Nov/Dec 2021

We didn't have Sarah with us for Thanksgiving, so this was our first apart. She had gone with Grant's family to Park City the weekend before and celebrated. On the actual Thanksgiving Day she dug in to homework. 

Rachel went to Winter Formal with Johnny. They are good friends.

I was so grateful there was minimal sewing needed on this dress. I just took the lining up a bit and it flowed beautifully.

Rachel finished her CNA training with flying colors and we attended her pinning ceremony.

She loved the program so much and all the kids were so fun to be around. It made high school bearable this semester, I'm a little worried how she'll do next semester without it. She will miss these friends. 

Olaf was so proud of her.

We tried to go to Dad's work party because families were invited, but no one else's family showed up and it was solemn around a table seated, not just mingling around in a room where you can blend in, so Tyler asked us to discreetly vamoose. We were sad we were missing out, so we came home and drowned our sorrows in cheeseballs.

Sarah and Grant broke up a few days before his mission. They remained friends, she even helped him pack, they did an endowment session at the Provo temple. She came home to us December 18th. Tyler and I did initiatories in the Vegas temple before picking her up at the airport. It felt so good to give her a real, squeezy, squish your guts out hug.

We had a wonderful Christmas together. Adam played carols for the girls to sing. If he has to practice he prefers to have someone sing along, and the girls were very willing. Sarah did have a lot of homework to do for her anthropology film class, so she was working hard while the kids were in school. The finished product is here Dancing Home - Hawaiian Hula

Christmas Adam, the day before Christmas Eve, we did our Walmart family gift exchange tradition. We drew names and had 30 minutes and $8 to really show them we care. After the 30 minutes we met at the front of the store and present our gifts to each other. This has been the most un-stressful tradition. We borrowed it from the Haynie family we knew in Laveen. We all love it. 

Tyler found Rachel the Reindeer Ring Toss. It was hilarious.

Christmas Eve we watched cheesy movies and ate a tiny turkey breast and had mashed potatoes and veggies, with Zip (apple juice and Sprite). I did finally master the gluten free apple pie! The secret? A little apple cider vinegar makes the crust really flakey.

The annual Christmas Eve picture by the tree before the sibling sleepover begins. Adam always sleeps in the girls' room.

They are all so much bigger than in 2008

After our big day, Tyler and I could finally get started on our big surprise. 

We work very well together and got to bed by 3 am.

Tyler wanted to close Adam's door and do all the stockings and wrapped gifts and just wait for someone to happen to discover the big family surprise lurking in Adam's room. I think that was something Tyler's Dad used to do. I was pretty sure Adam wouldn't wake up first thing and get fresh underwear from his room Christmas morning...I was wrong. I learned that no teenage boy has fresh underwear on his mind first thing Christmas morning!

After all the gifting was over Adam did finally go to get something from his room and was very surprised. The rest of the day we all tested our basketball skills.

and ate pie

Church was great to all be together for Come Follow Me, Sarah usually calls in, but it was nice to have her with us in person.

I loved this sister moment. Moments like this can't happen over the phone.

 We drove out to Aunt Luise's house Wednesday night, she wasn't feeling well when we arrived.

We learned much later she had Covid.

 Thursday we had endowments scheduled at the Newport Beach temple, but she didn't feel up to it. Sarah, Tyler and I got there so early that we had time to stop by the beach. 

Sarah was thrilled to breathe in the fresh air, 

it had just stopped raining and was beautiful. In the temple instruction room it was fun to learn the walls are covered in a beach mural. So fitting!

We watched all sorts of silly movies. Father Goose with Cary Grant, Broadway Melody with Fred Astaire, Bad Hair Day. We just snuggled and watched and snuggled some more. We did take a break to play the a new game from Aunt Luise, Disney Family Feud, and No Filter.

We made Aunt Luise soup and snuggled some more. There was very little food prep to do because I had cooked most of it and frozen it before we came, so I could relax and be on vacation too.