Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was a lot of fun! Everyone was there (except Glenn, April, Rebekah, Miriam, and Marcus, who we miss dearly). We had a program Christmas Eve, with a very original rendition of the Night Before Christmas by Spencer and with Dad reading us the Christmas story. We actually got much of the wrapping done the night before Christmas Eve, so there was not a lot of wrapping to do, although Mom still managed to stay up till after one in the morning. Spencer, Heather, Laura, Lyssa, and I decided to drive around and see the Christmas lights after our little program. The snow was falling, and it was so peaceful as we drove around Orem and Provo. We had such a great time! I think we should make that a tradition in the future. Christmas morning we didn't end up going out and looking at gifts until after 11, a far cry from when we used to when we were little. After looking at our stockings, we made a breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, orange juice, and cinnamon roles together. After cleaning up breakfast stuff, we decided to get a head start on dinner preparation, so all of us were in the kitchen fulfilling our various assignments. After that we gathered around the tree for pictures and to open presents. This year I was actually more excited to give gifts than to receive them. As kids we all got together and got some really nice gifts for mom and dad. Earlier that month we had had professional individual and group photos taken and put in nice frames to give to the parents. Glenn and April also sent pictures of their family and the kids as well. We wrapped each picture individually, and it was so fun to watch them open them. We also got 72 hour kits for them, which is something dad has been worried about. One of my favorite gifts to give was a nice leather recliner for dad. That way he can rest his neck and relax, although most of us have been taking our turns in the chair as well ;). We opened gifts from each other, which was really fun. Glenn and April gave me some really nice binders and pages I can use for scrapbooking. I'm really excited because one of my goals this year is to scrapbook the majority of my pictures. I also got some really nice clothes and books from mom and dad that I'm excited to use. An exciting part of the day was when Spencer gave Lyssa a 16gb iPod, something I know she wasn't expecting. Her reaction was priceless ;). After all the gifts were unwrapped we prepared the rest of dinner. We also got to talk to Glenn, April, and the girls on the phone, which was wonderful! We had a great Christmas dinner and just enjoyed spending time together! Christmas was wonderful and I'm grateful I was able to spend it with my wonderful family!