December 2013

• Christmas is here and the kids are excited!
• To the relief of the whole family (especially the kids) I decided to not take the job of the recreation coordinator for the city and all we had to do is get through the 20th and I would done working. The month was especially crazy between Christmas fun and me trying to train the coordinator and tying up loose ends but we made it and Christmas was completely enjoyable and stress free!
• Here are some of the fun things we did for the Christmas season:
• We drove through the lights at Thanksgiving Point for Family Home Evening on night and then stopped in to see the reindeer. It was freezing out if you can't tell by the look on Addy's face.

• Addy tried out and made it into the annual Talent Show at school. She played the Christmas piano piece she had been working on, "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and did terrific. She really is so talented.

• Basketball finished for the season and the girls got tickets for a Jazz game. The weather was horrible and the game started late so Todd took the girls and Chris and Cathy went along too. They had a great time especially since tons of kids they know were also there since they were city recreation tickets.

• The girls both were able to perform at the school Christmas program. Cute, cute, cute! I love seeing the fun songs that the teachers put together. 

• Suzie and Bryan hosted the Bassett family Christmas dinner. She had all the kids put on the nativity. Unfortunately Addy was sick that day so she and I stayed home and watched The Sound of Music (the original, not the Carrie Underwood version:). Addy was so bummed that she couldn't go! Todd said Brynn and Bodee were pretty darn cute.

• Two fun things about the picture below: First, do see that amazing nativity set?? Yeah, that's from my childhood. Yeah, my dad painted those figurines. Yeah, I love that it was passed down to me. Second, do you see that sweet Packers garden gnome? That's my Christmas present from my BFF Merri! Not only did she give it to me but I had to open about ten boxes to get to it. It was so funny! Oh, and don't forget the magazine letter cut out Christmas card that was included. She's the best!

• On Christmas Eve morning  Todd's 36th Birthday we took the man of the house to breakfast at the Black Bear Diner in Sandy. This guy sure is good to us! The kids were so excited for the holiday celebrations to start!

• After breakfast Todd wanted to stop at Scheels for some last minute shopping. Here are the kids waiting for the Ferris Wheel.

• Later on we took our annual visit to the Salt Lake Temple to see the Christmas lights. The kids have some serious reflectors on their coats:)

• Love these boys!

• Bodee is going to love this picture when he's about 15 years old...

• After visiting the Temple we headed over to Chilis for dinner with Todd's parents. After Chilis we headed home and did all the regular family Christmas Eve traditions. The kids were SO excited for Christmas morning...it was definitely contagious. 
• Santa visited the Bassett home! Here's some of what the kiddos got. Bodee: Imaginex Batcave/helicopoter/Gotham City Jail, Toy Story characters, Spiderman costume. Brynn: Salon Doll, DJ music set, Zoomie Dog. Addy: Salon Doll, Rainbow Loom, Easy Bake Oven. Jen: Garmin, Kindle paperwhite. Todd: Camping chair, clothes, slick tires for his bike. It was a super duper great Christmas. We really enjoyed our day and loved spending time with each other.

• Below is our 2013 Christmas letter:

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas! We hope you’ve had a wonderful 2013. The Bassett house has been busy as usual and the kids are growing up so fast.

Adalyn started second grade as well as her second year of Chinese Immersion and she definitely loves school. She has continued playing soccer, golf, and basketball. Addy also began piano lessons this year and even performed at the school talent show. She loves hanging out with friends and is considered our “goofy” child with all her silly faces and dance moves. The sad part is these mannerisms come directly from her mother.

Brynnlee started kindergarten in 2013 and loves her teacher. She has proven to be the more competitive athlete and scored quite a few goals this year in soccer. She also started playing golf and basketball. Brynn loves to sing and we often find videos she self-recorded on our phones of songs she made up complete with facial expressions. We still call Brynn “Chicken” as a nickname and we offered to change it to “Babs” but she requested we stick with “Chicken”.

Boden is definitely a fun three year old boy. He really loves super heroes, movies, Minion Rush on the iPad, and playing with his best friend Emerson. He really took to swimming this summer and has become a little fish. Bodee loves to sleep with his sisters and almost every night climbs into one of their beds or all three of them end up sleeping together. (I can only imagine how comfortable it must be for all three of them in a twin bed!)

Todd kept happy keeping his yard green this summer, taking a hunting trip with his dad and brothers, and taking Addy and Brynn golfing as much as possible. He is busy at work and really enjoys the company he works for.

Jen was busy being a mom to their fun, crazy kids, leading her Girl Scout troop (that includes Addy and Brynn), running her 7^th marathon, volunteering as the PTA secretary working in the city recreation department.

We are so very blessed and are grateful for all love and friendship we feel from all of you. We wish you and your family a wonderful and happy 2014.

Love,
Todd, Jen, Adalyn, Brynnlee, Boden

• The 26th was our 8th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe we've been together for eight years. It is so fun to see how far we've come and what a great life we've built together. I love Todd so much and truly appreciate all he does for me and the kids. We've got a lot of great years coming our way. We just went out to lunch for our anniversary since we're heading to Florida on the 1st.

• Girls playing with their new Salon Dolls.

• Todd has taken the girls skiing a couple of times in the past but he is determined to really teach them this year and take them often. That being said, the week after Christmas was spent finding skis for the girls. He found great deals on KSL and now they each had a set of skis, boots, helmets, and goggles. He took them for their first ski day of the year on the 30th of December and they are addicted!