Wrap Up the Holidays ...

Seems like I'm not the only one who got slammed by the holidays and am just now starting to dig out.  Add to that a very joyful addition to our family, and posting about the holidays just seems too far away all of a sudden, never mind that it hasn't even been a week since the New Year.


I did finally upload a bunch of pictures on Facebook yesterday, which many of you have already seen and commented on.  I'm going to try to once again place my favorite few here with a link to the many already posted on Facebook for the rest of you who do not do Facebook.  Just remember if you click on a link and look at the pictures to hit your back browser arrow to bring you back to this page so you can click on the next link ... that is if you want to.  Otherwise, you have to start my Butterfly page all over again and then... well, I even weary of that most days.

No Christmas Tree this year in our home.  A few decorations nestled onto our makeshift counter (piano top) as a result of kind friends were about all the external signs of Christmas cheer in our home.  I did not even hang the wreath, sad soul that I am.  But  inside my heart, there I kept Christmas this year.  And it was a wonderful season of sharing, and caring, and giving, and doing.  So don't feel sorry for us.  Not one whit!  We had as good a Christmas as ever.  It just didn't happen inside our house.  It happened everywhere else:

At the Church for Christmas Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 18. 
Bill and Stephanie brought their daughters to make it official for us:

Bill showing Kamryn the Nativity set in the window.

Kamryn and Karsyn with the most photographed person on earth.  Karsyn wasn't too sure, but Kamryn knew what she wanted and told him so without reservation:  a new DVD.  She just forgot to tell him which one she wanted.  Guess she figured he could read her mind.  He didn't.

Here's the link to the rest of the pictures from the Twelfth Ward Breakfast with Santa:

In Salt Lake City for a Musical Play Date  - Dec. 18
Later that Saturday before Christmas, we joined all the local grandchildren for a Music Play Date at Brickyard Plaza in Salt Lake City.   It turned out more fun than we expected, except for poor Jack who just wasn't into standing up and wiggling his little tail.  He did confess later, however, that he had a good time.

Maddy caught on to the clapping right off.  See Grandpa in the reflection?  Yeah, we've got great videos.  Just got tired of waiting for them to post.  Now what good is a video camera if we can't share the movies??????

Making beautiful sounds - the thing I liked most about this was the fun the parents had with their little ones.

 Click Here for the rest of our Musical Play Date Pictures.

Christmas Spirit in Idaho - December 23:

There was a break in the bad weather cycle and it just happened to coincide with Brent and my days off, so we took a day to drive up to my parent's home in Rupert, and join my brothers and sisters in giving them the gift we all went in on for them.  Not sure if they really wanted it, but I have been assured that now that they have it they are thoroughly enjoying it.  Once again - there is video of the best part.  One day I'll figure out myself how to get it out of Brent's computer and onto mine!  It was the bow on Grandpa's head I videotaped but didn't get a picture of....

Yes - how many brothers does it take to put together a flat screen TV?

A few other pictures, no video, here.

Christmas Morning at Mike and Makinzee's - Dec. 25

What is Christmas without the excitement of a child getting exactly what they want? 

Year after year, Mike's family has been too far away to celebrate Christmas with.  One of the best gifts we got this year was to have them move back to Utah.  So we took advantage of their nearness and joined them early Christmas day for the opening of the gifts.   Click here for more pictures.


Christmas Breakfast at Tonya and Brian's - Dec. 25
Tonya and Brian's biggest gift was not in this box.  It was in their new home they just moved to here in Lehi.  Just in time to host our annual Christmas breakfast!  No pancakes this year - instead we enjoyed Belgian waffles with blueberries and strawberries and whipping cream - yum!   (Actually, their biggest gift came in a tiny little bundle placed in their arms on New Year's Eve - see my previous post.  Wow, that was six days ago already!)

Kamryn helped get this big box over to Tonya.  She really didn't care about seeing what was inside (Tonya's new rocking chair), she just couldn't wait to get inside the box herself!  Oh, and can you tell what movie's on the TV?

Guess I was too busy eating to take many pictures.  There are a few others posted here, however.

Christmas Dinner at Bill and Stephanie's - Dec. 25
And to round out our Christmas Day, we had a wonderful ham dinner at Bill and Stephanie's with all the family and friends we could find.  Tonya and Brian were with his family, but everyone else was able to come join us at Bill's.

More Gifts!

Here come Heather and Isaac, bearing gifts.

More Food!

 

Karsyn didn't need her own plate.  She just enjoyed eating the best parts off everyone else's!

More Fun!

Mmmhuh!  There's Brent videotaping more.... I promise one of these days we'll give everyone their own DVD's.  Maybe. And sorry, Stephanie - you had just cleaned up your morning mess when here we came and created an evening mess, too!

Here's the link to the grundle of pictures I took that evening:  Bill's for Dinner

Thanks, everyone, for the generous use of your homes and the great gatherings we enjoyed as a family during the holidays. We really missed Sean and Linzy's family who was enjoying creating new traditions in Maryland and Washington D.C., and Dan who spent the holidays working so his employees could enjoy Christmas with their families.  But we had fun with our "other" family members - Leslie and Elizabeth and Stephanie's neighbors, who all made the day full and good and wonderful. 

Nick, Tabatha, and Jake - Sean's family

Jake at Washington DC Temple Lights