White Christmas

After seeing my siblings on the iPad, my go-to-Utah-for-Christmas date got bumped up a bit.  (Just toooooo excited.)

And so with a few Christmas songs, interesting books on tape, and loads of sunflower seeds, the kids and I trekked up to Logan.  My dad gave me weather updates along the way ... which felt odd.  You have to plan things around weather?  Oh yeah.  I've lived in California too long.

But fortunately we made it before the blizzards began to take over, and settled in to a blissfully almost-complete reunited family. (Minus my hard-working man.)  Belle nuzzled Jamie's shoulder for about 10 minutes straight.  She knows who to schmooze.  Go for the one almost exactly like your mom, but who won't make you do anything.  Mac jumped and whooped and wouldn't stay still.  Jake got the same treatment.   It was heaven.

We spent the next few days preparing for the masses of relatives coming to celebrate their homecoming.  We cooked, we cleaned, and cooked some more.  And then we partied.  Jamie and Jake were awe-inspiring, naturally.  Besides their incredible ability to bring the Spirit flooding to a room, they also snuck in some Lord of the Rings quotes.  Best sacrament meeting I've been to.

We schmoozed and talked and loved on the family, (haven't seen the Barney's in a-g-e-s) and then breathed a sigh of relief as we had a few days to ourselves before Christmas.  We saw the Hobbit, we dominated Sports Academy, we built a snowman, and polished up our Christmas shopping.  And whilst shopping, we were blessed with some serious Christmas kindness.  A lady and her two children stopped us and said they were performing 26 acts of random kindness in honor of the victims of a horrific school shooting that had happened just days before.  They gave Mac and Belle teddy grahams and some sweet words.  I tell you, there is some good yet in this world, Mr. Frodo.  And it's worth fighting for!

And of couse, we played.

We ate a delicious traditional Thomas Family Sunday Dinner.

We discovered that Santa's house is actually in Nana and Bumpa's neighborhood!  Mac was thrilled ... but certainly did not want to meet him.

Still, he's closer than he was last year.

On the day Daddoo would finally join us in Utah, we ran through the SLC Temple lights.  Holy smokes.  Don't ever do that on the Saturday before Christmas with kids who can't handle the cold.  7 adults on 2 kids almost wasn't enough.

And then Mark was here, and we were complete.

Christmas Eve was spent sledding.

And re-enacting the Nativity.

Mary and Joseph

The Three Wise Men

Shepherds

Gunn Family performers

Wild ride to the stable.

Hearing the Good News

Cast and crew

 Followed by the beloved story of "Poopy the Poop" -- I mean, "Poochy the Pup" and the "Glass Window".

Don't forget cookies, milk, carrots, welcome mat, and opening the fireplace.

And before we knew it, Christmas morning arrived!  Belle got us all up at a balmy 6:30 a.m., and nobody complained.  Mac was riddled with indecision ... the toys, the toys!  But could Santa still be stomping through the house?

It took some convincing, but eventually the place was proven jolly-red-man-free, so we could enjoy our horde.

Note the gypsy pj pants ... a la Espana.  Thank you, Elder Jakie!

I got a new camera lense!  My stinker husband spent WAY too much on me (oh the joys of a real job!) ... and I am thrilled.  I mean, look at the detail on this branch, a solid 300 ft. away!

And so the rest of our Christmas day was spent with me taking pictures and packing up.  And taking more pictures.

Well hello, Mr. Blue eyes.

Showing Dad the Palmyra sites and remembering all sorts of awesome details ... you need to talk to this girl.

Enjoying the gift he helped me pick out for Bishop Bumpa's office.

Senorita Belen and her adorable uncle.  We are loving all our Spanish gifts!

Head butts farewell.

And then the job called us back, so after a quick Christmas feast, we were on our way to St. George to have a quick merry visit with the Gunn family.

Mac has been missing Uncle Adam.  ("Him throws the ball sooooo faaaaaaast!")

Belle has been missing her biggest fan.

And though our time was too short, it was wonderful.

We love you all, Utah family.  Our hearts were filled up and we are still talking about all the good times we had.  

And whether or not we should move back to Utah.

Happiest Day in the Happiest Place

I knew my brother and sister would be returning home from their missions on the same day.
December 6th.
I counted down the days.

But what to do once that day finally arrived was quite tricky for me.  Driving up to see them seemed most obvious, right?  But then what?  I was planning on spending Christmas in Logan.  So do I drive 12 hours, wish them well, stay a couple of days, then drive home again ... only to repeat the process a week or so later?

Sounds miserable.

So then, do I kiss my darling husband, tell him "Merry Christmas, sucka -- I mean sweetheart.  Thanks for working all the time.  See you in a month!"  And then drive off to Utah to spend my favorite time of year without the person my kids and I love the most??  That didn't seem any better.

Sticky situation here.

I then remembered how my kids act when they go to my parents' house.  The take over everything.  They bounce from person to person, never stopping, never napping ... just soaking in the smiles and love and laughter.

The answer seemed easy then.  Give my two siblings a few days in the comfort of their own childhood home, without the distraction of never-before-met nieces and nephews, and simultaneously have more Christmas-time with my hard-working man.  Then kiss him goodbye and hustle my buns to Utah to smoother my long-lost siblings.

Spoiler alert:  it turned out great.

But I was dreading the day they would come home.  I knew I would feel like I was missing out, and I did.
Until someone came to my rescue.

We have a friend in our stake whose husband works for Disneyland.  It was the end of the year, and their annually-allotted tickets-for-friends had piled up.  So they sent out the word that they were looking for people to use them on, and I jumped on it.

Disneyland made it all worth it.

It was Belle's first time.

She loved it.

Small World was her first ride.  She and the boys were wonderful.  We saw Merida, Mickey, Pluto, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White.  We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride three times.  We saw Cars Land.  We loved it.  The $400 per person annual pass almost felt worth it on that magical day.

And I was too busy being a single parent at Disneyland to take many pictures.

Despite the magic, or perhaps because of it, by late afternoon we were exhausted.  Perfect timing (the occurance of which being a complete miracle) allowed me to get home maybe five minutes before these two lovelies came down the stairs at the SLC airport, arm in arm.  I got to see the whole thing on our iPad.

Don't mind the fuzziness of this picture ... see that blurry little hand to the right?  All her fault.

They were laughing, they were crying, and they were still themselves.  Sweeter ... and more driven.  But themselves.

I couldn't wait to see them in person.

Christmas Funtivities, Take 2

The duration of our two-week Christmas season in California went as follows:

• Christmas lights at our favorite neighborhood ("Naples" in Long Beach ... complete with canals and gondolas ... magic) with one of our favorite couples.  We met ba-jillionaires and found the Griswald's home.

•  We thoroughly enjoyed the "frigid" temperatures.  (Utah friends ... yes I am cold.  And don't bash our weather people so much, they just never get to report on anything, so 50 degree weather is a BIG DEAL.)

•  We received a Christmas box in the mail ... that had, amongst all the amazing only-to-be-enjoyed-during-the-Christmas-season toys, MATCHING PJS.  I never dress my kids the same (for obvious reasons), so this was a special treat.  Mac agreed.

Took a million jumping pictures ... but this one is my favorite.  Mac had to pause to yell something into the recordings he is so fond of on my phone.

• We joined another favorite family at their ward's nativity.  This was no ordinary nativity.  Real straw.  Real donkeys.  Real camels, and angels singing on the roof. 

It's true that California does not have snow and therefore makes the Christmas season feel incomplete.  

However ... it makes up for it in other ways.

Hunk of Love

Can I just take a moment to proclaim to you all (specifically my posterity) that I really really love this guy?

Kids, your father is a gem.  He is a man of service.  He gets up in the morning and helps with breakfast.  Sometimes ... he even jumps out of bed as soon as the kids start making noise to whisk them away while I drool on my pillow an extra hour. 

He then goes to work and helps all sorts of people's bodies to heal themselves.  Not to mention healing Dr. Holland's paperwork crisis. 

He then comes home, and takes absolute joy in seeing his family again.  Mac, he plays with you nonstop.  Baseball?  Absolutely.  Wrestling?  You bet.  Plants vs. Zombies?  Of course.  And Belle, you butter him up more than any girl in the world.  He comes home and wrestles you as gently as can be and loves to mimic every little sound you make.  (Except for the screeching.) You two had a rough start what with your constant colicky sounds and his lack of mammary glands, but these days your father has made winning your love serious business.  It's working.

Not only is he wonderful with you two, he's a great help around the house.  He likes what I cook for him (90% of the time) and then cleans things up.  Of course, he's said many times how excited he is to teach Mac how to do dishes, but still ... he does them for me.

The man is not afraid to pitch in and make this house his home too, and I really truly appreciate that.  We've definitely got a balance going that works.

Plus, I still love looking at him.
I remember back in my single days coming to terms with the fact that I would probably marry a semi-attractive man, because they were the ones that turned out right.

But then I met this fellow ... whom I initially considered to be great eye-candy.
Turns out he's the whole kit and caboodle.

Your father has told me several times how much he loves this blog, but to please keep him out of it.  And yes, you darlings take up 98% of my posts.

But (shhhhh) don't tell him ... that extra two percent has been reserved just for him.