo, was so patient with Matthew. 

The boys decorated gingerbread houses. It was stressful. There were some sad moments when things weren't going according to plan. But they persevered and eventually everything was consumed and I told the kids that next year we can decorate cookies!

Sean had his Winter Orchestra performance. He did a great job. 

I took the boys and their cousin, Sophia, to a car museum in Tacoma. It was really cool and the kids had fun in the basement doing a racetrack simulator. 

The boys and I took Jon's ashes to Silverdale Waterfront and put them in the water from the dock. I had been thinking about it for a few months, and it felt like the right thing to do.

It look a long time for them to sink. It was interesting watching for a bit. 

There were seagulls flying above us when we released Jon's ashes. I don't know if they were hoping for snacks or what, but we were also making sure to not get pooped on!

The boys and I went on a nature walk and gathered supplies for our Solstice candles. Dinner was delicious. Matt was in town and Greta came for the weekend too. We played games and did some crafts and hung out in our pajamas. It was all so lovely.

Christmas afternoon, we went to see Amy's family. I had made cinnamon rolls because Jose loves them. We played games and ate and had a nice time. 

Hardcore Minecraft going on!

We hung out with their family for a few days before heading home for New Years Eve. It was another low-key day. We drank some sparkling cider and watched a show. I let the boys play video games while I fell asleep early. I woke up at midnight and we listened to fireworks for a bit and then shut down the house for the night. 

Here's to a beautiful 2019!