Christmas through New Years

Our Christmas festivities started with the Hendricks family reunion/Christmas party at the St. Leon church for Christmas Eve lunch. We had the usual delicious food, good company, games, piñatas, nativity, and group photo.

Seth talking to his mom.

Miriam played the innkeeper this year.

Winnie and a pack of girl Hendricks great-grandchildren were angels.

Rebekah and Ana helped display a tablecloth that Grandma Hendricks' mom gave to her.

Seth was in charge of the piñata. Miriam helped spin Winnie around before she took the bat to the piñata. 

Ana blows bubbles. The bubbles were among the prizes the kids could win by participating in family history activities that Grandma Susan prepared.

Rebekah licking (?!) the bubbles.

Seth emptying out a piñata for the kids.

Then we went to my parents' house for our traditional schnitzel dinner, scripture reading, and present exchange.

Seth took a little nap under the Christmas sweater and tree as we finished cooking the schnitzel and waited for Tyson's family to arrive.

Rebekah and Ana work on their crocheting projects while Aunt Jessica watches.

The whole group reading Christmas scriptures together.

Miriam and Winnie reading.

Seth playing the guitar so everyone can sing Christmas songs.

Easton being silly.

Grandma and Grandpa opening their present from us. We got canvas prints made of our family pictures from the reunion in July.

Miriam with her new Christmas Eve jammies from Grandma and Grandpa.

Ana and Bekah wearing their new jammies.

Winnie in her jammies while Seth opens polished rocks he received from Grandpa Scott.

Then we came home and put everyone to bed in anticipation of Christmas morning. We were planning to wake up at 7, but everyone was awake by 6:30, so we told the girls they could come down. We did, after all, have church at 9 a.m. and choir practice at 8:30, so it worked out for the best.

Winnie's stack of Christmas presents. The yellow thing is a (gigantic on her) apron that I made. I made aprons for all the girls this year. 

Miriam's pile.

Ana's pile.

Rebekah' pile.

Everyone opening presents on Christmas morning.

Rebekah loved the tiny music box Winnie and I picked out for her from the Renaissance Faire. It plays "Fly Me to the Moon."

Uncle Jason gave Seth a boglin. Apparently they both had them as kids.

Winnie watches Miriam unwrap presents.

Ana unwrapping presents.

Peach on the new bed she received for Christmas. It's better/easier than bringing in the old blanket we were using when she sleeps in the laundry room.

After a delightful musical sacrament meeting program in which we participated as a ward choir, in the ASL choir and in a family musical number ("When Joseph Went to Bethlehem/Mary's Lullaby" sung by everyone except Rebekah who accompanied us on the piano), we went to Aunt Rachel's house for a Grover family Christmas dinner. This was the first time all of the Grovers had been together for a few years (what with some Grovers in Italy and some in Boston), so it was a fun and momentous occasion.

Rebekah reading the card she received from Grandma and Grandpa while Ana opens a present in the background.

The family opening presents together at Aunt Rachel's house after dinner.

That covers our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was a fun, eventful, meaningful holiday together. We especially loved having Christmas on a Sunday so we could worship on the day when we commemorate the birth of our Savior.

I'm going to include a few more Grover events because, even though they didn't take place on Christmas, everyone was here because of the holiday.

The Grover siblings and spouses (Seth, me, Jason, Rachel, Justin, Kent and Melissa) tried to go out to dinner on Monday, December 26 at Fuji's, but the wait was 1.25 hours long, so we drove down the road and ate at Tandoori Oven. We ate, talked, laughed and talked some more. It's a good thing they weren't too crowded and didn't need our table, because we were there for probably 1.5 hours. In the meantime, all the grandkids ate dinner and played at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

On Wednesday, December 28, we hosted a dinner at our house and watched the Star Wars Holiday Special together. Before any of those festivities, we took an official Grover family portrait north of Dennis and Susan's house.

Dean (Lily), Jason, Maxine (Calvin), Cooper, Rachel, Kelsey, Justin, Hudson, Dennis, Susan, Emma, Charlotte, Melissa, Kent, Andrea, Seth, Rebekah, Ana, Winnie, Miriam.

 

After getting back inside where it was warm, we played a game while dinner was prepared, ate and watched the awesomely bad 2-hour TV special pirated from YouTube. The five youngest cousins watched a different movie in the music room (we didn't think the special would hold their attention), but everyone who watched Star Wars enjoyed (mocked) it as much as we did last year when we watched it for the first time.

Everyone gathered in our great room playing Pretend Your Xyzzy, a computer game much like Cards Against Humanity, only with anything inappropriate removed.

The Grovers were all in town for a few more days after that, but this household of Grovers came down with something (Rebekah tested negative for strep on Thursday, but Winnie tested positive on Saturday) that couched all of us but Ana for some amount of time. We kept our germs to ourselves by staying home and occupying ourselves (when we weren't lying on beds/couches convalescing). On Friday, December 30, we did take the time to make "gingerbread houses" from graham crackers.

Miriam's bear.

Rebekah's igloo.

Ana's log cabin.

Winnie's house.

And due to our continued sickness, we enjoyed our own little Grover New Years party (with Ana leaving for a friend party after ours wrapped up at 10). We ate dinner, played games and watched a movie.

Rebekah and Ana on a team for Linkee. They are always partners; they have yet to win.

Miriam and Seth playing Linkee. They were the winners that night.

Christmas concerts and performances

Rebekah: IFSYO, December 1

Rebekah is participating in the Idaho Falls Symphony's Youth Orchestra for the fourth year in a row, third year as principal trombone. They had their winter concert on Thursday, December 1, and we went to watch/listen/support.

She's the short one in the middle, back row. 

Grovers: Ward party, December 2

I'm just gonna throw this one in here. :-) We had our ward party on Friday, December 2, and the Young Women sang a musical number, followed by the Primary acting out the nativity and singing. That falls under the category of "Christmas concerts," right?

Rebekah sings alto with Ashlyn Mickelsen and Callie Olaveson. 

Ana sings soprano with Sarah Bird, Emelia Bare and Edison Bare.

Miriam sings with Kimberly Cramer, Ashalen Olaveson, Tynlei Crittenden and Teya McGarry.

Seth reads a picture book to help narrate the Primary's nativity..

Winnie sings with the other angels in the nativity.

Ana and Miriam: Christmas Classic, December 3

Ana competed at the Christmas Classic for the second time; Miriam for the first. It was still held at Madison Junior High, which begged the question, "Why?! Why try to shove the parents, grandparents and siblings of SO. MANY. KIDS. In one tiny, sweltering gym. For hours." 

We managed to survive, and both of the girls did well. Miriam earned four ribbons. Ana didn't earn any this time, but she's in an older, more experienced group, and they hand out far fewer ribbons.

Ana cheering for a friend..

Miriam performing with her partner.

Ana with her partner. Miriam switched partners for every style of dance. Ana stayed with hers (Dallin Wright) for all the styles.

Miriam in line waiting to hear what place she received.

Ana and Dallin dancing.

Miriam with another partner.

Rebekah: Tuba Christmas, December 3

This was Rebekah's fourth year participating in the area Tuba Christmas at BYU-Idaho. She watched the first part of the Christmas Classic, then got dropped off at the Snow building so she could rehearse for a few hours. We met back up with her when the other girls were finished with their dancing so we could watch the performance in the Manwaring Center.

Rebekah playing her euphonium while the conductor leads us in singing.

Rebekah and her decorated hat and euphonium.

Rebekah (second from left) performing with a quartet. She happened to be walking by when Bro. Moore, the head of the tuba department at BYU-Idaho, was looking for a fourth participant. So Rebekah joined the high school band director, college professor and former military band leader in their quartet.

Ana, Miriam and Winnie (foreground) while Rebekah stands between songs.

Rebekah and Seth after the performance.

Grandma Hendricks with Rebekah following the performance. We picked her up so she could enjoy it as well.

Rebekah: BHS bands, December 15

Rebekah got to travel to four assisted living facilities in the area and perform with the BHS bands for the residents. I tagged along to two of those performances so I could hear and take some pictures.

Rebekah playing trombone with the jazz band.

Percussion ensemble performing "Boom Crackers."

Rebekah's pose at the end of "Boom Crackers" at the second home. I went to the wrong "The Gables," so I didn't get to see her perform with all the bands at this one, but I did get to see percussion ensemble.

Rebekah, Seth and Kent: Eastern Idaho Jazz Society, December 20

Although the EIJS holds jam sessions every month, Rebekah hasn't been to one since the last time she played with Kent a few years ago. (They're on Tuesday evenings, and Rebekah is either at her youth activity or a Big Jazz House Band rehearsal those days.) With Kent and his family in town for the first time in years and after their big move from Italy, Rebekah was eager to play with him again. Seth also tagged along to the jam at Pachanga's.

Kent reported to Seth that he was not as good as Rebekah is as a senior in high school. High praise from a man whose career is in music.

Seth on guitar, Rebekah on trombone, Kent on sax. They also had a bassist and drummer playing with them.

Rebekah reacting to Kent's solo.

Rebekah soloing with another group later on in the evening while Kent watches.

Grovers: Lincoln Court, December 23

Christmas time means Christmas music at Lincoln Court. We prepared a set list that included piano solos, piano duets, piano accompaniment, trombone, euphonium, guitar and ukulele and tried to keep the volume low enough that the residents could still talk and enjoy dinner. (That was the only explicit instruction we were given.) That was pretty easy with everything but the euphonium. 

After our two hours of playing, we took the girl to dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe, and then Seth and I made a return trip to get the purse I left on a chair.

Winnie playing one of her piano songs.

Ana and Rebekah playing "Silent Night."

Miriam playing one of her piano songs.

Seth playing guitar and singing.

Ana crocheting and Miriam listening while their sisters perform.

Rebekah playing trombone.

Rebekah playing along with a backing track. The cord connecting Rebekah's phone to the amp had a short in it, so Seth had to hold it at exactly the right angle. I had to manually fade out the backing track when Rebekah was finished.

Rebekah playing euphonium (with the bell turned backward to try and quiet it down) while Andrea acccompanies.

Andrea and Seth playing and singing.