Saturday Activities

Saturday was a fun day for our family. In the morning, we had our ward Christmas breakfast. Rinar and I were in charge of a small music presentation at the end of the breakfast. A neighbor played his trumpet for a few Christmas carols, some girls in the ward (McKinley, Kynnli, Ashlynn, Emily, Hannah, and Kate) sang "Nuttin' For Christmas" and then I sang "Gesu Bambino".  Then the bishop was serenaded by Sister Morris. This was a surprise number. I didn't know anything about it.  She sang "Santa Baby", accent and all. It was very funny.

Then the kids gathered around for a truncated version of the Grinch.

Rick E. was the Grinch. It was quite hilarious. It was a little scary for Harry and Julia, but they didn't cry or anything.

It was an enjoyable start to our morning.  Then in the evening, Rinar took me to Temple Square for a date. It was him, me, and Noelle.  We rode TRAX, which was a blessing because it was crazy-busy downtown. We went to the visitor's center so that we could watch a video on the family.  Rinar had seen it when he was in Oakland the week before, and he wanted me to see it too.  

The video was short and powerful. It wasn't preachy or anything, but it did a good job of reminding me what is the most important. When it is all said and done in my life, I want to be surrounded with the people I love the most. My family is a gift and I have been richly blessed. We both know it acutely.

The train ride home was a bit crowded, but uneventful. I made sure to get us a treat to share as we rode back to our car: a White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

While we were gone, Leah and Jamie watched "Home Alone" with our kids, popcorn and all.  In the end, we all had a fun night.

Project Linus

Our friend Tracy hosted a Christmas service project party at her house this afternoon. There were a million kids running around while us moms were busy cutting fleece to make blankets that will be taken to some charity. It was a fun afternoon chatting and cutting.

Denice busy with the fleece.

Harry found the toys. Unfortunately, two of these cars are currently in my minivan.  My little clepto.  Such a proud  mama.  The toys stay in the van until they find their rightful home, which definitely is NOT our house. Grrrr.

I caught Haley by surprise in this picture.

Kelli had her hands full with her boys.

The Dynamic Duo Sing Away

The ward Christmas party was tonight and it was a lot of fun. I helped Jen decorate it and it turned out very nice. Unfortunately, once again I have misplaced my camera so there are no pictures to go with this post. But the Elder's Quorum hung white lights from the cultural hall ceiling and they put a few spotlights up. It created a beautiful, warm atmosphere because we were able to turn off all of the regular lights.

Jen and I pulled in the couches from the lobby and created a nice seating area that was comfy and was actually used by late-comers. For the centerpieces, we used a large square of wrapping paper, wreaths with shiny bulbs on them and a glass vase with ribbon in it. It turned out really well.

There was entertainment for the evening, including the dynamic duo: Raef and Zach. They sang "Away In A Manger" and I could just shoot myself that we didn't record it. I taught them harmony, so Zach sang alto because his voice is naturally lower than Raef's. It was so beautiful. I played the piano, which was unfortunate because I missed the funny things they did on stage. Zach, a control-freak, just like his Mom, was reaching over to Raef and making sure his mic wasn't too close to his mouth while they were singing. Then he started waving at his friend in the audience. Other people started waving at him, so he was able to wave at a lot of people. Plus he did this all while he continued to sing. Raef just stood there like a rock, with both hands on the microphone, not looking around and just singing the song.

It was quite a show.

We had a lot of fun.

Jen sure knows how to throw an awesome party.