Christmas Catch Up...

For our first day of Christmas vacation, we met Jonathon's family in Salt Lake to enjoy the lights on Temple Square. They were beautiful as always. It was a cold night, so we bundled the boys up and let them ride in the double stroller under their blankets. It was a lovely way to start the Christmas celebration. Following the lights, we went back to Provo to spend the whole week with Jonathon's family. It was the first time in several years that we were all together, which made it particularly special.

On Christmas Eve, we acted out the Nativity. The boys got to choose which character they wanted to be. Christian chose to be a shepherd. We found him a stick and a sheep for a prop. Andrew really wanted to be the star. I hadn't originally planned on the star as an option, but he was so excited that we created a costume for him and made it work. He was so happy and smiling so big that our star truly was glowing. Dad H. read from the scriptures while the rest of the family took their places in the Nativity. It was a simple, but beautiful reminder of the reason for Christmas.

Christmas morning was magical for our little boys. We told Christian that he couldn't get up until after 7:00. At exactly 7:01, he shook me and said, "Mom, it's time for Christmas!" I don't know how long he had been watching the clock, but how do you deny a cute little boy who is so excited. We got all the rest of the family up and let the boys open their gift from Santa. Luckily, "he" brought exactly what they wanted. They would have been completely happy with just that one gift. Andrew got a Lightning McQueen and Christian got a remote control car. Our families were so thoughtful and considerate this year. Thank you for all of the lovely presents.

For the rest of the family, "Santa's" presents are something you have to work for. They can only be found if we can solve the family treasure hunt created by Dad H. Each clue is a riddle that leads to a specific place in the house where another clue can be found. At the end is the pile of presents. It is one of my favorite traditions of all time. The riddles were especially awesome this year. Here is one example:

"A boy, a family, a people,
The name is the same.
Find him if you can,
As you play this game."

After pondering over the clue for quite some time, we figured that it must lead to Christian. When we asked him if had the clue, he had no idea what we were talking about. Then we checked his pocket, and sure enough, Dad H. had somehow managed to slip the clue into his pocket. That is just one example of how awesome this treasure hunt was. Jonathon's family has also been so nice and incorporated homemade cinnamon rolls into their Christmas breakfast so I don't miss my family's tradition. It was a lovely Christmas morning for all.

After opening presents, we quickly got ready for church and drove home so that I could sing in our choir for the Christmas Sacrament Meeting program. While a lot of people dislike when Christmas falls on a Sunday, I thought it was a really nice way to bring the focus back on Christ. Later that night we went to Jonathon's grandparents for a Christmas dessert party. Most of the extended family was there, and we enjoyed reconnecting with all of them.

Monday and Tuesday flew by with preparations for the upcoming wedding luncheon that Mom H. was hosting at the house. Amidst all the work, we also had some fun playing games, watching movies, and eating fun meals prepared by various siblings. (Thai Drunken Noodles, Santa Fe Casserole and cornbread, and Crepes were some of the yummy creations) One of the coolest things was a a new slide that Mom H. bought for the house. It fits perfectly on the stairs and was so fun for the little kids (and the big kids too). How cool is that? A slide in the house! Mom H. thinks of everything.

Wednesday was a crazy day. Jonathon's cousin, Keenan, got married and Mom H. volunteered to host the wedding luncheon at her house. This was not a casual luncheon. It was a fancy, elegant meal for what ended up being 95 adults and 25 kids. Each guest had the option of three different amazing meals: ham and steamed rice, cream cheese chicken with rice pilaf, and a chicken salad croissant with sweet potato chips. The luncheon was complete with servers, menus, waitresses and all the touches to make it special. I was put in charge of cooking and serving one of the meals. We actually set up a "kitchen" in the bedroom so that we could cook and serve out of sight of the guests. There were 2 large roasting ovens, 4 crockpots, and 4 rice cookers. It was a little bit stressful and chaotic, but everything worked out well in the end. The food was delicious and everyone seemed to really appreciate the effort that everyone went to. Here are some pictures of the tables... beautiful!

After all the work on Wednesday, everyone needed some down time. We played some board games, enjoyed Mario Kart on the Wii, and watched Harry Potter 7.2. All in all, it was a lovely and memorable Christmas vacation. We are so grateful for a wonderful family and chance to celebrate the birth of our Savior.