December Catch Up

December was busy! From fun in the snow, to time with friends, to celebrating Lilah's 6th birthday, to selling our house (again) and to celebrating Jordan's 40th, there was never a dull moment. What a great way to wrap up 2017!

Decorating cakes at Lilah's birthday party

Hannah's class just finished a unit on homelessness, and there was a culmination event where the parents were invited in to see everything they've learned.

40 centerpieces for Jordan's 40th brunch at The Bird and the Bread

Sharkfin pie from Mitchell's 

Dinner at Clawson Steakhouse to celebrate the big 4-0

Thankful

From New York to Denver, the Boltons are thankful for vacations spent with family and friends. Hannah and I headed to NY with Mina to visit Steph, Mike and Brian, while Ella ands Jordan headed to Denver with Softa and Zaydie to visit Mutty, the Rubins and the McAbees.

In New York we stayed busy with the train show at the botanical garden, the children's art museum, Rockin' Jump, painting at Muse and eating a ton of delicious Italian food. We also went to nearly every bakery in Little Italy to sample all of the different pastries.

In Denver, Jordan and Ella went skiing, saw a movie, swam and caught up with friends and family. So much to be thankful for this holiday season!

Hanukkah Bush and Birmingham Tree Lighting

The holiday season is in full swing with Hanukkah bush decorating and our annual Birmingham Tree Lighting night with the Hays/Pulis clans. The Hays' hosted a wonderful dinner before the tree lighting and we went back there after for hot chocolate. The girls and Samuel were all so excited to just be together, and the adults were able to relax and catch up too.

Sassy expressions and dress up in Brooke's clothes - what will the teen years be like

Running to make it in time for the tree lighting - we are always late!

Licking the ice sculpture

The moment the tree lit up

Elizabeth Bolton and the Turkey Trot

Hannah created a turkey for her school's "Turkey Trot" showcasing what everyone in our family is thankful for - such a fun family project. The assignment was to use recycled materials, and between a Halloween bucket, witch tights, foam door hangers, jewels, foam scraps and some wallpaper samples, we had quite a turkey! Hannah named her Elizabeth, and we are all really proud to have Elizabeth represent the Bolton's in next week's trot.

Ella and the Reptars

Ella is back on the field with her second season as a Reptar. She is loving soccer, and starts basketball next week.

Ava Sleepover

The girls always have so much fun with Ava. Tonight's activities were hula hoops, dress up, magformers (the girls and I built, Ava destroyed) dance parties and books. Ava also had a strange obsession with one of our pieces of artwork and kept demanding I pick her up and carry her over to stare at it. Then she would laugh and laugh and laugh... It's a black and white sketch of a face, and for some reason she couldn't get enough of it.

Pink Hair, Don't Care

Hannah has been very into fashion and curating her personal style lately. Her baggy leggings have been replaced with jeans and getting dressed is no longer a challenge because of how things feel, but instead because she has to find the perfect look. The most recent change in Hannah's look is pink highlights and bangs. Grammy Al took her to her salon for a cut and color, and Hannah is thrilled with the outcome.