Sudlow Christmas

Our first family Christmas event was Sudlow family Christmas!  It was at Betsy and Nathan's again this year.  Everyone was able to take off of work on the 23rd.  With all of the professions in our family (firefighter, prison worker, nurser, etc.), it's almost a miracle for it to work out!

All ready to go!

Sisters:

Lucas' first Christmas:

I got the girls matching outfits:

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus!

We had our 2nd Annual Saran Ball Game (thanks to Paul & Alisa):

We tried something new this year for our sibling gift exchange.  Every couple bought a matching or "theme" gift for the 4 other couples.  It was a bit of a challenge for everyone to come up with an idea, but it was fun and I think it turned out well:

• Paul and Alisa got everyone a yard game.  We got Yard Yahtzee.  It looks super fun!
• We got everyone a board game: Salt Fork Opoly for the Catlin families, Mario Monopoly for Paul & Alisa and a couple of party games for Betsy and Nathan
• Phil and Erika got everyone a fake Finding Dory DVD (haha-inside joke) and a gift card to Giordano's! 
• Emily and Keith got everyone an outdoor flag decoration.  We got a "W" flag for the Cubs.  Yay!
• Betsy and Nathan got everyone their favorite yard game which looks really fun!  AND they got us a 1 lb. Reese's cup.  My favorite =)

Aleah was really into opening presents this year:

Lucas liked his new teddy bear:

Grandma Teresa made the girls new skirts:

We got a ton of nice gifts, but most importantly, we had a fun day celebrating with all of our family!

Two Christmas Musicals!

Another major event of our Christmas season was the kids Christmas musicals!  We had one for church AND one for school!  In the church musical, Hannah was a cheerleader and had a couple of little solos.  Jacob was a "country boy."  And Aleah was a cheerleader. 

In one of the shows, Jacob got thrown in as a last minute Joseph.  He got stage fright and left the stage crying.  He had never practiced it, poor buddy.

I was so proud of Hannah with her little solo.  She was very confident.  She loves to sing!

Aleah looked so adorable:

The cheerleaders doing their cheer:

Jacob loved his Country Boy role:

Some of the ladies who helped make this happen:

In the school musical, Hannah had one of the biggest speaking parts.  She was pretty excited about it.  She did a great job and again was so confident and dramatic.  I was proud of her!

Before the day show:

Before the night show:

Hannah, Morgan, and Taylor:

Hannah looked so beautiful on stage <3

Love my girl!

Half Marathon

I just completed my 2nd half marathon.  I got to do it with BOTH of my sisters this time!  Our goal was a fast paced walk this time, considering that as of 12 weeks before the race I had not really exercised in about a year (pregnancy!).  Our finish time was 3 hours and 26 minutes, just 26 minutes over our goal, haha.  But in our defense, it was a miserably cold day.  We knew when we signed up that November weather would be a gamble, but it was 70 degrees two days before the race, and during the race, it was about 39 degrees with a windchill of 30.  And the race was in the middle of the country going into the wind for the second half of the race (it was a down and back).  There were a few miles where we couldn't even talk.  I swear I could not make the "m" sound because my lips were so frozen.  

"I feel like I just sat outside naked in a snowstorm." That's what Betsy said to me at about mile 11. She also said that she felt the same physically as when we had started. She is in much better shape than me. I was done.  

I was glad to do it with both of my sisters, and I was glad to have something to push me to get back into shape.  I did lots of nights at the track with Andrea Durbin to "train."  I lost about 10 pounds in 12 weeks, so that was good.  Still trying to get the final baby pounds off!  

Josh was such a support to me in this, and I very much appreciated it.  He let me jet off to the track several times a week for 12 weeks.  I also had some LONG weekend walks (8, 9, 10 miles) where he handled the kids.  And on race day, we were going to be gone about 8 hours, so since Lucas is still nursing and won't take a bottle, he took me and all of the kids to the race and entertained everyone while I was racing (with Nathan's help).  That way, Lucas was able to nurse right before and after the race.  I'm not sure that I could have done this without his help!  

It's a good thing I already paid for the Illinois Half Marathon in April or I might be rethinking it, haha .... I actually am excited but need to get moving.  My goal is to improve our time from this race by about 40 minutes.  Yikes!!!

Humistons

The Humistons came for a visit in November with a very special purpose.  They are becoming missionaries with Pioneer Bible Translators, and they came to ask our church to support them.  I am very excited that our missions team was excited about their mission and said yes!

After a meeting with the missions committee, we all came back to our house for dinner and then headed to Danville for a Christmas parade and the Festival of Trees.  We didn't want to separate then, so we went to the McDonald's playplace for more fun!  The next day, I got to introduce them at church, and we got to have lunch together before they had to hit the road.

Birthday buddies: