Christmas in Utah, Part III: Post-Christmas Fun!

Here are pictures of more fun things we did after Christmas. I didn't take a log so I don't remember all the details, but we did go a lot of places, mostly shopping. 

Dec. 27

I took Gabe to The Train Shoppe located in the Gardner Village in West Jordan. He bought himself a little train with his own money

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Dec. 29

Elisa had Isabelle over several times. They had a sleepover at my parents house and went to the mall a few times. They had so much fun together--here they made some tea concoction that they of course didn't drink.

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Dec. 29

We went to the DI several times, and after Christmas they had so much stuff! I found this manger scene, complete, except Mary is missing her hand. Bryce and Makayla were passing through so they were able to take a bunch of Christmas stuff down to St. George with them for us to claim later. It was just too much stuff for us to take back.

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Dec. 30

Erik flew back from Phoenix and I picked him up pretty early. My dad was up so he came with. Afterwards, we went for breakfast. I ordered the avocado toast and Erik and my Dad ordered the breakfast burrito.

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Dec. 30

Yet another trip to the DI! I got lots of other Christmas stuff, books, and a digital picture frame. A really good haul! I had to leave some of it at my parent's house because there was just too much to take back. I thought I was mis-charged for some items, and I got some money back, but it turns out I was mistaken. I had forgot that I bought some other stuff. Whoops. Erik and I went and found some more books when we went back to DI.

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Dec. 30

Lisa wanted to go out with me to eat sushi. It was yummy and not too expensive.

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New Years Eve! Erik and I put together most of the meal. Stuffed mushrooms, nachos, guacamole, kolackies, cheeseballs, rolls, and my mom made a funeral potato casserole but she took forever to make it.

Erik making the stuffed mushrooms

We lined up the appetizers on Lisa's counter

Ian enjoyed some nachos

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Our last day in Utah, the first day of the year.

Jan. 1

Before we left for the airport, us adults all went out to eat at a Americanized Greek place called Spitz. It was ok. I got one of their bowls with practically everything in it. I didn't like all that food mixed, especially since they put way to many fries and they all got soggy. I don't remember what the kids did while we ate. After eating, we packed up and left for home, but not before stuffing a suitcase full of clothes Lisa gave me.

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Christmas in Utah, Part III: Christmas Day

And the day we've all been preparing for: Christmas Day! I don't know what ungodly hour the kids woke up at, but it didn't bother me since only Gabe stayed with us at my parent's house--Ian slept over at Lisa's the entire time, and Elisa spent the night Christmas Eve. 

Gabe was so excited to get his own phone that he forgot to smile.

 Anyway, I don't remember the specific order of events but the present opening took up the better part of the morning. We went in order of youngest to oldest, so it wasn't a crazy free-for-all. And did have some garbage bags on hand so we didn't bury ourselves in the wrappings!  Here are the pictures:

Ian got lots of goodies in his stocking! He got Lego sets and a voice-changer, but he left the later at the Blaylocks and there's no telling if he'll ever get it back.

Opening stockings. We always open those first.

Elisa's stocking was overflowing with good stuff!

A quick video of gift-opening.

The Blaylocks gave some "elf" gifts. Silly, garbage-y, white elephant gifts. Ian took his in stride and Elisa thought hers was funny, but Gabe had a cry-baby fit when he opened his.

A tin train filled with treats--from my mom that I picked out

I think Aaliyah got the most gifts. She was very impatient and didn't like waiting to open them

Hello Kitty headphones

Lisa gave Gabe a mini fridge!

Lisa bought Aiden and Ian two of the same gifts--a Super Mario zip-up sweater.

Elisa loved her Japan box I picked out for her at World Market

Even after we opened the gifts under the tree, there were still more to come. Eric's gift (gift cards) and Erik's expensive gift (something for golfing) and Ian's gift to my mom (cocoa powder from World Market) were missing. Thankfully someone thought to look in the SUV and found them in the back. Phew. Then Erik had some special gifts for our kids: A Lego Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for Ian, a model Train set for Gabe, and a voucher for an Oculus FNAF game for Elisa. And for Aaliyah, Lisa brought out a huge beanbag chair.  

I meant to get a video of Ian opening his gift, but I goofed so this is all there is. He worked with Erik on it for months afterwards! It was a good incentive for Ian to do his work.

Gabe opening his train set, and Elisa with her voucher.

We spent the rest of the day preparing Christmas dinner and just hanging out. The Blaylocks invited some old man (not sure how they knew him) over that had nowhere else to go for Christmas. He was nice, but there was something a little off upstairs, because he would not stop talking...he talked literally non-stop, not kidding. I never heard someone talk so much. It started to grate on my nerves. He immigrated from Germany in the 1950's and I asked him about it, but he kept going off on tangents haha. Anyway, it was a really delicious dinner. Erik and I did most of the the dinner (prime rib, stuffed mushrooms, rolls) and my mom and Lisa helped out too with a few dishes. What a fun Christmas! This was the first time in a long time that we spent Christmas some where other then Phoenix. The kids were kinda thrown of by that when we first planned this trip, but they sure had a good time!

Eating dinner in Lisa's dinning room

That man (can't recall his name) saying goodbye to everyone, even the dog.

This was my main Christmas present this year.

Christmas in Utah, Part II: Christmas Eve

Lisa insisted volunteered to have Christmas at her house. Erik and my dad had already moved our massive pile of gifts from our van to under my parents tree, but they had to move them again to my parent's SUV to take to Lisa's house. Christmas Eve was spent at the Blaylocks. Lisa had made a huge ball made of plastic wrap and candy, toys, $50 worth of dollar bills, dog food, old socks, and straight up garbage. I donated the candy and toys. She sure had fun making it! 

Dec. 23

Lisa making the giant plastic wrap ball

For Christmas eve dinner, I made lasagna at my parent's house and we brought it over to the Blaylocks. We ate it with yummy garlic bread. I guess the lasagna had too much sauce or not enough noodles (I think the later), and whoops I forgot the egg for the filling--so the lasagna was soupy. We had lasagna soup haha. It was still good though.

Erik at the lasagna. 

These kids sure have fun together!

Then it was time for the big goofy plastic wrap ball game--I think the official title of the game is "The Sarana Wrap Ball Game".  Everyone played and it was a silly game--but poor Ian had a hard time with it since he was real slow to unwrap all that plastic. We were given less than a minute when it came to our turn to unwrap the ball as fast as possible in order  to expose the most amount of prizes. No one really wanted much of anything that was in that ball--but the dollar bills were a big hit! It was trickier than you'd think to unwrap all that plastic. It stuck to itself and even when it didn't, the tail got in the way!

The boys anxiously waiting to start the game!

Being quick and fast got the most prizes--if the plastic didn't stick to itself too much!

After the plastic wrap ball game, the kid's gift exchange (not exactly an exchange since Lisa provided all the gifts). Aaliyah read a script for the game while the kids passed the present right when Aaliyah read the word "right" and left when Aaliyah read the word "left". At the end of the story, each kid opened the gift that ended up with them. Most of the gifts were some sort of candy item.

Aaliyah reading the script for the game while the kids passed the gifts left and right.

Santa came! And came, and came, and came. So. Many. Presents. This is not all of them. The kids were in for a real marathon of gift-opening the next morning!

Since we were staying at my parents house, we chose to have the stockings laid out for the kids at my parent's house in the morning for the kids to see and bring them over to the Blaylocks to open along with the gifts. 

Christmas in Utah, Part I

Ian's and Elisa's Christmas lists. Gabe made one too, but I don't have a picture of it. They even wrote out some of the prices of the gifts! Silly kids.

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We left our house in the evening on Tuesday Dec. 19th. We drove the old van up with the intention to leave it behind at my parent's house. Erik had bought tickets for use to all fly back home, and also some tickets for him to fly home and back again for work. I don't remember much of the drive, but we got to St. George late. We didn't stay in St. George for very long. My memories of the order of events are hazy, but I do remember going shopping for more gifts with Elisa, getting a massage, and wrapping and wrapping tons of gifts. We ate out one evening (the 20th) at Longhorn Steakhouse for Grandpa's birthday. It was pretty good. The next day we went back to the house and opened Christmas presents with everyone including Bryce and Makayla. The kids got money and games. We played one of the games--Elisa's Sleepover game---not long the gifts were opened. Ian had so much fun playing! He is such a fun kid. We had a great time in St. George:

Gabe set up his little train around the tree.

Grandpa and his birthday treat that he shared with everyone.

Opening gifts--a mini pre-Christmas!

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The next morning (the 22nd) after painstakingly shoving a massive amount of gifts and all of our stuff in the van, we left for South Jordan. We stopped at The Pizza Cart for some yummy pizza.

Delicious! 

We finally made it to South Jordan. I used up the rest of the gingerbread dough I had dragged all the way up from Phoenix (I didn't want to waste it!) and the Blaylocks (minus Eric) came over to see us and to partake of some yummy gingerbread men!

Ian and Calvin enjoyed decorating and eating their gingerbread men. 

After the Blaylocks went home we played a game called "Throw Throw Burrito" that we got as a gift from Bryce and Makayla the other night. Its a fun game, but I'm no good at it.

 

My parents doing the burrito duel. Such a goofy game!

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The next day (the 23rd) I went with my mom and Lisa to visit Michael in the Provo facility (he had had an episode a few months prior and was recovering here). We brought him some Wendy's and some See's Candy and chatted for a bit. I don't remember what Erik did, I think he was out visiting with his friend Steve.

A nice visit!

I took a quick pic of our old house that we lived in for 3 years at BYU. Its still there--sheesh that house is probably 80 years old, I'm surprised it hasn't already been bulldozed to make apartments.