Sunday January 3, 2016
Dear Cass -

Hi! It's hard to believe another week has already gone by. Christmas break is finishing up here and we are in to a new year! I loved reading all about your Christmas week there and seeing your pictures. We did look up Lubeck and it does look pretty incredible! What did you get to do this week? I think it's cool that as a Sister training leader you get to travel around and see lots of different places and be with lots of sisters!

One thing...you said you got a big thing of peanut butter. Did that come with anything else, like a pillow perhaps? We didn't send peanut butter, but Missy Webster has been trying to send you an Amazon order with peanut butter and a pillow. So I think that might have been from her! Let me know, and I'll get you her email address so you can thank her.

I also forgot to tell you that Grandma Bonnie gave you $50 for Christmas that I'll put in your account so you may want to thank her as well.

As for us here this week...

It has been VERY cold! I'm glad we went sledding the week before Christmas because our highs have only been about 18degrees this week!

So Monday morning Dad and I went to the gym then after that we took everyone to the Peanuts movie. It was cute. Dad's a lot like Charlie Brown. Then I got started with River on painting her room. She's a persistent one, that girl. I put her off on both Saturday and Sunday so we HAD to get to work on Monday. She actually helped a lot and we worked hard and got most of it done.

Tuesday was an interesting day. Dad went down to the barn with Hadlie and me to look at some of Nancy's lighting in the barn. She was having a pretty hard morning not being able to get some things working. We stayed there for quite a while helping. Mostly removing a lot of poop from the barn. While we were down there Dad received a call from Colten. Colt proceeded to tell Dad that he shot River's bb gun IN THE HOUSE and made a hole in one of our kitchen windows! Yes, you read that correctly. The boy we gave a SHOTGUN to for Christmas, totally did not use his head and chose to shoot the bb gun inside the house. He wanted to see if the bb's were really going through the styrofoam target the girls had been using outside. So he set it up on the kitchen counter and totally shot it. So we've got a window to replace.

The rest of Tuesday I spent finishing River's room. I was pretty exhausted when the day was over. Dad and Colten put together her dresser and helped hang the curtains. Colten also took the girls and they all went to a new movie, Point Break.

Wednesday Dad and I went to the gym then I went next door and got a pedicure which felt great. Then we took the family to Red Lobster for lunch. Everyone but Hadlie loves it. After lunch the girls and I went to Hobby Lobby and Target for a few odds and ends for River's room. She spent all her Christmas money. Dad helped her hang all her shelves and pictures and it was done!

Thursday was New Year's Eve. I spent most of the day trying to take down Christmas decorations. Dad took Hadlie and Colten shooting in the afternoon. It was freezing cold but at least Colten got to try his gun out. River and I met them over at Grandma Bonnie's later that afternoon for the big New Year's Eve party. Colten left to go to a party but Hadlie and River stayed with us. Paige, Lexi and Abbi were all there too so they all had fun together. We played some really fun games. Katelyn and Luke brought a really fun one called Telestrations which is kind of like "telephone" but with drawings. We stayed til midnight and then came home in the freezing weather!

Friday Brooke came over and cut Hadlie and Dad's hair. I had to go to the store for a few things and then we mostly stayed home. I continued to clean up and Dad has been pretty consumed with projects in his music room. He did finish a song he wrote for me. It's really good but about the process of raising a family and how life changes so it's a little emotional too.

Yesterday we sort of celebrated Hadlie's birthday. We went to lunch at Olive Garden (her choice) and then she and her friend Sadie went for pedicures. Then we picked up Cold Stone ice cream (that's what she wanted for a cake) and came home and opened presents. She got a few go pro supplies, a Bluetooth speaker and new boots. Then she and Sadie hung out here for the rest of the evening. Colten and I went to see a movie, The Martian, which was good but had bad language. River went to babysit Brooke's kids.

And here we are on Sunday morning. Dad and I will start teaching our new Sunday School class today. There are only 4 seniors in our ward right now. Colten is one of them. Weird to have such a small group! Then my family will be over for dinner today to celebrate Hadlie and Briggs! Briggs will be FIVE this month! And then we're going to Liz's to watch the first episode of the last season of Downton Abby.

Well - you'll have to share with us your goals and process of making them so we can be inspired! I hope you have a good week. I love and will pray for you every day!

Love - Mom