Nifty November

 With so much going on, and the holiday season officially here, time is just flying by--- I can't believe Christmas is literally just around the corner. December is always one of our busiest months, with birthdays and anniversaries, recitals and concerts, parties and church activities, and of course Christmas and New Years.  We'd better wrap up November before it gets too late!

Zach and Lucy's school does an award's ceremony each quarter called the "Outstanding Buffalo Assembly." Each teacher selects one boy, and one girl to be recognized for going the extra mile and representing their HERD values (Honesty, Excellence, Respect, and Dedication). Last year Lucy was selected and Zach was soooooo jealous! It is a BIG deal at school. We told him to set a goal for next year to be the Outstanding Buffalo, and sure enough, his awesome teacher really saw how hard he was trying and made his dream come true! 

WAY TO GO, ZACH! Jon had to work, but I was able to go to the assembly and watch him get called up, and hear his teacher say such great things about him. It's so hard because things come so much easier for Lucy than Zach-- and she gets recognized all the time (and deservedly so!), but I feel like Zach works twice as hard sometimes, and hardly ever gets praised for it. It's hard to keep him motivated. I so appreciate his teacher for seeing Zach, and understanding that all that extra effort was a big deal for him. He was so excited for the special lunch they get.

The K-2nd grade Outstanding Buffalos from each class.

The following weekend I got to have a dream of my own come true when I attended a Les Mills Super Quarterly here in Denver. Les Mills is an international group exercise program with master trainers and presenters from all around the world, who travel near and far to teach local instructors (like myself) how to be better. 

They have classes and education sessions that run all day long, so I picked to do a master Body Pump class, Body Step, CX Worx, and Body Flow classes throughout the day. This picture doesn't do it justice, but there were probably about 150 people participating in Body Pump that morning. 

I also got to hang out with my friend Colleen all day, who I teach with at the CAC. Les Mills originated in New Zealand, so most of the presenters have really thick accents, and Colleen happens to be from Australia so taking her classes is just like watching the choreography DVDs I get. This was at the end of the day after Flow and we were both exhausted!

Here's Miss Lizzie in some Sunday best pictures. She is at such a fun age! She is so expressive and happy and her little personality is just getting bigger and bigger. She babbles all day long, fights to keep up with the big kids and go wherever they are going, and loves to growl. She's still not walking, but every now and then she gets brave and takes a few steps in a row-- four being her record so far. She's also gotten four new teeth this month-- her incisors and her two front teeth are coming in.

She is just loved wherever we go! I wish I could freeze time (at least for a little while) because it is SO fun to have a baby in the house. We recently switched her into Lucy's room at night (and Lucy into Zach and Leah's room) so she can sleep alone and it's done wonders for her and I! She sleeps through the night from about 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and it's amazing.

Here is her 10 month picture. See that little snaggle-tooth peeking out right there at the top? She is adorable (and so fun to dress up), if I do say so myself.

Leah is our little preschool girl and just thriving away on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Here she is practicing writing her name and the letter L.

I'm so glad she loves school! It gives me a nice little break, and her one too.

They had a yummy Thanksgiving feast at school right before break and Leah loved the pumpkin pie with whipped cream (obvs). They did a thankful tree and Leah said she was thankful for "her body," and her "toys." We are thankful for preschool!   

FVE had a Thanksgiving Feast that parents were invited to, so before Jon headed in to work, we stopped by the school and met the kids for lunch. Zach was so excited to see us! It was sure fun to see his friends and how well he's getting along in 2nd grade.

Lucy was thrilled to see us too! She was sure we'd get to Zach's first and not want to wait until it was her class's turn for lunch. She is such a sweet 4th grader and just has everyone (students and teachers alike) tell her "hi" wherever we go.

And last but not least, Jon finally FINALLY bought a new car! Well, a truck to be exact. He bought a black 2016 Toyota Tacoma with leather seats and 4WD, and it is one sweet ride. I think his rearview mirror breaking (along with just about everything else in his Corolla) was the last straw and he finally decided it'd be okay if he rolled up to work in something a little nicer than his '98 Corolla. It was getting a little awkward when patients asked him what car he drives, ha ha. I'm so thankful he's such a hard worker day in and day out-- he stays late and goes in early, and gives 150% to this practice, and he absolutely deserves something nice for himself for a change! Happy November!