Absolutely Awesome Eight: December Parties

Heather, Breanna, Derek, Aaron with babies

We used to see Breanna (niece) and Derek quite often when they were local students. They've moved away, so it's been a while. In fact, my kids were excited to finally meet these baby boys that were born in August.

Elsie & Anna holding the twins

Elsie with Tyler, Brinley with Ryker

It's been a whirlwind for Breanna and Derek adjusting to life with two babies but they're awesome! Fun to catch up with them as they were traveling through the area after spending Christmas with Derek's family that lives in Driggs, ID.

On December 31, 1997, Tanner made his first move. Aaron and I were living in Logan, UT at the time he was born. I remember taking Tanner to the Dr. for his 2-week check-up (he had gained a pound already!) and getting that darn PKU test done where the nurse had to keep pricking his heels to draw enough blood to fill the circles on the card. It was emotionally unsettling for both of us! Meanwhile, Aaron and his parents/brothers (drove down from Rexburg) were loading up a small U-haul trailer with all of our belongings. We finished cleaning everything up and I drove our white Mercury Tracer with Tanner strapped in his car seat in the back seat while Aaron drove the U-Haul to our new abode - Tif's condo in Murray just off Vine Street.

Today (21 years later) Tanner made another exciting move. This time he loaded up his stuff and drove himself in his own vehicle (not in a carseat - haha!). Ironically, he headed back to Murray, UT! He will be living at G-ma and G-pa P's place while doing an internship for the Pathways Program in SLC (Jan.-April 2019). Exciting times!

Before I get ahead of myself, I'm going back to the beginning of December. It's always a busy month but I'll highlight just a sampling. We hosted a team breakfast for the girl's freshman basketball team on Saturday, Dec. 1 before their game that evening. The game ended up going into overtime but Aaron and I still made it for most of the Christmas concert held at BYU-I that evening. It was spectacular!

drawing names for gifts among teammates

Quinn and triplets - caroling at the local Zion's Bank

Jantzen - being asked to Sweethearts Dance.
Crazy enough - the dance is in February!?!

The annual Home Care Pulse Christmas Party was held on Friday, Dec. 7 in the Woodman Ballroom. I wasn't planning to be in charge of the food this year with a larger committee but since I already had the contacts and everyone was happy with how it went down last year, I found myself doing it again. Fortunately, we anticipated the electrical issues and everything came together. It's a big undertaking to successfully feed 150 people:).

Much thanks to Brinley as she was a huge help in getting everything ready on this night. One highlight was the "entertainment" portion of the evening with a hilarious lip sync performance by Garth and Nick. The real talent, however, was highlighted as the final number. One of the SRC associates is an incredible singer and he performed a spine-tingling rendition of "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. The perfect ending to a lovely evening....not to mention all the awesome help we had with clean-up. Somehow it takes hours to prep but minutes to take down.

Quinn at Gravity Factory for cousin Jagger's birthday.

Final game of the season (first half anyway) for Quinn. To quote one of the coaches, "Quinn's skill level is light-years ahead of these other boys". Quinn still enjoyed every minute he had on the court and is looking forward to the city rec season that runs January-March. Unfortunately, I don't think the skill level he encounters will be much different but something is better than nothing for now.

Quinn has a fascination with "Dude Perfect" videos right now. Perhaps they inspired his focused effort to build this cool Domino-driven contraption where a ping-pong ball lands perfectly in a cup at the end of the line.

Totally not necessary to include this less-than-flattering photo but the kids found it hilarious that I reminded them of a "Ghostbuster" while cleaning at the office one night. I had wet hair pulled back in a ponytail and just threw on Anna's black Hunter boots at the last minute to help them out - haha!

December is birthday month around here. We hosted a family dinner for those in the area on Tanner's birthday since it fell on a Sunday in 2018. The chicken street tacos with fresh pico and homemade guacamole (Brin makes the best) were a hit for Chris, Cameron, Jordan and the rest of the crew.

We sang Happy Birthday to Tanner, Brinley and Anna all together!

Faye, Greta, Quinn, Tanner, Jordan (legs)

Tanner selected his own gift - a new suit. I wrapped it anyway and surprised him with fun socks and a Cafe Rio gift card too. Happy 21st Tanner! It was fun to have him home for his birthday this year.

Elsie, Quinn, Tanner - Happy 21st!

Monday, December 17 - Anna turned 15 years old! She received what she was hoping for - money from grandparents, a straight iron for her hair, a new basketball, a shirt from Olive Avenue and an awesome candy bouquet delivered to MJH during her lunch hour. I would not have thought to do this but it was a once-upon-a-time request made by this birthday girl and I remembered:).