Lyza is 11!

 Figgie ends up in all sorts of places but I like it the most when he is part of the nativity

Lyza was chosen to share one of her challenge projects with the School District Board at one of their meetings. She did awesome!

We had a Pileated Woodpecker in our backyard on our biggest pine tree

This thing was violent

Look at that tongue

Hopefully there aren't any pine beetles in there...

Here is a video of it in action

Crafty Mason

Lyza got to meet our stake patriarch who is a retired entomologist 

They talked for two hours and she had SO MUCH FUN!

Figgie hid in the Christmas tree this day

The moose on my daily walk

Henry got to play on the big snow hill outside his friend's house

Lyza turned 11 on Friday. For breakfast she chose monkey bread and acai bowls.

While she was at school Henry and I put together a bookshelf for one of her birthday gifts

Henry got to paint a nutcracker at a library activity

And he got to use some more practical nut crackers

And make a fruit loop necklace

Lyza was greeted by a new bookshelf in her room when she got home

Her reaction. She was also surprised that we had reconfigured furniture along that wall. I am not sure what she was looking for in the closet though. 

She got to open presents in her room

Kim and the kids have been reading a Christmas book and they are getting close to finishing it

Birthday cake

Even Figgie joined us for the celebration

Yummy

The next day we went to Big Red's Barn, which is a local petting zoo

They have bunnies

A llama

This hump backed cow

A pig, birds

A wallaby

Chickens

I thought it was cool how this bird used its beak to climb

Goats

A reptile room with snakes, lizards, and turtles (among other things)

A tegu

Look at that tongue

A boa

The kids got to hold the boa

Tortoise

Two 2-toed sloths

Henry and Mason enjoyed digging in the corn kernels

Otters (that were Lyza's favorite and I didn't photograph them much)

Prairie dogs

A household dog ;)

Ferrets

I asked Nixon and Mason to pose for this picture

And when I asked them to say cheese the cow did this...

A wallaby hanging out

Here is a video of the fun

Today was Lyza's last Sunday in primary. She will be in Young Women in January.

We are so excited for Christmas!

Take care