La Navidad

Christmas was fun, but quiet. I was still sick, so mom and dad didn't dare come up. So, I had their lonely gifts under the tree until the day after Christmas when we went down there to give them their gifts. We got dad some socks with the Provo temple on them. I also made him a batch of licorice caramels. We gave mom frozen soups and a fuzzy, cozy robe from Costco. Karen introduced me to the awful, yet amazing robe. I have one and also got one for each of the girls. Crocketts and Adcocks gave the gifts together this year. They were a hit.

Keenan and I went early in the month to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert featuring the Muppets and Santino Fontana. We went with Starlyn and Lee Hjorth. We had a blast. I wish Mel would have come, but she really didn't want to go. I didn't want to waste a ticket on someone who didn't want to be there. We had fun with the Hjorths.

The girls went up to temple square with friends. We also went up there as a Laurel class. The weird thing about this Christmas was that there was no snow until Christmas day. So, walking around temple square without a single bit of snow, even in flower beds, was very strange. I love the lack of snow in the valleys. Snow all you want in the mountains for skiing. Keep it there, out of my way, please.

On Christmas Eve, I made the ham I got from WW. We had double-baked potatoes, rice, and carrots. I wasn't up to fixing much because was not feeling great. We opened pj's and they were pretty much a bust. I had gotten pj's last year, after Christmas. When I opened the bag, it seemed that the pair I got for Allie were a VERY small large. So, I wrapped them for Mel since they had a cat on them. I then got a nightshirt for Allie since she had said she wanted another nightgown. Well, the nightshirt was too small for Allie and the cat pj's were too big for Mel. Thank goodness for Walmart. We went and found a nightshirt for Allie and I went under my bed and pulled out the size medium pj's I had bought last year and they were a perfect fit for Mel. So, I told Mel if she gets bigger this year, she'll get the kitty pj's again next year. In the meantime, they sit with the Christmas stuff, waiting to be donated next year. Sigh!

The final pajamas! Notice Mitty's Christmas collar. That belonged to Honu.

The girls got up late and we started opening presents around 10:30. While I waited for them to get up, I laid in bed and read some sweet Christmas stories Kristen had emailed. Glad I hadn't gotten aroudn to reading them yet. It was a perfect way to start the day.

Keenan got: luggage from me. Starlyn asked if it was a hint. No. I just thought it was time for nice luggage. Maybe a clue to take a trip. He got jeans, cool socks, a nice tie, cookie butter and candy.

I got: a red cardigan I really wanted, bubble bath stuff, a cute Christmas decoration made by Allie, a scarf I've worn almost everyday, a coupon for a mani/pedi with the girls.

Cute mug I got from the TA's at work. My hot chocolate tastes so good from it.

Allie got: flannel shirt, sweater, gloves, money from Mel, more clothes, a fuzzy robe, a cute fake fur vest, college tuition, another semester of housing and food.

Mel got: an ironing board, a sewing table and sewing kit, Alex and Ani bracelet, necklace from Allie, and a fuzzy robe.

Gee, what could this be?

Now that her room is painted and she has sewing gear, Mel is all ready to go crazy and create awesome things!

WE ALL GOT TO SKYPE WITH KAMIKO! Best present ever. We had a little over an hour. He and I sang my favorite song a bit..."Somos los Soldados" (We Are All Enlisted). He did bare his testimony near the end in Spanish. I'm so lucky I understood every word. It surprised me when he mentioned that he's learned the importance of the little things, like scriptures, prayer and church attendance, because he didn't do those things for a year and a half while in college. That explains a lot. Glad he gets the importance of them now. He also got to meet his little brother, Mitty. It was a surprise for him and he was floored. He was a bit confused. We had to clarify that it wasn't Honu. He was thrilled with the cat. Funny thing is, we couldn't find the darn cat for the first part of our skype. We kept looking and looking while talking to him. Finally found him in the garage.

Then Christmas night, I watched about 3 hours of "Shark Tank" on TV. What a way to end the day, huh? That's what Christmas is like when your kids are big.