Dec. 23rd- Friday: We woke up around 8:45/9. Alice ate one pancake and then became super snuggly and clingy again. Her fever returned. We hung out, played on our phones and chilled. After lunch, Dan and Adam took some of the kids sledding! I stayed with Alice and freed up space on my phone. Jake and Abril and Winegars arrived at Mantua. Alice took a nap in her bed. I showered. Dan and McKenna went to the Brigham city temple with other cousins to do baptisms for the dead. I napped a little with Alice and Boof. Anna also napped after us. Dan showered and I prepped more carrots for dinner. We had a Zoom call with Grandfather where each family member got to talk with him and Wendy. We ate, then we talked about our favorite Christmas memories. Grandpa and Dan gave Alice a blessing since she was still fevering and not eating well and just sleeping all the time. We did the family talent show and put Alice, Anna, and Boof to bed. We played a little with the middles and bigs. Then I played Skull King while Dan helped set the tables for the morning.
Dec. 24th- Saturday: We got up around 8:30. We ate our big breakfast a little after 9am. Alice had no more fever and seemed to be doing much better, though she was coughing more. After clean up, we began opening presents. William was cute going around giving everyone hugs! We're so grateful for all the generous gifts from family members. We love our Christmas Adam tradition! We packed up and cleaned up our room and left Mantua. We stopped by my parents' house on the way home. They were still coughing lots and didn't want to get us sick. We got home by 3:30. We arrived home to many neighbor gifts which we are so grateful for as well! unpacked, started laundry, and did baths and cleaned a little. We delivered the final day of "The 12 Days of Christmas" to the Hernandez family, and then picked up our pizza for dinner. We ate and then opened new pajamas. Then we acted out the Nativity story and watched "The Christ Child." We set out treats for Santa and Dan helped Alice through a pretty bad coughing fit by taking her out in the cold and giving her an otter pop. The kids wanted to sleep in the theater room all together this year, so we got them settled in there! I finished cleaning and Dan showered.
Dec. 25th- Sunday: The kids woke up and watched shows. We got started opening gifts around 8. We opened stockings first, then our family gift exchange presents. We had our German pancakes for breakfast and then got ready for church. Our family sang “Could I Hold the Baby?” in Sacrament meeting, and I cried here and there through the whole song! In spite of that, it went well! The ward choir also sang, the primary kids sang, and then I sang again with Amy Pugsley, Emily Horne, and Cari Mitchell, with Amy Hamblin on the piano, "Silent Night". We changed back into comfy clothes when we got home, then we opened the rest of our presents! Dan’s parents stopped by and we had lunch and napped. The kids played and watched shows. We Skyped with my family in Alabama and Layton. Then we made our Christmas dinner (salmon, veggie tray, potatoes, rolls, and strawberries). We talked about what our favorite things were that we did this Christmas season and also if there were things we wished we had more time to do. It was nice to have that time to reflect with the kids. We missed having my parents and Mickelle over due to them being sick and also our colds were not all the way better either. We went up to the temple to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Dan started the process of hanging our new dartboard and we did one final old testament lesson about symbols of Christmas. The kids wanted to sleep in the movie theater room one more time, so we let them. I tried on all of my new clothes with Dan. We got to bed late again.
Dec. 26th- Monday: Dan and I slept in. We gave the kids fruit for a late breakfast and then got dressed and ready for the day and left to have Costco lunch with Jasper. We also did a little shopping at Costco for the Rose Bowl people and their food. Then we went home and McKenna went to Winegar's to do her diamond art painting with Katie and Whitney. The rest of us chilled at home and did our own thing. Dan finished hanging the dartboard. I kept laundry going, and did a little organizing in my closet. Around 4pm, we went sledding with our family, Whitney, Katie, Truman, and Henry. McKenna stayed at Winegar’s more, and the rest of us came home and had dinner. We folded laundry and then started on the girls' bedroom swap downstairs. Bethany had a hoarse voice and barky cough. After the kids were in bed, Ben worked on a crossword puzzle.
Dec. 27th- Tuesday: I exercised. After breakfast, we started washing sheets and getting the girls going on changing rooms. I mostly went through a Bethany’s stuff with her and Dan vacuumed and moved the big furniture. Swa came over with Clara, Ellie and Mia because her heater was broken and they needed somewhere warm to be. We had pizza for lunch. I showered, then we took the kids to see “Puss In Boots.” It was cute and also a little scary for little ones. We kept working on rooms once we got home. The kids had leftovers for dinner. Dan and I went on a date with the Browns and Remingtons to Buca De Beppo. We came to our house and played pool and ping pong while the girls slept in our bed for a bit. We had such a fun time with them!
Dec. 28th- Wednesday: I didn’t sleep well due to Anna’s watch going off in the middle of the night in our room. We slept in late again. Dan ran errands. After breakfast, I worked on the A-teams room some more and started sorting Alice’s toys. Then I helped Anna do hers. Dan got home and shoveled. Lia came over to hang out with McKenna. We had lunch, then Dan and I met virtually with a financial planner. I ate lunch. Dan drove McKenna and Lia to City Creek. We helped the girls hang some stuff on their walls. We napped. McKenna got home. We cleaned up and cooked a Costco ready meal in the oven. We ate it in the car on the way to see the Grand America holiday windows. We met the Moultons, Pugsleys, and Alexanders there too. Then we came back to our house to hang out and eat treats! We played one round of our new game, “Just One.” Dan and I cleaned after the kids went to bed.
Dec. 29th- Thursday: I got up at 8 and exercised. Everyone else slept in a lot! After breakfast the kids did showers and baths and Dan and Ben got haircuts. We had internet problems off and on throughout the day. I worked on a grocery order. We divided up the advent calendar Marvel characters between the kids. We had lunch. McKenna’s friend from LPA, Grace Eckman, came over. Dan played the game Life with Ben, Bethany, and Alice. I napped a little. I printed pictures for Anna’s frames. I started working on my primary lesson (subbing). McKenna went to Farmington Station with 3 friends. We had leftover German pancakes for dinner. Once McKenna got home, we watched "Relative Race" and got the kids to bed. I finished my lesson and Dan and Ben packed for the Rose Bowl.
Dec. 30th- Friday: We slept in till 9. It rained a lot during the day. After we ate, we started cleaning up and putting away Christmas. That took quite a while... until lunch time even! McKenna finished her Old Testament reading chart! We ate and then Dan left for a work event at Vivint where kids in Foster Care could shoot and play around on the Jazz court. There were also puppies there. I took McKenna and Anna to Anna’s eye appt to get glasses. Then I had to call around a little, but we found a place that was covered by our insurance for McKenna’s bloodwork for her stomach issues. We picked up Tacos on the way home. After we ate, we did some final clean up and hung the temple picture above the stairs. We got the three girls to bed and watched the "Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special." I drove Dan, Ben, and Grandma and Grandpa to the airport for their Rose Bowl trip. Then I went to bed.
Dec. 31st- Saturday: After breakfast, I picked up groceries. Alice was not amused by my selfies. When I got home, it took me a long time to organize food, divide meat, and tidy up the kitchen a little. I showered and tried to nap. The girls all did their own thing. It rained more most of the day. We had leftovers for dinner. After that, we went to the church to play with Moultons, Pugsleys, Holdstocks, Chadwicks, Mitchells, the missionaries, Ethan West, Richard AhYen and more. We played 9 square, chair soccer, elimination, ladder ball, an unwrap candy game that the Moulton’s prepared, and I brought our big speaker to play music on. After that we went back to the Moulton‘s house for food and visiting and did an early countdown at 11 PM. I took the three girls home and got them to bed and McKenna stayed till midnight and came home by 12:15. The rain had turned to snow!
