White (After) Christmas

We woke up to a beautiful, white landscape on December 26th. There wasn't more than a couple of inches, but it was great packing snow and it didn't take long for these guys roll most of the snow on the lawns into a family of snowmen. Apparently Marc has turned into a true Valley boy because he was out there in shorts!

We ran out of time to make gingerbread houses before Christmas so we did them the day after. Mom had purchased kits on sale after Christmas last year, so we just used those. So much easier! Mom and Dad are quite tired of the hassle of making these every year though so we might have to do them on our own from now on. Spencer and Mason still love decorating their houses so it's a tradition I definitely want to continue for them.

Mom and Dad needed to go to the temple with some friends one morning so the rest of us went up to the Church building to play. We shot hoops, ran around, and played Frisbee, baseball, and kickball. It was good for all of us to get out of the house and get some exercise and we all had fun.

Lindsey is the family history expert in our family and she spent some time showing Spencer how to do research to correct errors. Spencer is quite interested in family history too.

Then it snowed again! That was definitely the whitest (after) Christmas I remember in St. Johns! This time, the snow was very dry and powdery. No good for snowmen, but still fun for playing. (Lindsey took the next six pictures.)

The snowmen family collapsed!

Dad convinced us to take the snow tube and old sled down to the hill behind the Middle School and I'm so glad he did! Michelle, Lindsey, Spencer, Mason, and I had so much fun! (Alan didn't want to risk injuring himself before his marathon in 6 weeks so he didn't go down.) I usually hate the cold so much that tubing doesn't hold any appeal to me, but I had such a good time that I might want to do it again! ;)

While washing dishes that night, Lindsey put a blob of soap bubbles on Spencer's head. We all just laughed at him until he finally figured out why we were laughing. Spencer is such a good sport and never gets upset over stuff like that or if he looses a game. He's such a fun kid!

We delayed our trip back to Oregon by a day because of the snow, but we finally had to leave on the 29th. We took these last pictures just before we left. Marc and Lindsey were so, so good with Spencer and Mason. Marc happily shared a room with Spencer, tromped all over the yard with Mason, and let both boys climb over and wrestle him a ton. Lindsey was always up for watching another kid movie or playing another game with Spencer. They would both love to find their eternal companions and get married, but single aunts and uncles are the best! They will both be amazing spouses and parents one day. And Michelle - Michelle has come a long way in her sharing abilities since Spencer was little. Much to Mason's delight, she happily shares her swords, cars, and Buzz Lightyear with him. Michelle is also always good for a lovely smile and some affectionate words. It's hard to feel sad or unloved when Michelle is around!

I'm so sad this one is the only picture I took of Mom and Dad the whole time we were there though! They spend so much time behind the scenes making sure we have plenty to eat and keeping the house in order that it's harder to get pictures of them. I hope they know how much I appreciate and love being able to come home for Christmas though. Spending time with them is good for my soul and worth every mile we have to drive to make it happen. I love you Mom and Dad and am so grateful for the warm and loving home you have provided for 36.5 years!

We drove back home through California because the weather was better than it would have been through Utah. We decided to make the trip in two long days this time and it wasn't half bad. We got all the way to Merced the first night and found a hotel with an indoor pool so the boys could swim for just a few minutes before bed. The hotel was nice, but noisy that night. We were all so tired it didn't matter too much though. After a good breakfast first thing in the morning, we were on the road again. We didn't see a single snowflake the whole drive and got home at about 6:30 pm on the 30th. Kiki was super excited to have us back. Having to leave her home all alone is the only thing I feel bad about when we leave. Some friends down the street took good care of her though and she was fine.

It's always bittersweet to come home from a trip like this one. It's good to be back in our own space and especially our own beds, but it's so hard to say goodbye to my family for an undetermined amount of time. I'm so grateful for the memories we made and the pictures I took though. I write this blog to record those precious times.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

When I was a kid, we always sang "Over the River and Through the Woods" at Thanksgiving because that is when we made the five-hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa LeFevre's house. Now, I sing it to our boys at Christmas when we make the 22-hour drive to their Grandma and Grandpa LeFevre's. We had been planning to spend Christmas in Oregon this year, but Alan's parents were going to Utah and we all agreed spending Christmas with family was worth the drive.

Thankfully, we avoided all storms again. There are several routes we can take to my parent's house so we watch the weather and choose the one least likely to have snow. Our favorite route is through Utah because we have so much family there. Plus, it's the shortest ;) We drove all the way to Alicia's house the first day. We stayed there for two nights so we could have a whole day to hang out with her and visit my two sisters. Alicia is such a good hostess and aunt to Spencer and Mason! Reya had calmed down and Mason had grown since the last time we stayed there so I didn't have to worry about the big dog injuring the little boy.

We went to Elise and Eric's house in the morning where we got to meet Isla for the first time and the boys got to play with Porter. The boys had a great time building Legos, seeing the obstacle course Porter built in his basement, and walking around in the snow in their backyard. Alan took a nice nap on their couch. Haha! It was really nice for me to catch up with Elise and meet sweet Isla. That little girl is a miracle and has made her family so happy!

After Alicia got off work, we all took Reya to the dog park. It was a good place for Spencer and Mason to get some exercise as well as Reya!

We went to Kate and Zac's house for dinner that evening where we got to meet tiny Evelyn for the first time too! She had just eaten and was so content to let me hold her for a long time. What a sweetie! Elise, Porter, and Isla joined us for dinner as well. We missed Eric who had to work late. Boo! Spencer and Mason again had a fabulous time playing with their cousins and it was wonderful for me to visit with my sisters. I miss them and I wish our kids could play together more often!

All of the LeFevre grand kids!

After Alan and I both went on cold, dark runs on the Jordan River Trail, we loaded back up and continued on to St. Johns. We opted to go through Cortez, CO this time just for a change in the scenery. It was an uneventful 9ish hour drive. We learned that you should never try to shop in at WalMart in Gallup, NM just before Christmas though. It was madness in there!

We arrived at Mom and Dad's house just before dinner time on Saturday evening. Marc drove up from Mesa that night as well and Lindsey came on Sunday afternoon. Even though the Lyman Ward has changed a ton since my membership was there, it's still fun to see a few familiar, friendly faces there.

Spencer and Lindsey are the game fanatics of the family and it didn't take them long to start playing after Lindsey arrived.

Monday was Christmas Eve and it was a beautiful, sunny day. Mason wasn't too interested in a selfie though. The guys played horseshoes and Lindsey got a game of Kan Jam going.

Michelle was the star of the game with this amazing shot!

Christmas Eve dinner was Mexican food: authentic tamales and Dad's red enchiladas. Uncle Bob and Aunt Susan joined us for dinner and Spencer and Mason surprised me by both eating and liking the meal. It was a small miracle!

We had our traditional Christmas Eve program after dinner. Spencer played two songs on the piano, Lindsey and Michelle sang, Marc shared some insights about the Savior, and Aunt Susan shared a Christmas story. We piled into two cars to drive around and look at lights after the program. St. Johns held a Christmas light decorating contest this year and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people decorated. It was definitely better than last year!

Spencer and Michelle (and maybe Lindsey too!) were chomping at the bit to go see what Santa left when the rest of us got up at 7:00 Christmas morning. The boys both got Legos, a book, and a Beanie Boo plus a stocking filled with little gifts. No one was disappointed. :)

Mom tried a new dough recipe for her sweet rolls this year and they got a thumbs up from all of us. Mmmm!

After breakfast, we tackled the large pile of presents under the tree. We all got a lot of nice gifts and I felt spoiled once again. Mason was really happy about the fleece shark blanket I made for him and Michelle was ecstatic about her new police coat!

We spent the rest of Christmas Day playing with new toys, trying out new games, making (mostly Mom and Dad) and eating a delicious dinner, and watching movies. I needed to get out of the house and move my body a little by evening time so I convinced the boys and Lindsey to go on a walk with me. It was fun to chat with Lindsey. She has such a fun personality and is so talented!

We ended the night with a big game of Scum and reading all of the memories each of kids wrote about Mom. (For the last several years, Mom and Dad have asked us to write memories on a specific topic for their Christmas gift. It takes some time and effort, but it's a much more meaningful gift than anything we could buy them. I love it!) I don't think I ever laugh harder than when I'm playing games with my family. Some of the memories were pretty funny too and I had laugh-cried most of my mascara off by bedtime. It was the perfect way to end a very nice Christmas day.