Dear friend,
November was fantastic and filled with friends and family. Chelsea and her girls came to spend a few days with us! We played, made pizza, and watched Boyd's soccer game when he made his fifth goal of the year!
Halfway into Chelsea's visit, Elias whisked the big kids away for a snorkeling adventure in Key Largo. Unfortunately the weather derailed one plan after another so the entire trip was a bit of a comedy of errors with flight delays and all, but Elias is no amateur at traveling with kids so he turned it into a fantastic time with delicious food, dolphins, and an airboat tour through the everglades.
Meanwhile back in Connecticut, the seven of us ladies turned the weekend into a party! The little girls had a blast and Chelsea and I loved our time together.
Nana, Grandpa Peter, and the Hawks decided to join us for the 2nd annual Flood of Gratitude.
Nana and Grandpa Peter joined us a few days early and refinished our well-loved kitchen table for us
The Hawks were enjoying a family trip in NYC. Summer joined them for a day and got to see "The Music Man" on Broadway.
The morning of the Flood of Gratitude was freezing but we had almost 200 people attend over the 2 hours and it had a great energy.
We enjoyed an afternoon of pizza with everyone before they headed home.
School is going well for everyone. We have incredible teachers this year
Rose has shown a lot of growth. She continues to crack us up, love cuddles, the color green, all things Daddy, snuggling and reading books, and helping in the kitchen.
She still whips out her puppy eyes and we continue to work on asking before hugging strangers, maintaining personal space, not talking while others are talking and not derailing lessons, prayers and programs.
One evening while leaving a restaurant, she approached a stranger, pulled on his leg and asked him to zip up her coat. We promptly stepped in and asked Rose to stay next to us, but within a minute she ran off to hug a mother who was walking by with her son. We quickly pealed her off the stranger and reminded Rose to ask before hugging people, to which she responded, "Awe, she loved that."
Joy is coming into her own this year. She is our first child to receive orthodontics as one of her front teeth grew in front of her bottom teeth and one grew behind. She is a happy, energetic, peacemaker who loves to help out and make people laugh. She is diligent with her schoolwork and chores. She is enjoying swimming and ballet but wants to try gymnastics next year.
Smith is a delightful nine year-old. He's quick to make friends and is moving constantly. He continues to love fruit and went to town on the coconuts in Key Largo. He has loved his time in Ninja Parkour but is going to trade it out for boxing and tennis.
Boyd has the most amazing teacher this year. He has really clicked with her and she raves about how helpful he is in class. He continues to love soccer and excited for his winter season to begin. He still loves math and legos and he reads ferociously.
Summer is getting little whiffs of teenage life and it's catching us all by surprise. She continues to thrive on the swim team and loves to sing. She has a great group of friends and is ready for middle school. She is a great big sister and continues to make up awesome activities for everyone.
I am loving my time with Regional Hospice. I have been visiting an elderly gentleman in a private care home with four men, so I go and spend time with the four men weekly. I am part of the DEI committee for the PTA and stay busy planning the ward activities and teaching Gospel Doctrine. I'm still doing rehab for my stomach and continue to enjoy yoga and exercise classes at the Y.
Elias is the best. The best. I don't know how he does all that he does. He works his tail off at work only to come home and be fully involved with the kids and then give his all to church. He led a great emotional intelligence/renaissance man lesson for the young men where they painted emotions. He takes time with each kid and has instituted "OAs" (Outing with Assignment) where he asks a kid to review a scripture and then takes them out for breakfast one-on-one before school.
I know this picture of socks is strange, but when we were first married, it would bug me that his socks (clothes) could never make it to the hamper, but then I had this moment of self-reflection and committed myself to always express my gratitude to have him as my husband every time I pick up one of his socks.
I'm naturally grouchier that he is and quicker to lose my temper, but for some reason, that particular commitment stuck and I get this flood of love for him when I go to the far side of the bed and see his trail of socks.
We drove out and back to Maryland one Saturday to attend Peter's baptism.
We were blessed to have Gram come join us for a party weekend!
We kicked things off with Summer's 11th Birthday Party.
Next up was hosting Thanksgiving at our house for 35 people from the ward. 
Friday, the 25th was Summer's actual birthday. We love this girl so much! We celebrated her all day and enjoyed dinner at Hibachi.
The following day we spent down in New York City. We saw the tree at Rockefeller Center, enjoyed a wonderful Monet Art Immersion exhibit, saw the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and wrapped it all up with a picnic in Central Park. We're getting better at city excursions and I look forward to many more.
Love you all,
Brittany et al.
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