What a wonderful time of year! We get to celebrate the birth of our Savior and spend lots of time with those we love! I couldn't ask for anything better.
Christmas Eve Roland had to work. So, the kids and I dropped him off in the morning and waited around until he was done that afternoon. I frantically ran around the house trying to pack all of the last minute items. It seems like all of those last minute things take an entire day in and of themselves to pack! Luckily Roland was able to get off of work early so we were able to pick him up at 3:30pm. The kids were excited to try out their new Christmas present - a portable DVD player! I think I was even more excited than them, which is why they got to use it early! There is something to be said about a peaceful drive without screaming children. So, we all listened to Alvin and the Chipmunks as we drove. The kids love that movie. I could hear both Weston and Natalie laughing periodically through the drive. It makes me happy.
We arrived in Tucson after making really good time. I was shocked by the lack of traffic. We headed straight to my Mom's house for Christmas Eve celebrations. We enjoyed the company of my mom and Richard, Richard's family, our family, and the occassional neighbor and friend that would stop by. Weston enjoyed watching Ice Age on the television while the rest of us relaxed. Dinner was at 7:30pm and by then Weston was finished for the night. There was no stopping his uncontrollable fits. So, Roland and I ate as quickly as we could (while still feeding Natalie) and then tended to his tender feelings.
Weston calmed down when it was time for gifts. He was running around screaming "OOHHH! OOHH!!!" to every gift. He offered his assistance to each person that was lucky enough to open a gift. Boy did he love ripping that paper off. And of course, he would scream with excitement over everything that was opened. He makes me laugh. Natalie was also excited when it was her turn to open something. She really enjoyed unwrapping the paper. Weston received cars and a track and Natalie received a McQueen ride-on car which was promptly taken by Weston. Maybe one of these days Natalie will actually ride on it. Perhaps we will have to do it while Weston is napping. They both received toy cell phones too which they are both very excited about. Weston has been walking around with it the past few days saying "Hello? Hello?" Natalie just enjoys chewing on it. But, at least she is not chewing on mine!
By 9:00pm our kids were uncontrollable. So, we packed up in the car and left to go to bed. Luckily the kids slept well that night which made us all happy. :)
That night Roland and I stayed up wrapping gifts and getting stockings ready for the morning. We had a lot of fun. I was particularly proud of our creativity. Weston and Natalie both got wrapped balloons (which turned to be a hit the next morning), and lots of gifts from craigslist and yard sales. It worked perfectly. We were able to get them a lot of little things for practically nothing. That makes me happy!
I was expecting quite the display in the morning as Weston went down the stairs to notice tons of wrapped gifts to open and a large crane with tons of cars surrounding it. But, nothing. He slid down the stairs and almost completely walked past all of the gifts. He caught sight of the cars out of the corner of his eye and THEN went to them. Not the reaction I was expecting, but he was still thrilled. Once again, we had a chorus of "OOHH, OOHH!!!"
Weston and Natalie both were super excited about their gifts. Weston would just randomly grab gifts and start tearing them open. He even opened Dad's pair of flip flops. He was ecstatic when the balloon showed up. He ran around saying "balloon! balloon!" and was hitting it up in the air. He had so many toys all over that he didn't know what to do with himself. He would play with something for a few seconds then run off to something else even more excited than he was before! Natalie was cute as can be, as usual. She was enjoying sitting in my lap and opening all of the gifts that were offered to her. She then started crawling around after Weston, laughing and giggling the whole time.
The rest of the family joined us a little later and we enjoyed a relaxing morning of opening gifts and spending time with each other. We also enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. Afterwards, Andrea spent the next several hours dying and cutting my hair. It turned out really well. I was very impressed by her talent. Everyone else sat around and played Wii and talked. Weston and Natalie just played. Natalie also took a particular interest in her Uncle Matt and loved to go and try to play with him. It was really cute.
We later had our traditional Christmas rap when the rest of the family arrived. Everyone was here this year. It was nice to be around everyone for the first time in a while. Weston loved the Christmas rap! He enjoyed shaking the candy as we passed it along the circle. He was all smiles and was very proud of himself for passing it ever so nicely to his Uncle Matt. Mom and Dad shared testimonies of the Savior and we ate.
The best part of the day was my Christmas present to Roland. We haven't really had an actual date in a really long time and haven't been to the movies in at least a year, if not a year and a half. He really wanted to see the new movie "Invictus" because it was about rugby. So, I arranged for us to take a date to see the movie for his Christmas present. Unfortunately, the available time for us was 10:20pm. Ouch! But, we made it and we enjoyed it. I loved being able to spend some alone time with him. Plus, the theatre was practically empty, so we enjoyed the time together. What a wonderful ending to a great Christmas!
The day after proved just as eventful. We woke up and got ready for the day. On the way down to Roland's parent's house, we stopped by the mall and picked up some new work pants for Roland with some incredible sales. We arrived at Roland's parent's house around noon and enjoyed the afternoon talking and playing together.
Zane and Callie were there with their boys and Nabeha, Clary, and Hans were there too. The boys enjoyed playing with their cars on Grandpa's treadmill and ran around in the front yard. We enjoyed each other's company as we sat and talked and watched movies with the little kids.
Later that evening, we attended a surprise party for Lincoln's 16th birthday. We didn't stay too long because the kids were lacking a nap for the day so were not on the rational side of life. So, after juggling screaming children for an hour or so, we decided it was time to make our departure. Lincoln seemed to have enjoyed himself though and was quite pleased with the guitar kit Roland scored him from a friend.
Once again, the kids slept well after another crazy day.
The next morning was spent in preparation for our family picture. Once everyone arrived back from church, we lined up outside by the pool for pictures. What a disaster. Weston was in no mood to cooperate and the sun was blinding everyone. This made for some very interesting pictures. I think I was just laughing the entire time as I listened to all the moans, grunts, and wails of those in pain from the sun. This shows in the pictures. :) Weston, if he was looking at the camera, was sending glare darts in that general direction. Natalie was cute as always, but got distracted by trying to tear out the flower from my hair or by staring at her Uncle Matt (again!). Roland was trying hard to be a sport, but his eyes just started watering and turning bright red from the sun. The majority of the pictures have him squinting uncontrollably hard. Just looking at these pictures make my sides hurt from laughing so hard. The sheer chaos is hilarious.
After the pain of family pictures was over, I had Amanda take a few snapshots of our family. In order to get Weston to cooperate, he was eating crackers, which of course are beautifully displayed in our pictures. Oh well! Natalie was a doll though and smiled ear to ear for the camera. She makes things so easy.
Weston on the other hand, has a mind of his own. Just to make things even that much more dramatic, he fell in the pool! Luckily Roland was right there and dropped to the deck, reached in, and grabbed him by the ankles. Poor Weston was soaking wet and not happy! Not to mention, the pool was 45 degrees and it wasn't warm outside either. Poor guy!
Finally we packed up and left Tucson. We had a baby blessing for Bruin Elrey (Bill and Cortney's son) at 3:00pm in Phoenix. We had an uneventful drive and a nice blessing. Afterwards, we went to Bill and Cortney's house for some food but couldn't stay long as once again our children were out of control. We were certainly happy when we arrived home!
What a wonderful Christmas weekend we had. We enjoyed our time with family and loved the memories we made. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Eve Roland had to work. So, the kids and I dropped him off in the morning and waited around until he was done that afternoon. I frantically ran around the house trying to pack all of the last minute items. It seems like all of those last minute things take an entire day in and of themselves to pack! Luckily Roland was able to get off of work early so we were able to pick him up at 3:30pm. The kids were excited to try out their new Christmas present - a portable DVD player! I think I was even more excited than them, which is why they got to use it early! There is something to be said about a peaceful drive without screaming children. So, we all listened to Alvin and the Chipmunks as we drove. The kids love that movie. I could hear both Weston and Natalie laughing periodically through the drive. It makes me happy.
We arrived in Tucson after making really good time. I was shocked by the lack of traffic. We headed straight to my Mom's house for Christmas Eve celebrations. We enjoyed the company of my mom and Richard, Richard's family, our family, and the occassional neighbor and friend that would stop by. Weston enjoyed watching Ice Age on the television while the rest of us relaxed. Dinner was at 7:30pm and by then Weston was finished for the night. There was no stopping his uncontrollable fits. So, Roland and I ate as quickly as we could (while still feeding Natalie) and then tended to his tender feelings.
Weston calmed down when it was time for gifts. He was running around screaming "OOHHH! OOHH!!!" to every gift. He offered his assistance to each person that was lucky enough to open a gift. Boy did he love ripping that paper off. And of course, he would scream with excitement over everything that was opened. He makes me laugh. Natalie was also excited when it was her turn to open something. She really enjoyed unwrapping the paper. Weston received cars and a track and Natalie received a McQueen ride-on car which was promptly taken by Weston. Maybe one of these days Natalie will actually ride on it. Perhaps we will have to do it while Weston is napping. They both received toy cell phones too which they are both very excited about. Weston has been walking around with it the past few days saying "Hello? Hello?" Natalie just enjoys chewing on it. But, at least she is not chewing on mine!
By 9:00pm our kids were uncontrollable. So, we packed up in the car and left to go to bed. Luckily the kids slept well that night which made us all happy. :)
That night Roland and I stayed up wrapping gifts and getting stockings ready for the morning. We had a lot of fun. I was particularly proud of our creativity. Weston and Natalie both got wrapped balloons (which turned to be a hit the next morning), and lots of gifts from craigslist and yard sales. It worked perfectly. We were able to get them a lot of little things for practically nothing. That makes me happy!
I was expecting quite the display in the morning as Weston went down the stairs to notice tons of wrapped gifts to open and a large crane with tons of cars surrounding it. But, nothing. He slid down the stairs and almost completely walked past all of the gifts. He caught sight of the cars out of the corner of his eye and THEN went to them. Not the reaction I was expecting, but he was still thrilled. Once again, we had a chorus of "OOHH, OOHH!!!"
Weston and Natalie both were super excited about their gifts. Weston would just randomly grab gifts and start tearing them open. He even opened Dad's pair of flip flops. He was ecstatic when the balloon showed up. He ran around saying "balloon! balloon!" and was hitting it up in the air. He had so many toys all over that he didn't know what to do with himself. He would play with something for a few seconds then run off to something else even more excited than he was before! Natalie was cute as can be, as usual. She was enjoying sitting in my lap and opening all of the gifts that were offered to her. She then started crawling around after Weston, laughing and giggling the whole time.
The rest of the family joined us a little later and we enjoyed a relaxing morning of opening gifts and spending time with each other. We also enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. Afterwards, Andrea spent the next several hours dying and cutting my hair. It turned out really well. I was very impressed by her talent. Everyone else sat around and played Wii and talked. Weston and Natalie just played. Natalie also took a particular interest in her Uncle Matt and loved to go and try to play with him. It was really cute.
We later had our traditional Christmas rap when the rest of the family arrived. Everyone was here this year. It was nice to be around everyone for the first time in a while. Weston loved the Christmas rap! He enjoyed shaking the candy as we passed it along the circle. He was all smiles and was very proud of himself for passing it ever so nicely to his Uncle Matt. Mom and Dad shared testimonies of the Savior and we ate.
The best part of the day was my Christmas present to Roland. We haven't really had an actual date in a really long time and haven't been to the movies in at least a year, if not a year and a half. He really wanted to see the new movie "Invictus" because it was about rugby. So, I arranged for us to take a date to see the movie for his Christmas present. Unfortunately, the available time for us was 10:20pm. Ouch! But, we made it and we enjoyed it. I loved being able to spend some alone time with him. Plus, the theatre was practically empty, so we enjoyed the time together. What a wonderful ending to a great Christmas!
The day after proved just as eventful. We woke up and got ready for the day. On the way down to Roland's parent's house, we stopped by the mall and picked up some new work pants for Roland with some incredible sales. We arrived at Roland's parent's house around noon and enjoyed the afternoon talking and playing together.
Zane and Callie were there with their boys and Nabeha, Clary, and Hans were there too. The boys enjoyed playing with their cars on Grandpa's treadmill and ran around in the front yard. We enjoyed each other's company as we sat and talked and watched movies with the little kids.
Later that evening, we attended a surprise party for Lincoln's 16th birthday. We didn't stay too long because the kids were lacking a nap for the day so were not on the rational side of life. So, after juggling screaming children for an hour or so, we decided it was time to make our departure. Lincoln seemed to have enjoyed himself though and was quite pleased with the guitar kit Roland scored him from a friend.
Once again, the kids slept well after another crazy day.
The next morning was spent in preparation for our family picture. Once everyone arrived back from church, we lined up outside by the pool for pictures. What a disaster. Weston was in no mood to cooperate and the sun was blinding everyone. This made for some very interesting pictures. I think I was just laughing the entire time as I listened to all the moans, grunts, and wails of those in pain from the sun. This shows in the pictures. :) Weston, if he was looking at the camera, was sending glare darts in that general direction. Natalie was cute as always, but got distracted by trying to tear out the flower from my hair or by staring at her Uncle Matt (again!). Roland was trying hard to be a sport, but his eyes just started watering and turning bright red from the sun. The majority of the pictures have him squinting uncontrollably hard. Just looking at these pictures make my sides hurt from laughing so hard. The sheer chaos is hilarious.
After the pain of family pictures was over, I had Amanda take a few snapshots of our family. In order to get Weston to cooperate, he was eating crackers, which of course are beautifully displayed in our pictures. Oh well! Natalie was a doll though and smiled ear to ear for the camera. She makes things so easy.
Weston on the other hand, has a mind of his own. Just to make things even that much more dramatic, he fell in the pool! Luckily Roland was right there and dropped to the deck, reached in, and grabbed him by the ankles. Poor Weston was soaking wet and not happy! Not to mention, the pool was 45 degrees and it wasn't warm outside either. Poor guy!
Finally we packed up and left Tucson. We had a baby blessing for Bruin Elrey (Bill and Cortney's son) at 3:00pm in Phoenix. We had an uneventful drive and a nice blessing. Afterwards, we went to Bill and Cortney's house for some food but couldn't stay long as once again our children were out of control. We were certainly happy when we arrived home!
What a wonderful Christmas weekend we had. We enjoyed our time with family and loved the memories we made. Merry Christmas!
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