Holiday Season

Thanksgiving

For the first time in many years, I went home for Thanksgiving.  I worked it out so that I took a course in Denver the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I flew into Denver the Thursday night before the holiday and stayed there until Saturday evening.  I then headed down to Colorado Springs and spent the next 4 (and a half ish) days with my family.  I actually flew back to DC on Thanksgiving day. Jeremy was in town with Kelly and Karli, but they were doing Thanksgiving with Kelly's family on Thursday, so we did our Thanksgiving on Wednesday evening.

A few favorites:

• Taking a whole afternoon to go shopping with Kim
• When I arrived, Emily (my friend) and I stopped by Ben and Kim's out of the blue, just to say "hi". Evalieen was out with Ben and Kim and Hyrum were at home.  I was holding Hyrum in my arms in the kitchen, and Emily pointed at my graduation announcement and said "Who is that?".  He responded, "Uh./. I don't know. But she is coming here!" :)
• Evaleen's why questions.  She walked up to Emily one time and called her momma by mistake. Emily said, "I'm not your momma".  Evaleen "why?".   Later I said to her, "Evaleen Grandma Schoonie is my mommy! Did you know that...she's my mommy." Pause... "why?" Made me smile
• Taking Karli and Hyrum on a shopping trip for Christmas presents. So fun to spoil them just a bit!!
• I told Karli that in the morning, before she woke up, I had to leave to go to my home.  I told her that I would go to the airport and get on and airplane and fly far away to my home.  She said "Karli pome too!".  (Pome=come) I told her that she couldn't come, that she had to go home with mommy and daddy and go to her house.  Her response..."Karli pome in two days on airplane."  It broke my heart to leave her!
• I also loved the hours of talking, cooking, games, bubbles, sleepovers and running around with the kids. It was a joy to be home!

Christmas

This year was my first ever Christmas away from home!  Carrying on with the strange pattern of traveling on holidays instead of celebrating, I went out to Missouri for the entire week before Christmas and then left on Christmas day.  Since Christmas was on Sunday this year, Tania and her family celebrated the presents and things on Christmas eve to continue with their weekly "tradition" of making Sunday different, and sacred.  So, I spent the week tending to the kids, the cooking, the baby and my sweet sister.  It was fun.  It's nice to be around so many people sometimes...it does get lonely being far away (but it always is nice to come back to my nice quiet home also!).  We didn't do too much out of the ordinary. We watched Christmas specials, read Christmas stories, baked cookies, wrapped presents, and just enjoyed being together. It's been so fun for me to get to see Tania's family the last few years, because all her kids now know me and remember me.  I love seeing them grow up.  I also adored the sweetest little baby!  She was so fat and loveable...edible really.

Christmas Favorites

• My roommates and I getting our very own Christmas tree!
• Putting up my Christmas village for the first time
• Spending Christmas night with Trista in front of our Christmas trees, drinking hot cocoa. 
• Helping baby Julia open her presents
• Being surprised that I had gifts to open under the Christmas tree.  It made me so happy!
• Seeing the kids try so hard to fall asleep on Christmas eve.
• Seeing Julia roll over for the first time EVER!
• Singing Christmas hymns