End of December in California

We had to rush home on Saturday after Christmas so we could be to church on Sunday and also to our friend Nat's baptism.  She and Levi have been good friends as long as they've known each other and her family got orders to a new base so this was our last chance to see them.  The kids had a lot of fun together after the big event.  We will miss this amazingly good family.  We are blessed to know so many wonderful people!

As you can see, they were peas in a pod.

We closed out the year with our California family/friends the Nelsons.  The moms took the kids over to the church for a Nerf Battle on Decemeber 30.  We built forts, chose weapons and teams and had a riot!

They were kind enough to invite us over for New Year's Eve as well.  We ate a yummy dinner and then played our new game Perpetual Commotion (that Jonas got for Christmas but has given up on playing after only one round).  This game is a throw back to our good friends in Kentucky, the Colcords, who we adore!  Its a speed card game for a crowd and it is so much fun!!  We came home around 10:30 put the kids in bed (much to Bryant's chagrin) and then Ethan and I watched an episode of Arrow, kissed at midnight and went to bed.  We'd had a busy week, we were tired. :)

Christmas with the Woodys 2014

Last year at Christmas all of the Woody clan was together for about 17 minutes... long enough for us a snap a quick family photo on Jason's lunch break before Josh headed back to St. Louis.  This year, we were all together for a whole afternoon!  And since there were 3 new babies born this year we had to snap another quick family photo!  This time we just met in the backyard and piled on the tractor and in the trailer.  It was a lovely scene with the snow falling around.  

Then it was time to go inside and open more presents!  First from Grandma and Grandpa.  Jonas and Levi both got skateboards.  Pretty exciting stuff!  Can you tell how Jonas feels about it?

Then it was time to open gifts from the cousins exchange.  Levi got a perfect over the door basketball hoop.

Bryant got this awesome bow and arrow from his cousin and a Tardis (from Doctor Who) Yahtzee game.  He was pretty stoked.

I truly never even saw what Bolton or Eliza got from their cousins... whoops.  There were a lot of people in that small space!  Scott and Jane were, as usual, very generous.  To us and to the kids.  We are so lucky to have them!

After all the gift giving we ate delicious lunch and hung out until we were the last ones there and we enjoyed a quiet evening before heading back out to my parent's house.

Christmas in Utah is always so full!  We are so blessed to have such loving families.  The day after Christmas we went to the Temple with my parents and a couple of my brothers. Richy and Kari have been doing awesome at family history work so we all had the chance to do a family name.  After the temple we picked up the kids from Scott and Jane's where we learned that Bryant had introduced his grandma and grandpa to his current obsession Doctor Who--I guess they watched a pretty scary one with the Weeping Angels.  While the younger kids watched a movie downstairs.  Jane fed us a delicious dinner-of course-she can't bear the thought of someone being hungry on her watch! Then we went up to my parents house again (after dropping the kids off at Richy's) for my siblings party, a cheese tasting party.  It was a nice, calm and quiet evening and then we got to leave the kids at Richy's and just go to bed!

Early Saturday morning we got up and started packing up all our stuff (much more stuff to track down than when we arrived).  After we finished (we managed to only leave a handful of things) we went to pick up the kids and head back to California.  We pulled out of town around noon and drove with much better weather going west than we had the week prior.  We are so blessed that we've been protected on all our long drives over the years.  The kids are all such good travelers (except Abe... I think he might be part demon when we're in the car).  Another successful trip to Utah complete we don't know when our next one will be.  Until then Utah, stay cute and cool. ;)

Christmas Morning 2014

We woke up early Christmas morning and made the trek inside from my mom and dad's trailer (Dave and his family were staying in the basement).  And it was a Christmas miracle, the ground was covered in SNOW!!!  It is seriously like magic going to bed with no snow on the ground and waking up to a beautiful white world.  Especially on Christmas.

We came in and found our stockings had all been filled with goodies and a small gift.  Then we set about to opening the rest of the gifts under that tree...

I had a really difficult time getting started on Christmas this year (between all the stuff going on in our world and all the stuff we already have cluttering up the house I didn't want to get the kids anything!).  Luckily, the few things we were able to get were a hit.

Bryant's favorite gift: 10th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver

Levi's favorite gift: (I think) Studio C tee-shirt.

Jonas' favorite gift: lacrosse stick

Bolton's favorite gift: Imaginext T-Rex (we got a stellar deal online and had no idea how awesome it was before we got it. Love it when that happens).  I don't really know if Eliza loved any of her gifts from us (the good ones came from Grandma W and Grandma Jane).

I think Jonas was the most excited about his gifts, he got a sports theme Christmas, a Brazil jersey, a new football and the lacrosse stick.

Funny story, Ethan and I only got each other two gifts.  I gave him some new garments, he gave me new socks (we're exciting I know)... well, then we each opened our second gift, he went first and found this hammock for two with the stand.  He kind of laughed a little after he saw what it was.  Then I opened my second gift and found... a hammock for one that we can attach to trees or to our pergola.  What are the chances?!?  Such a random gift to both have gotten for the other!  We laughed about that one for days!

We got a chance to play with our new toys before my brothers all came with their families.

When they were all there we opened presents from my mom and dad and they finally got to open their presents from us.  We had a wonderful morning!  So much love in that family of mine!  I'm a lucky one.

Hoss Christmas Eve Nativity

After the Call family party, we headed back north to my parents' house for their annual Christmas Eve party.  We had a dinner of finger foods that were delicious.  Then we cleared out the tables and played Christmas Charades (a game we played at Ethan's sibling party that had us rolling... let's just say when Jason had to act out Holiday Affair and it had been well established that I am a Holliday... he caused quite the scandal.).  

Christmas Charades with the kids was fun, they each got a turn to act out one thing... I don't know if we kept score but we had fun!  After the game we had the traditional nativity with towels and ties draped over the kids, just like we did every year at my grandma's house.  We even had a real life baby!  

As the kids got ready they came upstairs to wait for the others to get ready. 

I think (little) Ethan was the donkey.

The Nativity is always sweet.  I sure do love all my nieces and nephews.

We finished the night by eating treats and playing another game, I call it the Do-Doo game and always make people giggle.  Rather than hum a song you sing a song with Do-Doo and people try to guess it.  Whoever guesses it gets to sing the next song.  We did Christmas songs exclusively and I was pretty impressed with how long we were able to go and how involved the kids were.

It was such a fun night!  We finished the night by sending the kids to bed and getting everything moved under the tree for the big morning!