December is a busy month no matter how you slice it. This year, however, felt less chaotic than in years' past. There are a few specific reasons for this but mostly, I consider it a 'tender mercy'.
Aaron did purchase a tree tag but with hosting Thanksgiving and having it fall late in the month, the hunt for our Christmas tree didn't materialize. Some of the kids missed the fresh smell of pine but the simplicity of setting up a new artificial pencil tree was lovely. Taking it down after Christmas was even better:).
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| Jagger's 8th birthday party |
December is birthday month for us. When you add extended family, we have a LOT of family members who celebrate their birthdays in December. Quinn and Elsie had fun roller blading with cousins and singing to Jagger at his party.
Jantzen's basketball season kicked-off with 3 games in the Boise area (Dec. 5-7) so Aaron made the drive to support him. I stayed home to attend Anna's basketball games. Most nights, we can be found in a gym somewhere. It was fortunate Anna had a home game the same day Aaron and I attended his Stake Conference meetings, enjoyed a delicious dinner for bishops and their wives with President & Sister Burgener, watched most of Anna's game then cruised to a delightful Christmas concert held in a packed BYU-I Center (15,000 seats). Some evenings are like that.
Once a month, we have Sunday dinner at G-ma & G-pa M's house with extended family. Afterwards, we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional together on TV.
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| Hannah & Sariah |
We only thought to take pics at the very end of those who lingered longer to help with clean-up. You can see Bro. Denney behind his wife/daughter - they'll be missed as he was released as Aaron's 2nd counselor in the YSA 23rd Ward bishopric. Changes on the horizon once again!
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| Quinn - blue/orange design shirt |
Brinley was pretty happy to see her former companion (Sister Crandall) during exchanges recently. We anonymously mailed her a "12 Days of Christmas" package to enjoy with her new comp (Sister Miller) who is also from ID. We thought we might throw them for a loop but Brin figured it out.
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| Christmas gifts mailed to Brinley - check! |
The stars aligned for Anna to wear this most gorgeous gown for the Winter Ball (Dec. 14). It fit her perfectly and our only cost was the dry cleaning afterwards. Her first date/dance was certainly memorable as she wasn't even home when Ethan came to pick her up for the day activity. We were detained at an appointment so we met up them at the local gas station a few minutes later. One thing I love about Anna is the way she can turn a potentially awkward situation into a laughable one! Her favorite part was the actual dance - this girl can boogie and that's exactly what she did! Jantzen had a basketball game this night so he didn't ask a girl but went to the dance with a bball buddy after their game. Apparently, the DJ was awesome and Jantzen said it was his favorite dance yet - haha!
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| Anna & Ethan S. |
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| Jane, Anna, Ainsley, Payton |
The high school was canceled on Dec. 16 for a funeral (faculty member) which worked out well for Anna. She wanted to do something special to celebrate her 16th birthday but had a basketball game on Dec. 17 so Aaron took her and a few friends to ski/snowboard at Targhee that day. Of course, Anna had to be back for basketball practice that afternoon but they still had a full day on the slopes. We also put together a last-minute surprise party for Anna held that evening. She was actually surprised!
Never mind that I left up the banquet tables for a few days after hosting Jantzen's basketball team brunch on Dec. 14 (no pics - bummer). We also had 'snack duty' for both of his games that week so it was B-U-S-Y! Jantzen and his teammates sang Christmas carols at a local care center a few times but I don't have evidence of that either.
Teens were in and out and had a fun time hanging around to celebrate with Anna. Aaron did capture a pic of some of them playing games in the bonus room. It worked out that Tanner was in SL celebrating his birthday with G-ma and G-pa P with a quick dinner at Zupa's. Normally, we wouldn't have had a party for Anna on Tanner's birthday - haha!
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| Happy 22nd Birthday Tanner! |
Tanner has been extra busy working in SL full-time while finishing up finals for the semester. He was invited to return to Pathways Worldwide where he did an internship last year for a few weeks during a transition period and work as President Gilbert's personal assistant. It's been a very unique opportunity for him. We're grateful G-ma and G-pa P could take him to dinner and visit briefly!
It's a rare occasion that both sets of grandparents would be at our house on the day of Anna's actual birthday but that's what happened this year. G-ma and G-pa P drove up on Dec. 17 so they could celebrate with us and attend a few basketball games. G-ma P is much better about taking pictures than I am but I still didn't end up with any of Jantzen!
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| Anna - seated 2nd from top |
After her game that night, she returned home and we sang to her while she opened a few fun gifts. Elsie's (iPad) was hilarious and we got some great laughs from her practical joke.
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| G-pa reading her birthday card from him. |
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| Happy 16th Birthday Anna! |
It was already late after cake/ice cream but Anna was determined to ask a boy to the Sweethearts Dance that very night. Other girls had already starting asking so Anna didn't want someone else to ask Culter before she could.
After school the next day, G-ma made gingerbread cookies with Elsie and Quinn.
Meanwhile, we had other projects getting underway. The carpet installers arrived the next morning so I cleared and prepped the area for them. It was nice to have G-pa P around to help get floorboard squeaks out before the new carpet went down. Shortly after finishing this task, they returned to UT since they, too, have a full schedule of activities. We always enjoy having G-ma and G-pa P come visit!
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| New carpet on the stairs/upstairs hallway. |
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| Brinley at a Christmas Conference with trainer/trainee comps. |
One day while out running errands, Janene sent me a text letting me know she dropped off our Christmas gift and encouraged us to open it that very day. Knowing how many basketball games we've attended over the years, she didn't want to see us sit on the hard benches for even one more game (that night). Honestly, stadium chairs have been on our bucket list to purchase for a long time and we were getting ready to order some so this gift was very timely! And very comfortable!
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| Aaron & Heather with Debbie & Eric |
Before Jantzen's game that evening, Aaron and I drove to Eric & Debbie M's beautiful new home to briefly attend the (most likely last) HCP Christmas party (leadership team only). It felt refreshing to have had no part in the preparation for the first time in 10 years. And yet, it was almost melancholy to realize this chapter in our lives will soon be closing.
After Tanner finished up his work responsibilities in SL (Dec. 23), he drove home and greeted us with a mostly full leftover box from Banbury Cross Donuts. Yum! The kids had been waiting to put gingerbread houses together with him so even though it was late, there was no school the next day so everyone stayed up. Fortunately, we celebrated Bob's 74th birthday the night before so it was a 'free night' for us.
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| The QT creation. |
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| The put-on-as-much-candy-as-possible creation. |
I've slowly been replacing some of our old Christmas decor. Although I can't remember who made this cute snowman out of a soup can (a neighbor in the Prairie 8th Ward in WJ, UT), we've had it for years. When I asked the kids if anyone cared if I pass this along, they all laughed and said I was the only one who cared (true). Hence, I had Aaron display it for memories' sake before the toss!
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| Cam, Bob, Janene on couch, Quinn & Jantzen on floor |
Christmas Eve day Aaron and I took the kids to see the new movie "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker". That evening we joined Cam at Bob and Janene's house for a meal and listened as Bob read the scriptural account of Jesus' birth. He shared additional insights about times he has visited Jerusalem/Bethlehem and bore his testimony to us which was heartfelt. Chris & Julia's family ended up not coming so it was the first time in history that we haven't acted out the nativity story.
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| Tanner, Anna, Elsie |
Our Sub-4-Santa efforts also took on a different face this year as we donated in other ways. When our ward boundaries changed a few months ago, the road taken into a different ward housed several families we've assisted over the years. Anna's basketball team was able to wrap and deliver gifts and our HOA also helped some families but we didn't personally ring and run on Christmas Eve this year. After time at Bob and Janene's, we returned home to have the kids open one gift then it was off to the bonus room for their all-night party where they played games, watched movies and eventually slept.
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| Quinn - huge fan of his new "Bear Cheeks" pj's. |
Everyone received a pair of comfy slippers except Quinn who had his eye on these particular pj's.
After the kids headed upstairs, Aaron and I got busy with our respective responsibilities.
Aaron dressed up to scare the kids when/if they made it through his traps. Though the kids never did see him, they attempted to come down a few times during the night. After retreating because they sensed he was in the area, Aaron finally came to bed at 5am. The kids got through the traps around 6am then slept until 9am. I don't think he'll pull that stunt again next year - haha! Sleep is too precious.
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| Anna & Elsie |
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| Tanner & Quinn |
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| Jantzen |
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| Soft, fuzzy blankets from G-ma & G-pa P |
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| Kayak - family gift |
Quinn and Elsie still like to display their gifts. There were some gift certificates for experiences including Targhee ski passes for Quinn, Elsie and Anna (purchased before we knew she was going to be playing JV basketball). They will also be having a few travel opportunities in 2020.
Fun to chat with Brinley! Even though we have weekly calls with her since the communication changes in the missionary department, it was exciting for each of the kids to give Brinley an update. They are usually at school when Aaron and I talk with her on regular p-days. The rest of Christmas was relaxing even though I heard Quinn say "Alexa" 100 times - haha! The echo dots were a hit. We had the traditional breakfast ring, made reuben sandwiches and watched the "Christmas Shoes" Hallmark movie that makes me cry every year.
Aaron took Quinn, Elsie, Anna and friend, Ainsley, to Targhee on December 26. Lots of fresh powder!
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| Anna & Ainsley - snowboarding |
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| Aaron & Anna |
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| selfie with "Bob, the reindeer" |
We didn't have a plethora of neighbor gifts tempting us this year because the HOA encouraged donations to be made instead. I still had simple neighbor gifts prepped but surprisingly, most people refrained from the traditional deliveries. This box of homemade pecan brittle was absolutely incredible and deserved having its picture taken!
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| Jantzen - #35 at the Throwback Game against Bonneville |
We cleaned up the house and put away the decorations in honor of Brinley's 20th birthday (Dec. 27). A member sent me a video of people singing Happy Birthday to her so we're glad to know it was celebrated in Texas. After a week's break, basketball games are back on. The coaches really get into dressing up for this annual "Throwback" event where the boys and cheerleaders wear vintage uniforms from the 'olden days'. Jantzen is sporting #35 and prefers playing in the shorter shorts!
As this month and year draw to a close, it's a wonderful time to reflect on the many blessings we've enjoyed in 2019. It has also been a challenging year for many reasons but through it all, the Lord has been good to us. We're ready to experience whatever comes in 2020!
1 comment:
We love your family so much. Thanks for sharing your holiday experiences. Quinn's jammies are awesome!
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