CAKe: Act 12 & Carter's 3rd birthday

We did it! We made it through all 12 of our favorite acts of kindness. In actuality, we have probably done more. I'm grateful that being kind is just something Jonas naturally does (and Jeff and I). We aren't perfect at it, but more often than not, I feel my heart swell as I see Jonas choosing kindness. In all honesty, while I do think this tradition allows us to turn our hearts more towards others, I have wondered if there was a way to streamline it or condense it even more; maybe just do one evening of kindness where we are purposeful in our interactions with others...then call it good. The holiday season seems so busy at times that I wonder if the stress of executing 12 acts is worth it. (I know kindness, service, and selflessness is always worth it, but maybe there's a different way we can do that.) However, Jonas informed me (without knowing my thoughts) that this is one of his favorite Christmas traditions...and that made it all worth it. So we ended our acts of kindness with the family favorite: the drive thru! Because of everyone's busy schedules, it worked better this year to do our drive thru tradition on a Saturday at lunchtime rather than dinnertime. Dallin and Amber decided to join us too (much to Jonas's delight!). This year, we made it through 6 drive thrus (better than last year when the 3rd one wiped us out!). This is the first year that we were actually left with only change after our 5th drive thru so we had to hit one more. The kids were pretty pumped about that. Needless to say, it's not our healthiest dinner (or lunch), but it's one we love every year.

That afternoon, we got to celebrate Carter's 3rd birthday! It's incredible to think that he's 3 years old now. He doesn't seem like he should be that old. He is the cutest little 3-year-old though. We love hearing all the thoughts that roll around in his inquisitive and imaginative little mind. He is a sweet boy with lots of big ideas. This year, Laurin hosted a construction party in the shop. He got to use a hammer and "nails" in foam blocks, build a big box fort (I think the older boys had just as much fun with that one), and take a whack at a piñata. He loved his construction cake too (and yes, that's sour cream in that picture. Dallin gave it to him for his birthday. He loves it!).