December 2017

December was filled with festive fun at our house!  Here's a look at some of the highlights:

Devin had a great month as a missionary with lots of people to teach, temperatures that finally helped him to see why people might want to live in Arizona, training an awesome companion in a really great ward, the baptisms of 2 of his favorite investigators, and Lighting the World all month long:







Meanwhile, here in Highland, we started the month with Seth's Chamber choir putting on their annual Madrigal feast and it was so much fun! Seth was thrilled to get to be a beggar and had fun performing  (and fighting) for "shinies" with his fellow beggars before the dinner and show:








Naughty beggar sitting on the throne...

The next 2 weeks were filled with choir concerts for both Seth and Autumn and 2 dance concerts (one for her dance studio and one for her Jr. High team) for Autumn.  We LOVED all of the performances - Christmas concerts are the best!!


Autumn and her friend Jacee after their school dance performance of "The Polar Express"


A few of Autumn's favorite former dance team friends came to support her at her dance studio's benefit concert - Autumn was so excited to see them again since they all go to different schools


Her studio dance team in rehearsal

Bryce and I went to SLC one night for his company Christmas party and stopped by the #LighttheWorld giving vending machines at the Joseph Smith Memorial building where you could buy things to donate to those in need. We waited in the long line and bought a goat to donate to someone who needs a goat. I think this was the highlight for Bryce's Christmas season. :)



We also took in the Christmas lights before going to "The Nutcracker" ballet with his company.



Once Megan was home for the break, she and Autumn took a sister's trip to SLC and had a fun time together.



After 50 years of not being able to breathe through his nose completely, Bryce finally decided to go under the knife to have his deviated septum repaired.  The surgery ended up being more complicated than planned and rather than straightening his septum, the surgeon had to remove it completely and use a new piece of cartilage, something he said he rarely has to do.  The first week after surgery ws rough, but Bryce is loving being able to draw a full breath and breathe freely through his nose. :)


Pre surgery pic :)

We had our annual Finch Family Christmas brunch complete with food, gifts and of course, acting out the nativity.









One VERY cold evening, we went to the Luminaria lights display at Thanksgiving Point for the 2nd year in a row - quickly becoming one of our favorite traditions.









After pretty much no snow before Christmas and many many prayers by Autumn, we woke up on Christmas morning to a beautiful picture of white - truly a Christmas miracle!



We had the normal fun and festivities...


This is hands down my favorite pajama onesie EVER!!

And then we got to the best part of the day, and month, when we got to Skype Devin - he is happy, healthy and LOVES being a missionary!!





The perfect Christmas gift! Hope you all had a wonderful December and that 2018 is good to you!!

November 2017

November was lots of fun around here - take a look:

Devin continues to grow and love serving as a missionary in Arizona.  He became a trainer and is loving serving with his greenie, Elder Ludiker.  He also got permission to have lunch with Rob and Kim and really enjoyed spending time with his aunt and uncle.  We are grateful they took some time to spend with Devin and were happy to get pictures and reports that he is happy, healthy and doing well from Rob and Kim.





My sister Kristi hosted a Christmas craft day one Saturday and Autumn and I met up with Megan and Crystal there along with a few more of my sisters and some cousins for Megan and Autumn.  We had a fun time creating new Christmas decorations and spending time together.



We had a lot of fun over Thanksgiving break this year, especially enjoying a much needed break from school! We also were thrilled to have visits from Megan and from Grandma and Grandpa Ririe.  On the day before Thanksgiving, one of Megan's best friends, Johnny, got married and Megan was gone most of the day to the sealing and other wedding festivities. We got to meet her new boyfriend, Chase, at the wedding reception and think he is a pretty nice guy.  Megan would agree. :)


Chase, Autumn and Megan at the reception


Johnny and his new wife, Emily, dancing at the reception



Thanksgiving was a fun, though quiet affair at our house this year. One of Megan's roommates, Lisa, joined us as well as Grandma and Grandpa Ririe.  We had a good time preparing the food together, Bryce smoked the most delicious turkey I have ever eaten, Autumn did an amazing job with place cards and decorating the table, and we all ate too much delicious food, so that's a pretty successful Thanksgiving in my book. ;)











The day after Thanksgiving, we decorated for Christmas because Autumn couldn't be stopped - I'm actually amazed we made it to after Thanksgiving before the decorations went up.  Bryce and Seth thought it was funny to recreate Dad helping the kids put the angel on the top of the tree:



We also had a great time decorating the gingerbread houses Grandma made for us! Autumn invited a couple of her friends to join us and it was fun to see what everyone created.


Megan and her log cabin


Seth and his gingerbread house of terror - it was pretty much filled with sour patch kids - the one on the front walkway escaped, but is about to step on a landmine outside the house.


Autumn and her friends Jacee and Anna and their connected cottages


Bryce with his candy cottage and me with my Christmas Tahitian bungalow

Thanks for the fun Grandma!!  That's about it for November.  December will be jam packed with dance and choir concerts and performances as well as Christmas celebrations galore. Tune in next month for the report. :)

October 2017

October was pretty crazy around here, but here's a look at some of the highlights:

Devin finished his first transfer in Paradise Valley, continued to love serving as a missionary, joined Facebook as a missionary and became a trainer.  We're excited to hear how the training is going in his email next week.








Pic proving his love language is still food ;)

We enjoyed Conference weekend with Megan's roommates Lisa and Crystal and my nephew Sam and his girlfriend Shelby joining us for the inspiration, food and fun.


(break time in between sessions)

I met up with two of Devin's best friends for lunch in Provo and we had so much fun and 2 more young adults have now been adopted into the family.  Welcome to Jake and Lauren! :)



Seth went to Homecoming with Grace and in a group of their good friends.  They had an awesome night and then came to our house for waffles after the dance - so fun!






I love the awkward hand placements in this picture - it makes me laugh. ;)

Autumn turned the ripe old age of 15, was bummed that she had 2 tests and a major assignment on her birthday, hours of dance and then a Stake activity that we couldn't miss.  But she did get kidnapped for breakfast by her friends, received some pretty awesome presents and we celebrated with a sushi dinner a few days later.







In conjunction with her 15th birthday, I took Autumn to the DMV where she passed the written test to earn her driver's permit, so our baby will be learning how to drive! Yikes!!



Autumn and Seth both had choir concerts...



and in addition to their regular Fall concert, Seth's choir, Chamber Singers, put on their annual Disney Concert to earn money for their trip to New York in the spring.  This concert is always one of my favorites and this year did not disappoint.  The entire choir did some really fun numbers, there were some amazing solo numbers and then Seth also sang bass in a quartet of "Life Could be a Dream", which was featured in the Disney movie "Cars'.  It was awesome!


"God Help the Outcasts"


Autumn giving her brother (very much in character) a congratulatory hug after the concert

In between the Saturday matinee performance and evening performance of the Disney concert, the choir kids put on a Mad Hatter's Tea Party where people could come, eat fanciful foods and mingle with the choir kids dressed as Disney characters.  I put together more than 75 grape caterpillars for the tea party:



Megan stayed super busy at USU, and on her one day of Fall break (which always falls on the Friday of our other kids Fall Break), she and Crystal (filling in for Devin) met Seth and Autumn at Lagoon for their 3rd annual Siblings Lagoon Day and had a great time riding all the rides despite the cold windy weather.





While they were at Lagoon, Bryce and I had our 3rd annual Couples Day while Kids are at Lagoon day.  We enjoyed a morning hike through the beautiful Fall mountains in Little Cottonwood canyon, had some lunch and caught a matinee movie.  Win-Win day for sure!





Halloween snuck up on us this year and we never had a chance to carve pumpkins, though Bryce and I did create this tribute to "Stranger Things" pumpkin:  And if you don't get the reference, you really should watch it on Netflix



Autumn dressed as a unicorn for school and then changed into a less sweltering hot black cat costume for an evening party with her friends.  Seth dressed as "Jim" from "The Office" - a few of his friends dressed as other characters from "The Office", but I don't have a picture of them together. :('









That's all from here for October! :)