Christmas festivities

Friday, December 12: Ward Christmas party

Miriam, Ana and Grandma Susan at the table during the ward Christmas party.

Family picture with Santa. It's strange how we can never get a picture with both Grandpa Dennis AND Santa.

Meanwhile in Utah...

Nathan and Rebekah visit Luminaria with the Jackmans on Sunday, December 21.

Nathan builds Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, something I'd told comes from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb, during the Jackmans' gingerbread house activity on Monday, December 22.

Rebekah's lovely scene that may or may not include some Satan worship in the back corner? Apparently her mother-in-law was not amused.

Wednesday, December 24: Christmas Eve at the Scotts' 

After eating our traditional schnitzel dinner, Canyon plays a game with Miriam and the others that involved him giving them sleeping potions in teacups and then waking them up with plastic food.

Nathan succumbs to the sleeping draught.

Oakley and Winnie getting ready to read Christmas scriptures.

Andrea, Ana and Seth getting ready to read.

McKall, Canyon, Grandma and Grandpa reading scriptures together.

Rebekah and Nathan opening a present from Grandma and Grandpa: their very own weinachtspyramide.

Cousins watching Grandma's weinachtspyramide.

Nathan leaning into the ceiling above the stairs. Nathan and Rebekah spent their two weeks in Idaho Falls sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa Scott's house because they have a new master bedroom on the main floor which means the upstairs suite is available for guests.

Winnie marveling at the pajamas she received from Grandma. 

Ana excited about her lamby jammies.

Miriam's pajamas.

Canyon and Winnie in their matching pajamas. That was totally coincidental because Grandma had tried buying pajamas for our girls at Kohl's but was dismayed at their lack of selection this year. So she asked me to order their pajamas and just have her pay me back for them.

Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day

Seth and Andrea's stockings (full of socks and candy to share with the family) and this year's selection of cereals.

Winnie's presents. Those boxes on the right are full of popping boba pearls. Winnie has made a bunch of boba drinks for herself.

Miriam's corner.

Nathan and Rebekah's corner. They didn't have much room to take presents home with them, so we kept the "stuff" light.

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Ana's corner.

Our main present to Nathan and Rebekah: internet at their apartment in Delaware for the remainder of their time there.

The quilt I made for them that used fabric from their Nauvoo costumes.

Everyone opening gifts/trying gifts out on Christmas morning.

Ana with the Kinger plushie (Kinger is from the Amazing Digital Circus, a show the girls like to watch) from Winnie.

Winnie with her Totoro sweater vest from Ana.

Rebekah and Nathan opening a smart watch and bands from Miriam.

Miriam opening some mini LEGO knockoffs from Nathan and Rebekah.

Nathan using scissors to open the last gift form Miriam. Miriam forgot to include one of the watch bands with the other gifts, so she wrapped it separately in copious amounts of duct tape.

Seth opening the X-men pin Ana made for him.

Playing remote games with the Grover side at Grandma's house. We all downloaded an app to communicate with each other, then we were assigned teams and tried to take pictures of items that fit certain parameters but would stump the other teams (e.g. "something round). It was tricky using all of Grandma's wifi to communicate with the Grovers in D.C. and Boston, but it was fun to at least see and hear from them for a bit. 

Getting together and playing games at Grandma's house.

Andrea and Seth at Grandma Susan's.

Ana and Andrea.

The kids opening their presents from Grandma and Grandpa after we finished talking to the remote Grovers. The grandparents spoiled everyone with cute cards filled with cash.

Opening their cards and cash.

Grandpa Dennis opening the ridiculous underwear the Wildes gave him (along with an actual gift).

AiNi going wild after being let into the living room.

AiNi mauling Winnie with kisses.

Other good times

Family trip to do baptisms for the dead at the temple on Friday, December 26. It was nice not having to rely on other patrons or temple workers for Seth to get baptized.

Winnie marveling at winning our Mario Kart bracket on Friday, December 26.

The kids solving math problems after eating Christmas leftovers at Grandma Scott's house on Friday, December 26.

Nathan playing nine square with the cousins at the Hendricks Christmas party on Saturday, December 27. After lunch and the group picture, he had to go to a classroom and teach an online percussion lesson.

Miriam and Winnie teaming up for nine square.

Rebekah happily trouncing on a tiny second cousin.

Miriam during nine square.

Winnie and Kelsey playing nine square.

Winnie and Rebekah teaming up.

Miriam and Ana playing/singing.

Winnie the shepherd. She tried getting out of participating in the nativity, but she got recruited right before it started.

Ana playing quietly on her uke while the kids act out the nativity story.

Rebekah in charge of the piñata. 

Seth watching the piñata antics.

Winnie talking to Kelsey during the piñata bashing.

Playing Phase 10 at the Hendricks family Christmas party on Saturday, December 27.

Seth DMing for the family Dungeons and Dragons campaign on Sunday, December 28.

Rebekah, Ana, Miriam and Winnie all dressed in white shirts, ties, vests/sweaters and slacks for church on Sunday, December 28.

Nathan napping while Rebekah checks her phone on Monday, December 29.

Our family making a donation to the Giving Machines on Wednesday, December 31. We did what's called a "777 donation," which is when you buy one of each item in the machine. Our family has been so incredibly blessed this year (we're completely debt-free again after paying off the loan for our remodel/addition and the loan for the van) that we felt we needed to pay it forward.

Winnie adding our candle to the tree. Each candle represents a 777 donation at the Grand Teton Mall.

Playing games during our New Year's Eve party on Wednesday, December 31.

Our family automatically qualified as the January high score for the escape room we finished on New Year's Day. It was a an awesome escape room where you not only have to find a way out of the room, but you have to "steal" as much money as you can. The moderator told us we did a very good job for being first-timers. If it hadn't been for Seth's awesome computer skills, we wouldn't have fared nearly as well as we did.