We had the most wonderful time at Mark and Kendra’s house from Dec 22-29. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts. When we arrived they even had their Elf on the Shelf ready and waiting for 4 extra children. We felt so loved and wanted. During our stay we had plenty of relaxing mornings but still got to do lots of fun things. On Sunday we went to church with my mission friend, Emily, and her family and then ate lunch, taught them how to play Killer Bunnies, and decorated mini gingerbread houses and sugar cookies. After that we got to head to Hubby’s Grandma’s house to see her and aunts, uncles and cousins (some we haven’t gotten to see for at least a year and a half). I was touched when Hubby’s grandma making sure I knew what foods I could eat for my GF/Dairy Free needs. I love being around the W family. They are such a fun group. Afterwards we headed to the cemetery when Hubby’s Grandpa and aunt are buried and enjoyed the tree of life decorated for Christmas and to be reminded of how wonderful it is to know that families are forever.
Christmas Eve was perfection between being at Mark and Kendra’s, going swimming, eating lunch with the Soderquist family that had come all the way from their new home in PA to UT to visit family for Christmas, and joining Kendra and Ethan’s family for their Christmas Eve traditions. The day just flew by!
Christmas morning it was so nice to open presents with M & K’s family. The children did such a nice job taking turns and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before heading down to Hubby’s parents’ house to be with all his siblings and sooo many of my children’s cousins for great food, games, and draw name presents. The hours flew by and we were glad to know we would see some of them again on the 27th.
The day after Christmas the children had time to play with their new toys before we picked up our niece, A, to join M and K’s family eating some Hawaiian food and bowling and playing laser tag with us. (The next day D and M woke up asking if they could play laser tag again they liked it so much.) After eating a yummy spaghetti dinner, complete with freshly made zucchini noodles for Kendra and me, our niece K.E. got to come have a slumber party. Such a special treat. December 27 we began organizing so that packing would be easier in the morning before dropping K and K.E. at B’s house so the 11-year-old girl cousins could hang out. Then we had lunch with my friend who has known me since the year 2000 before picking up our nephews, T and E. We went to This is the Place Heritage Park, ate dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe, and visited the Giving Machines. Added bonus: walking through Temple on the way to and from the parking lot and seeing the lights. I highly recommend the Giving Machines located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. You are given a long list of items you can choose to donate that benefit others either locally or globally. Hubby told each child to pick something out around $5 and told me that he and I could pick out something bigger. It was neat to answer the children’s questions about it. M and N combined their money for eye glasses, E chose 10 jump ropes for refugee camps, D picked fingerling fish,
T decided on 2 snack bars for the Utah food bank, I had to pick a sewing machine for women in Afghanistan because I knew that’s what my mom would have picked if she were there and Hubby chose a goat. When my dad overheard me telling my mom about it over the phone the next day he was afraid we were coming home with a goat. That was part of the fun of picking it out.
Our last day — and it was so hard to believe our visit was almost over — we went ice skating and ate at Cubby’s with some of Hubby’s family. I was so glad B was there because my K didn’t want to get on the ice until she saw a cousin her age was going skating. Our kid’s opted to play with cousins at the Parker family’s home instead of visiting BYU campus with Hubby and I. We really wanted to tour the new engineering building (those students are spoiled now!) and buy cinnamon bears at the Wilkinson Center. So much has changed since we were in school. We went back to the P family’s house to car pool and when my M saw me she said, “I’m not leaving yet!” She and all my children loved being at the P. family’s house while Hubby’s siblings and parents and C & J experienced escape rooms and ate dinner together. Some of us went through the Harry Potter themed room and made it out (thanks to some hints) and the horror themed room sounded soooo creepy I’m really glad I didn’t go in there. When we were saying good bye to everyone my father-in-law got all teary. He was so happy to have all his children together. Awwww.
We hung out a little at the P’s house before heading back for our last night at M and K’s house. My children loved getting babysat there and got sent home with presents for the car ride home. So thoughtful! I should have taken a video of them opening the gifts in the van. “She is so nice!” “I wish she was my grandma!” “Look what I got!” Her gift made leaving Utah a little easier even though all of us were sad to go. I am very proud of how well my children did saying good bye. They really wish we lived in Utah and I can understand why. And it was quite the party this trip! They are already counting down the days (literally) until our annual family reunion next June.
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