Break

Whew! A crazy Christmas break. And not a single picture because I'd only remember that I'd left the camera behind after I'd been driving for half an hour and I wasn't about to turn around and go get it, either. I love you guys too much to ditch spending time with you just so I can get pictures of you.

So, Elena got out of school on the 16th and we had a day and a half before launching into my family's Christmas Extravaganza. Everyone was here, this year, the first time since Joseph was a wee tiny thing. We're up to 32, now--my parents, six siblings and six spouses, and 18 grandkids. It was so good to see everyone together, again.

We started with my nephew's Eagle Court of Honor. He's worked really hard getting everything done, and it was so good to see him in a new neckerchief and the eagle on his chest. Congratulations, Michael!

The next morning, most of us went to church with Mima and Popa (the two families with infants went to later services at home before joining us in the afternoon) and took up what seemed like half the chapel. The kids all have cousins the same age as them, so everyone had someone they knew to go to Primary and Sunday School with. After church was an enormous lunch, cookie baking and gingerbread house making, Wii games and general merriment. A few of the moms made really cute hair bows for pictures the next morning. Jonathan needed to sleep, so he went to church at home and sang in the choir, but caught up just in time for everyone to go see the Christmas lights down by the river.

After days warmth, picture day was surprisingly chilly and windy, but everyone was generally cooperative and I think the pictures all came out looking really good. One can hope, at least. I had a few more things to finish up, that afternoon, but we all got together again for Family Night. Nate made these fantastic applewood smoked pecan chicken enchiladas for dinner (they taste like bacon!!!), we read the Christmas story while various family members acted it out, everyone (including James) got to play in the White Elephant game, and we opened presents. Poor Joseph had his choice for the white elephant picked out from the very beginning, jealously guarding it each time someone picked, and it turned out to be a picture frame. He was so upset that his precious box had betrayed him like that, especially since the other kids were unwrapping toys and puzzles. Uncle Rick took pity on him and traded gifts (thank you!), saving the day. Later in the evening, Joseph was playing Duck, Duck, Goose with... Tess and Paige, maybe? I told him it was time to go and that he'd see his cousins in the morning, so he popped up, tapped himself on the head, shouted "Goose!" and ran out the door.

Tuesday brought Gattiland--we'll have to bring Jonathan, sometime--and all the adults got to go out for dinner together at Rudy's. Wednesday, our last before people had to start heading off, was a PJ Birthday Party for Paige, who turned 6.

We had a couple quiet days to ourselves before Christmas. Christmas morning, Jonathan stayed up after work so he could open presents and dig through stockings with the kids. In the evening we visited his parents.

Joseph got a workbook to get him used to Pre-K work, and Elena had homework to do over the break, so they spent the next week working on those . Elena re-read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and a couple Magic Tree House books.

Jonathan had New Year's Eve off--maybe to make up for having to work Christmas Eve, maybe so there wouldn't be anyone using the machines as they cycled over to the new year--so we headed downtown to the celebrations there. We got to see the Biscuit Brothers, and then had 4 hours to kill before fireworks. We hula hooped, we watched the fire dancers, we rode the butterfly bike and the rattlesnake bike, we stopped at Whatabuger to warm up. The fireworks were fabulous and I liked the lower array. They haven't really done low-altitude/ground displays before, but it was nice to mix it up, high and low, like that. The boys fell asleep before we got home--James slept through the fireworks, even--so they went to bed and Elena begged to watch Harry Potter, since she'd finished the book again. The three of us watched the neighbors' antics, at midnight.

Tomorrow the school year starts again, and we'll all have to remember to write 2011 on things.