Christmas 2016

The holidays were a long series of highs and lows for me. I think I was just trying to force the Christmas spirit this year with too many holiday activities in conjunction with too many sick kids. The illnesses have been impressive--and debilitating. We had two rounds where all the kids (and me once) got strep throat, and Hudson also got it a third time. Baylor had pink eye, Judah had the flu and missed a whole week of school, all the boys had bronchitis where Judah missed another week of school, Mara and Baylor had croup, Baylor had a double ear infection, it was ridiculous. I swear every Saturday night for 2 months straight, someone threw up, and we had to rework our church plans. Chad and I have been running back and forth taking turns during the different hours of church all month. It's brutal. We definitely stayed home more than I would have liked due to all the sickness, but we hit a lot of holiday activities as well--Zoo Lights again (not as fun as our first time with the Spencers last year), the ward party (which only Baylor and I attended due to illness) where the Primary kids did an amazing job playing the handbells with their song, Harrison Idol where Mara read some of Luke 2 in Spanish, Judah and I played Angels We Have Heard on High in a piano duet, and Baylor told a few Christmas jokes. Aebleskievers night (which only Chad and Judah attended due to the croup), the Nativity in the Glen (amazing), and we tried Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place for the first time.

Serious icicles

Our street

The Christensens came to our house for soup, then we all headed over to the Hillside Rehab Center to do some Christmas caroling from room to room. Julie's kids were fabulous. So friendly and loving with the residents. The kids had such a great time, they wanted to do more and more and more rooms. They would walk in first and ask if we could sing to them. Julie's baby, Drew, would hold the residents' hands while we sang. The residents were so sweet and appreciative. Everyone had a great feeling. I'm fairly sure it was the highlight of everyone's holiday season.

Mara had a little Christmas singing program at her school that was really memorable to me. I was totally crying through a number of the songs! It was just so fulfilling to watch her up there singing entirely in Spanish. The girl is GOOD with her Spanish. It is mind blowing to think how much she has learned in just a few months. It definitely made me feel like all the driving has been worth it. Another gorgeous song was about peace on earth and sharing your light, and it is just so different hearing these adorable little Mexican, and Burmese refugee, and Sudanese refugee, and Polynesian kids sing about peace than to hear the well-off white kids singing Christmas songs at Uintah. It really was touching. (and humorous to see little girls in hijabs singing about Santa) 

Dad's 40th birthday party at Sundance

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were...interesting. The kids were sick and worn out and WHINEY and selfish and entitled. The amount of fighting and not sharing and teasing during our Bethlehem Dinner was killing me. Chad and I were SO fed up with the selfishness by the time we put the kids to bed on Christmas Eve that we only allowed Santa to fill the kids' stockings but not leave the big gift he always also leaves. Instead he left a note that said the kids had nearly fallen off his nice list and that he hid their gifts in our house and that if they were good through the end of January, they could receive their other gifts then.

Live List item: Trampoline with Dad in the snow!

After church we took Say Lear's family to see the lights at Temple Square. Say Lear is the Burmese refugee we are having monthly FHEs with. We went in December and acted out the nativity with them and it was a blast. Cutest family. There is suddenly a huge refugee crisis in the world, and the church has asked its members to reach out to refugees. Say Lear has 7 kids, plus another girl that lives with her. Chad and I drove both our cars, but we still had to leave 3 family members home! (the father and two babies) Their older kids, Lars Se Way and Christina Say, and Po Nay The, all only had sweatshirt  hoodies for their coats. And none of the kids had snow gloves, just knit gloves. Regardless, they were having a blast, rolling around and jumping in the snow at Temple Square. Our kids, on the other hand, were dressed in ski coats, ski gloves, and snow boots, and complained the ENTIRE time that they were cold. It was so embarrassing. My kids are so entitled and selfish. I MUST work on this this year!

The church did a worldwide Christmas initiative called Light the World this year. They encouraged everyone to serve "in 25 ways over 25 days." There was a theme each day, but I didn't follow any of the themes. We did try to do a service each day though. Some things we did were writing letters to Grandma Great and Grandma and Grandpa Funk, writing letters to Primary teachers and school teachers, a "candy cane bomb" where we put candy canes on the doors of cars in a parking lot, caroling at the nursing home, heart attacking our next door neighbors the Dohms, visiting Donna, etc. (Our wonderful, amazing, 86 year old next-door neighbor, Donna Taylor, fell down her stairs and has been in the hospital and at a rehabilitation center over the holidays. )

Over New Year's we went to Scofield. So did Mom and Dad and Heather's family. It was so great to just be there sledding all the time, drinking hot chocolate, playing games, and relaxing. Our kids are getting big enough to need less assistance with sledding and even putting their snow clothes on and off. It's so nice!