December 2017

Oh, December. Always such a crazy month and this December was no exception. Mason started winter soccer and in very appropriate winter fashion, we had snow. Now, usually North Carolina does not get snow in December, so we were not prepared for this high drama event. But, it was just a dusting (unlike the 8 inches I got stuck in while in Asheville for yoga training). The soccer game went on as planned but no one was too thrilled about it.

So, I talked about being in Asheville when it snowed. I started my yoga teacher certification process in March of this year and I wrapped up my training in December. If someone would have told me in January I would be a yoga teacher in December I would have laughed. But, in February a training opportunity came through my email to learn some basic yoga for mental health. We had been looking for a yoga teacher for my program at work so I thought it would be fun to go and learn more about. Well, it was love at first asana for me. After I finished that first class, I signed up to do the yoga teacher training program in Asheville and never looked back. The style of yoga I am trained to teach is specifically geared for mental health and substance abuse so I can integrate it with my patients at work. We spent one weekend a month for about 9 months in training, with most of that training being in Asheville. It was an amazing but tough journey to complete this training and all the hard work led up to graduation weekend in December. Which did not include snow in the plan. But, Mother Nature showed us who was in charge by giving us 8 inches of snow in Asheville that weekend. Somehow, we made it through, despite losing power, getting stuck in our AirBnB, and driving the treacherous back roads.

My car underneath all that snow

My lovely yoga teacher training cohort

Mason and Todd participated in their first Denver Christmas parade this year with the Scouts. I wasn't sure how Mason would handle the length of the parade, but he managed to make it through and said he enjoyed it. The theme was the 12 days of Christmas and the Lions den were the lordly lions leaping.

Mason also got to visit the Huntersville Fire Department with the Scouts. Todd arranged a visit for the den so they could learn more about fire safety. But, the highlight for Mason was getting to take a picture with the Huntersville "cone weed." Yes, a cone and weed got decorated along the side of the road and all of Huntersville fell in love. Until it got pulled up by the state transportation department, which caused serious drama. But, luckily, the town got their beloved cone weed back and it was placed at one of the fire stations for everyone to enjoy. 

We were invited to a Christmas party by our realtor and were told that Santa would be visiting, so we had to attend. The kids enjoyed getting to see Santa and decorated some cookies while they were at it. 

After the Christmas party, we took the kids to a Christmas tree farm in Sparta, NC. We have always purchased a real Christmas tree but this year decided we wanted to cut our own at a fair. It was a lot of fun to go to the farm, but we really waited too late in the season so finding one in the size we wanted was a challenge. But, we finally found the perfect tree and were so excited to get it home and decorate. 

No Christmas feels complete without a trip to the McAdenville Christmas lights. We walked the main portion of the town again this year and despite it being super cold, it was such a fun night.

Todd and the kids made the trip to Raleigh to visit Todd's family for Christmas. Once they got home on Christmas Eve, we did our favorite Christmas traditions of decorating a gingerbread house and baking cookies. We also also went to church for Christmas Eve service. It was Mason's first experience in the sanctuary and he seemed to enjoy the service. We ended the night with opening presents from each other and reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Christmas morning and day were just as fun and magical as they could be. We opened Santa presents, went to Todd's parents for breakfast and presents, and then hosted all of the family for Christmas dinner. I love the chance for us all to get together and spend time as a family. 

We ended the month by celebrating New Year's Eve and my mom's birthday. We were those crazy people grilling outside in December but we wanted my mom's birthday dinner to be awesome and nothing is better than grilled steaks. After dinner, we spent the rest of New Year's Eve at our friends' house in the neighborhood. It was Mason's first time being awake for New Year's and I wasn't sure he would make it. But, they enjoyed playing with the other kids at the party and Todd and I got to meet more neighbors, so win win for all. 

Woah, just typing that all out makes me tired. It was such a crazy busy month but fun to experience all the traditions and events that we look forward to all year.