The December birthday girls decided to share their special time with Dad on Saturday (Dec. 20).
Instead of the traditional breakfast, they opted to follow Tanner's lead and have lunch at Costa Vida.
Gotta love left-overs!
Later that evening, we hosted the dinner for the Christmas Dance. Nice to have G-ma June's old set of Christmas dishes for the occasion. It looked all fancy for our guests.
With only ten people, meal prep was much easier. And dessert was served at Jacob's house.
Earlier in the day, the group did a scavenger hunt and decorated gingerbread houses.
Elisa W. with Tanner in front of our Christmas tree.
David A., Ruth H., Tanner, Elisa W., Carli G., Jacob C., Kaitlin T., Logan O., Sarah B., Ethan S.
Ruth, Elisa, Carli, Kaitlin, Sarah
David, Tanner, Jacob, Logan, Ethan
It was so awesome to have Chris and Julia come by the house to take their pictures before heading to the dance. Another wonderful group of teenagers!
This was the last picture taken of Anna before she took the plunge. On Monday (Dec.22), she decided to 'face her fears' and claim her birthday gift certificate for getting her ears pierced.
So far, so good.
Slumber Party Time!
Our family was invited to tour the beautiful new Windsor Manor student housing complex where G-ma Annie Kerr's house once stood. It was surreal!
There are two separate buildings (male/female housing) with a total of 344 beds.
Love this gorgeous front door -- $7,000!
My good friend, Rachel, has worked long and hard putting this project together from start to (almost) finish. It's been an enormous under-taking and she's been an absolute visionary.
(More pics to come from a second tour with Mom & Dad).
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| Maria, Heather, Rachel |
In August, Rachel was able to hire Maria to help out with the incredible workload. Maria worked for the college before and is excellent on the computer and very organized. She is another one of my all-time favorite people. She delivered my weekly Bountiful Basket/s for years. I always left the side-door unlocked and Maria graciously brought the goods inside on Saturday mornings. I occasionally helped out at the site but Maria's service allowed me to attend the temple or go for an early run without having to pick up my basket. It was an awesome arrangement until recently when she decided to close the site down. Ordering our produce from BB was our way of life and we benefitted greatly for five years but it's time for a new routine.
The parking lot was directly located outside this sliding glass door.
Very convenient for the future tenants of #307. The room we stayed in happened to reside almost exactly where G-ma Annie's house was once located.
Because Aaron was battling a respiratory virus of sorts, he joined us for the catered dinner (PPC) and tour of the buildings but went home to sleep in his own bed. All six kids and I brought our sleeping bags and pillows and stayed up way too late watching movies, playing with friends, and generally doing whatever you do at slumber parties....(there were multiple families sleeping over).
The next morning, breakfast was delivered to our door.
Cinnamon rolls and orange juice!
Part of the motivation behind the "slumber party" was to have friends and family take notice of any "kinks" that needed to be addressed prior to the students' arrival the following week. There were multiple pages to this detailed checklist for us to use when inspecting our unit. Because Jantzen had basketball practice that morning (Dec. 23), we didn't quite finish but I don't know if anybody did:). It was an awesome opportunity to see these buildings up close and personal in their pristine conditions!
That night a group of M. family joined to celebrate Bob's 69th birthday. Thank goodness for the excellent company but Aaron and I won't be returning anytime soon. Someone may or may not have received his meal after waiting for over an hour - at least it wasn't the birthday boy!
Christmas Eve Day
Matt and Whitney came over earlier in the day to make sugar cookies with the kids.
Later that evening, they decorated them.
We make sugar cookies every year (usually with G-ma P).
So glad that's a tradition for Whitney as well. It worked out perfectly for both of us.
(She made cookies with the kids while I secretly wrapped gifts).
Not that we needed anymore sugar in the house, but they were tasty! There has been a steady stream of neighbor gifts flowing in all month long. We are going to have serious withdrawals after the holidays are over.
Whitney made her first ever cheese ball too.
Brinley made these delicious mint-chocolate truffles.
Oh yeah, they were divine.
Tanner and Brinley - sharing a laugh
We had a house full on Christmas Eve. I made chicken tortilla soup and a green salad. Everybody brought something for our yummy dinner together.
Anna & Tanner
Aaron and Erica (sister)
Matt & Whitney - first Christmas as a married couple
Quinn & G-ma Janene
Baby Faye
Bob chatting with Chris and Julia
Chris & Julia
Greta was not in the mood to have her picture taken.
She was ready for bed.
She was ready for bed.
Brinley and adorable Faye
Jordan finally arrived. The kids were hoping for a white Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon run on clear roads with beautiful sunshine earlier in the day. Weather changed quickly and our awesome balmy-ness left in a hurry. After Jordan ate, we loaded up a box full of gifts for our Sub-for-Santa delivery. It was an exciting one! At first, we couldn't tell if the family was home and then we thought we saw their car coming. Because of the raging snowstorm, we couldn't leave the gifts outside. There was zero protection from the elements. In the end, the front door was unlocked and Jordan took the gifts inside while the family was gone. Living in a small town has its benefits!
Aaron's first braid?
Quinn as Joseph
Brinley - a shepherd
Whitney & Elsie - the heavenly hosts...
Mom - the donkey (a first)
Elsie - an angel
Anna - Mary
Jordan, Matt, Jantzen - aren't they always the 'wise guys'?
Matt doubled as a shepherd since Chris & Julia left before acting out the Nativity.
Bringing frankincense, gold and myrrh...
Aaron, Erica and Tanner - the record-keepers
Erica and Tanner - photographers
I think Joseph forgot to wash his face after dinner.
Bob - narrarator
After our semi-comical rendition, we settled down and Bob shared a more serious Christmas message with all of us. Prior to writing the book, Mary & Joseph, Bob did extensive research on the events surrounding Christ's birth. He shared some of these details and insights with us. We enjoyed the beautiful Christmas spirit before parting ways that evening.
Movies from China again. Hooray!
Cookies and eggnog for Santa & carrots for the reindeer.
It was after midnight when Aaron asked for my help in relocating the upstairs Christmas tree. And by the way, it was NOT a quiet endeavor. I think he ended up re-decorating the thing while I finished wrapping presents. In the end, the kids said it was the easiest barricade/trap they've ever encountered during their efforts to sneak a peak at what Santa brought.
1 comment:
Fun!
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