Goodbye 2015!

With everyone and their cousin in town for the holidays or wedding, it seemed the perfect time for a New Year's Eve bash. Mark reserved his church building and Kei and Ademir strung lights and turned it into a dance hall. All brought food and fun. We contributed a piñata. 

Above: Ava and Sammi. Below: Grayson and Mason

I can't tell if I knew Matt was taking a picture or if was I really that interested in Mark's story. I am going to guess the former ;) It was great to have Uncle Roy, Aunt Celia, and Cousin Willie drive out from California.

The Gouldings drove straight from Elko to party!

Look at those lights! I tried with all of my might to do that for my ward party's and ended up with cut hands and NO lights.

They literally had them strung in no time.

Matt set up his projector for the big game.

So happy to see this in the mix.

Sophie, Alivia, Landrie, Ava, Mallerie, Samantha, Rachel, and Raegan.

Happy New Year!

Mark and his Momma.

Callie

Gio

Graham waiting his turn with cousins.

the big kids were mesmerized.

Mallerie

and Uncle Roy!

My three girls all wore their new Christmas sweaters.

Great shots of happiness (shot on the Sony 8 5,000 of course!)

I didn't want to get home too late because the next day was the first day of the year but the last day before the wedding. Besides, Mallerie was pressing me that her friends had big plans. So Mallerie, Ava, and Aliva left with me around 11 pm. The girls were worried we would be in the canyon when the clock struck twelve.

We made it home and the count down began

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Happy New Year!!!!!

Turns out Mallerie couldn't make arrangements soon enough or couldn't decide on which party to go to because she celebrated at home! 

We got to have Grandma stay with us before the wedding. She watched "The Cokeville Miracle" with the kids. In times past they have watched 17 Miracles, and the Miracle Maker. Callie wondered, "Why does Grandma always show us those sad miracle movies?"

Callie's favorite Christmas gift was a game of Go-Fish in her stocking. All throughout Christmas break I would hear her say, "Do you want to play Go-Fish?" The day before the wedding we had Alivia here and they must have played it 100 times. Alivia was a very good sport about that.

  The official Wedding Announcement came out in the Wasatch Wave. 

Papers tell facts. There's no turning back now.

CHRISTMAS 2015!!!!

With the dining room turned into a sewing factory the month of December we had our Sunday's dinners downstairs. It was cozy with the tree and all.

We have a big feast the Sunday before Christmas since we have the Bethlehem dinner on Christmas Eve and on Christmas day we like an easy meal.

Literally makes your mouth water doesn't it?

Tradition lives on. We met at Mark and Jamie's for our Bethlehem dinner and a rousing gift exchange. We each brought "a favorite thing" to exchange. I came home with a package of bacon to cook up on Christmas morning!

Afterwards we came home for our usual sibling gift exchange but not till we had delivered our awards in the neighborhood, which is a knock and run endeavor. Matt sped away after Mallerie hopped in the van but before she had even closed the van door. We can be glad things ended well.

These pictures must be before the 'accident.' Giuseppe was in the process of giving or receiving when he shrieked out in pain and fell to the couch holding his foot. I knew right away what it was, a pin in the carpet. I had tried to be so careful but surely I had let one slip into the deep piled rug. However, he lifted his foot to reveal a NAIL stuck in his foot. Whaaaaaa? We doctored him best we could but I can't get that image of his face grimacing in pain out of my head. A nail????? (I had the rug professionally cleaned after that and the guy said they found two more nails!)

We put the tetanus incident behind us and moved downstairs to continue with our jammies tradition. While we were at the Boc's in Orem G siddled up, "I hear I have new pajamas at your house?" I was glad I had included him in the fuss!

"Come on Mallerie, we really are trying to take a non silly shot..."

 The babes put out treats for the big man, then it was off to bed!

This was Giuseppe's first year experiencing the madness we call Christmas!

 I don't think K and G would have needed any of it to feel happier!

We needed a new copy of Incredibles because it was so loved for so long and watched over and over. We remembered Grayson opening up the DVD as a three year old and exclaiming over and over, "I got Incredibles!"

 Ava opened Fantastic Mr. Fox to match her Fantastic jammies.

 Mallerie's jammies have braids just like her! She wasn't sure what this gift was, a scarf? No, a steering wheel cover! To that she said, "You give the best gifts!"

Remote control cars. I almost forgot the boys opened those.They sure didn't last long :/

 The nerf guns on the other hand, I have been tripping over for 9 months! Mainly those darts...

 Ava's Karaoke machine provided Christmas day entertainment

Graham said that Dad had asked enough mysterious questions about an X Box that Graham was certain they would be opening one. He was correct!

 Callie went bananas for the little doll diner she opened. Mallerie and Ava both said, "We would have loved that at her age!"

 Dreams really do come true! Mallerie got a Sony 8 5,000.

She gives good reactions. Then again, she REALLY wanted it baaaaaaad. She literally couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Giuseppe gave nearly the same reaction when he opened his Beats.

The aftermath!!!

 We played with Callie's diner, watched movies, feasted, and loved.

I went around the block with Mal and some of the kids that night. I only really remember her being there because she was high stepping it and jogging like a maniac all in the glow of the full moon. 

I loved it.  

Christmas, I loved it.