DECEMBER 2019

Like everyone else, December was a busy month for the Rakoz Family.  We spent weeks prepping for Christmas and celebrating with friends and family. 

  The month began with Rakoz Manor getting Christmas'd.  Special thanks goes to mom/mother-in-law/Grandma Dorette for her design expertise.  This year may be my most favorite festive decor yet!

Mr. Handyman Woodworker made this piece in the center of the table!

  Presley helped my co-worker decorating her office.

  The first weekend in December we celebrated the Olson Family Christmas.  This year the party was held at the Tuckers home and we had such a wonderful time with the family and lots of fabulous food.

 Here's sweet little Regan with the boys.

Here we have Uncles Jim & Ben, Deana and Aunt Shirley.

Presley, Riley and the boys.

Here are Uncles Jayme and Bob, Aunts Elaine and Geri and Cousins Mark, Brent & Kait.

  Another party Teague and I attended was for my work.  It was a super fun time and I was glad to introduce Teague to a bunch of co-workers that I talk about often.  As usual, he knew someone from his childhood so he was just as social as I was.

 At church one Sunday, the guests were treated to a complimentary hot cocoa bar.  The kids and I even stepped in to help out during a busy time.

  At work I participated in the Secret Santa event among co-workers.  My Santa was the absolute best and completely spoiled me for 2 weeks.  I loved EVERYTHING she gifted me with.  These are just a fraction of the items I received.  It definitely got me in the spirit!  

  Just a fun pic of me with my best girl and my new glasses.

  The last week before Christmas Break was filled with a ton of activities at school.  One of my favorites was attending the Eagle Pride Awards where Dylan received a certificate for making the Honor Roll.  I'm so incredibly proud of the great work he's doing here.  This is a very competitive school and he's doing well.

  Dylan celebrated the birth of our Savior at a Youth Group Christmas Party.  Here he is playing some Reindeer Games.

  Later that week, the Littles and I went back to Marrion Elementary for their annual Craft Night.  We made crafts and caught up with some friends and staff, as well as sat on Santa's lap!

 The last day before break the staff at my school sings Christmas Carols as the students are walking in the doors from the bus.  It's my favorite!

  Here Dylan and I are showing off our outfits for Spirit Week...this day was Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.  Nailed it.

  Later on that evening, Presley and I had a Hangtime, which for her usually means a meal at Taco Bell.  Skittles Slushie is a favorite of hers.

  Daddy and Presley continued their Christmas tradition of decorating a Gingerbread House.

 Dylan was the only person that joined me at church on Christmas Eve.  I was happy to share the experience with him by my side.

  Here are some pics from our annual Christmas Eve Snack Fest.

 This year Jake joined us for the 1st time...he and Briar plan to marry next Fall and this is a wonderful Rakoz tradition I'm sure he'll cherish as much as I do.

 A beautiful pic of Grandma with the kids.

  Here are some pics from the Cookie Decorating contest.

 Auntie Rhacelle took 1st place this year, knocking Uncle Jeff off of his 2-year reign.  Baby Yoda for the win!

 Santa's Bounty

 Merry Christmas!  Maddox got a jersey of his hero, Gordon Hayward.

 Presley got lots of art supplies

  Dylan got an Iverson jersey and some video games.

 Within an hour of opening gifts, Presley's room lost all sense of order and organization.  2 1/2 hours of cleaning and purging wiped out in minutes.

  Teague got a great photo of the Anderson family post Christmas brunch

  Later that evening we had an Apples to Apples tournament at the other Anderson's house following Christmas dinner.

  Then, a mere 2 days later, we celebrated Maddox turning 14.  I can't believe it!  He was King for a day and dictated his celebration.  We started out at Seize the Bagel for breakfast followed by drinks at Dutch Bros.

 After that we went to the mall where the kids used some of their giftcards/Christmas money

  During this mall trip, we ran into Presley's fave Marrion teacher, Mr. Murphine!  The hardest part of leaving Marrion was the fact that she would have been in his class again this year, so this was a great surprise as she's missed him so much.  She was super excited and emotional which was adorable to watch.  I was so happy to get this pic.

  Next we brought home lunch from Chick-Fil-A so he could play video games during the afternoon.

  He then opened his birthday presents and we headed off to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner.

  The last part of the day was singing "Happy Birthday" to the Birthday Boy while he enjoyed a funfetti cupcake.  I'm so proud to see him grow into a responsible and bright young man.  What will this next year bring for him?

Whew!  There were a lot of fun things packed into this month.  

Next up in January: Basketball Tryouts for Maddox