Christmas Break

Christmas Eve was fun. The granddaughters went out to breakfast with Grandpa. We watched Encanto together as a family and fell in love with the music. I made a pecan pie for Christmas and rolls for the night's dinner. We had clam chowder and bread bowls, plus other yummy stuff at Sam and Jesse's house. The kids acted out the Nativity story.

Christmas Day was a bit chaotic. I missed seeing some of the presents opened, but that happens when everyone opens everything all at once. We had scrapple for breakfast and plenty of candy, then a nice ham dinner with pie.

Sunday, we went to church at noon. After dinner, we had dessert with the Lees, plus some snacks. I'll never turn down a cheeseball and crackers!

Monday, we had to cancel visiting the great grandparents in Victor due to snowy (and closed) roads. That also meant no hot springs. :( James and I went out for dinner at Applebee's and got away for the night in a medieval theme room. It was so nice to eat a meal and spend a night without any kids in the room. We enjoyed a nice breakfast, then brought the kids to see the room before heading back to Grandma's.

Tuesday, we celebrated Jacob's birthday by going to Spiderman, then eating pizza and cheesecake.

Wednesday, James and I took a little trip to D.I., and the boys went out the lunch with Grandpa. James got together with his friends Kenneth and Nick at Sam's house during the evening.

We played lots of board games throughout the week, including Catan, 7 Wonders, Scrabble, Marrying Mr. Darcy, and several others that I wasn't part of.

Thursday, we left for home, making stops at Smith and Edwards and Bed, Bath, and Beyond so I could use the gift card I got for Christmas. I'd been really stressed about the weather since it snowed almost constantly and was cloudy and gloomy in Rexburg. However, the roads were mostly okay with the worst around Strawberry Reservoir because of the drifting. We were never in any real danger. When we got home, the Purcells had shoveled our driveway, and we had several treats waiting on the doorstep.

Everything at home has been fine, but stressful. During the trip, I experienced a lot of anxiety over the weather, plus poor sleep in a single bed across the room from James, tailbone pain/stiffness that took almost a week to work through, and now a cold that's making me tired when I have a ton to do. Honestly, I'm glad Christmas is over. Tomorrow, we're putting it away, and I won't feel sad at all. I'll have my living room back.

I'd say that I'm looking forward to a new year, but I'm not as excited about it as in years past. Can't imagine why, either. ;)

Deliveries, Travel, Temple

James and I had a really fun time last Thursday. For our date, we delivered all the neighbor gifts, went shopping with the gift certificate from the school, and got a little dessert. It was really great to see people, even if just for a minute.

Monday, we drove around to see lights for family home evening. We were going to get frosties, but Lewis had thrown up that night before, so we got stuff from the grocery store to take home. My favorite lights were the ones synchronized with music.

Tuesday, I tried not to get too stressed out from packing for the trip. I had the kids do most of the cleaning, and I went out to lunch with James to get sushi. I also made sure to go to yoga. Despite that, I still have a sore tailbone after a night in Rexburg and a day in the car.

Our travel wasn't too bad. We stopped at Del Taco for lunch and made really good time. After a yummy dinner, we went over to Sam and Jesse's to watch the Hawkeye finale.

Today, James went shopping with his mom and the little kids. After lunch, we went to the temple to do sealings (all the adults). It was really peaceful, even though my tailbone kept bothering me and I had to sit in a chair instead of kneeling. Getting older is no joke. Thanks, Samantha, for the tailbone that's never been the same.

I can't believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and that the year is almost over. I'm not even sure what kind of goals I'll make for the new year.

Christmas Party, Wintry Days, Candy

Friday night, we were invited to the one and only Christmas party we went to this year, and it wasn't originally ours. (Our ward didn't do one, and neither did the high school). It was the Spanish branch, where Devin attends. It started late, but it was awesome. The food was a wonderful mix of Mexican and American comfort foods, and there was even a pinata at the end. We were there for 3 hours, but we didn't notice because it was so much fun.

It got really cold after the snowstorm last week, which dumped 7 inches. We've gotten another 2 since then. Joseph hasn't been thrilled about the shoveling, but he does earn money for it. I helped for a while with the original 7 inches because it took forever to get all of that off the driveway. I hate that everything is icy now. I need to get some salt so we can get the driveway and walkways completely clear.

This week, I made 3 batches of fudge and a big pan of caramels to give out to neighbors. I made Andes mint, rocky road, and peanut butter fudge. The rocky road got stirred a little too long, so it was ugly but still tastes good. James and I will deliver the goodies to our neighbors tonight. I hope I don't freeze.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas, but at the same time, I want it to be over. December comes with a lot of expectations. One thing I'm really glad I made last year is the Advent calendar. Really, it's the easiest way to do scriptures during the month.

Snow

We've had a pretty busy week, but nothing like last week. Last night, we took the kids shopping to get presents for each other and the angel tree. It went pretty well, I think, but Katie and Kenny argued about Greek myths the whole time we were at Walmart.

It's snowing! Finally! Okay, I'm trying to be excited about it. I prepared for it yesterday by getting all the grocery shopping out of the way. I also got out all the snow shovels and sleds. I'm always nervous about driving in the snow for the first time, but that won't be till tomorrow after everything's been plowed. Once I've done that, I remember that it isn't so bad. We have over an inch, and it's not supposed to stop till tomorrow morning. My plan for today is to take it easy, read, and watch a silly Christmas movie with the 2 little kids.

Thanksgiving Break, Heads Visit, Katie's Baptism

We did have an excellent Thanksgiving meal. Everything tasted amazing! The company was good too, and we got to see Sam and Jesse's family at dinner and for Angie's birthday celebration.

Friday, I went shopping with Anna and her cousin Hillary. We went to a lot of places, but I bought things at Barnes and Noble, Bath and Body Works, and Ross. We met up with Grandma Lee, Michelle, and Melodie for lunch. We had a little time at home to relax before going to the Lees' for a chili dinner. It was nice to leave the kids at home.

Saturday, the older kids and James went up to Victor to ice skate and briefly visit Grandma and Grandpa Head. I made soup and rolls for dinner, and everyone plus the Lees came over. I had a little time to read my book in the afternoon, which was really great.

Sunday, we watched church online and drove home. It was really smooth and uneventful, for which I'm really grateful.

Monday, the kids got their second shots. Hurray! We went out to Wendy's for dinner.

Wednesday, the Heads arrived right around bedtime. I worked with Rex on Thursday and Friday. I had plenty of time to read, prepare for the baptism, and relax, sort of. It was still kind of stressful, and I came home pretty tired by the end of the day. Melodie made dinner on Thursday. We got KFC on Friday after swimming in the hotel pool.

Nash arrived Friday night, and we got the living room ready for the baptism and prepped the food. I was pretty stressed by this point, but things worked out well.

We got to the church around 10 and got everything set up with programs, Zoom, etc. I think everyone could hear okay, and I tried to keep the camera so everyone could see. The program was the perfect length, and most importantly, I think everyone felt the Spirit. Katie was starting to tear up during the opening song.

We had lunch at our house afterward with the Heads, Boyles, Cherissa and Tayson, Nash, and Ishmael (since Ember and Becca had to be somewhere else.) I think everything turned out really well. I had plenty of help with both setup and cleanup. We had a good time hanging out with everyone.

Now that everyone's gone home, I'm feeling pretty tired. The plan for the rest of the day is to go on a date with James and watch Harry Potter 5. I wish the house would stay clean, but that's doubtful.