Christmas 2015

We awoke Christmas morning to almost a foot of fresh new snow. After opening presents and a leisurely morning of play and shoveling, we joined the extended family at Jeff and Amy's for Christmas brunch. We made the rounds to see everyone's loot displays and then met up for a Christmas screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was brilliant! The remainder of the week coming up on New Year was spent in various activities including snow forts, ice skating, bowling and eating, of course. Harry elected to celebrate his birthday early with his cousins. Thanks to Maren and Gavin for some of these photos.

 The Christmas-ghost tree in the back yard early Christmas morning

Santa has been and the hoards will soon descend

 Good stuff!

 Two old guys trying to keep up with the shoveling

 A Christmas nap for Evey in the only quiet place in the house

 Headed back home after visiting Phil, Meags, et al.

 Hurrah for reserved seats

 Everyone loved the awakening Force

 The Youngs

 The Taylors

 A beautiful winter evening

 Pho and bun with the kiddos

 Bowling at the BY

 Cath Kidston came too

 Skating with the cousins at Peaks

 Harry 

 Gavin and Beckham on ice

 An Indian nosh

 My enormous piles of snow made wonderful forts

Harry celebrated #9 in the bosom of the family

It was a very COLD week but we felt warm with family gathered around. There will be more from New Years, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Christmas Eve 2015

Tradition is strong stuff. We gathered with the SKT cousins for a nativity prior to dinner so they could join us. Dinner was then followed by a talent show and some singing. Grammy read stories and suddenly it was time for bed.

 Pippy narrates the nativity

 Evelyn was not interested in playing baby Jesus

 Baby Jesus objector with her auntie

 The entire cast

 Rib roast, spuds, gravy, dressing, rotkohl, Yorkshire puds, and rolls

 Grammy and "Elevyn" (as per Beck)

 Binkers

 Adultos

 Encore de adultos

 Jingle Bells

 Tiny dancer

 Clarinet solo (missing photo of Ollie's drum solo)

 Star Wars jokes and riddles

 Gavin's rousing 12 Days of Christmas

 Christmas songs with Pippy

And then it was time for dessert!

The good times kept right on going, but this is all for now.

OXO

D.

Christmas is Coming 2015

The lead up to Christmas was filled with decorating, cooking, cousins' breakfast, concerts, dinners out with friends, church Christmas programs, birthdays, temple preview tours, MOA visits, dinners out with family, sledding, Ann's stout cake, cousins' sleepover, and daily walks.

 An encounter with Santa at La Casita in early December

 Cousin Millie and SKT at cousins' breakfast in SLC

 Such a beautiful mountain

 Sunrise on a morning walk

 Downtown Provo on a morning walk

Baklava is fussy but delicious

 Timpview High School concert

 Most of the Ensigns at Max's concert

 New photos all carefully hung with a 13th addition

 Dinner at La Jolla Groves with the Group

 Meeting every month for almost 50 years

 Riverwoods all decked out for Christmas

 The infamous bonding bib made a hilarious reappearance

 Maxwell sang in a quartet at the 5th Ward program

 Madeline left her teen-age years behind this year

 The contractors turned the new temple over to the church and

the fences all came down

 The Ostergars gave us a sneak preview

 We visited the MOA to see the work of Norman Rockwell

 Group selfie at the museum

 Dinner that night at La Casita

 We almost filled the entire back room

 Madi and Max keeping Gavin entertained

 A beautiful morning snow storm that turned into a

freezing blizzard on a morning walk

 Sledding at Rock Canyon Park

 The sledders

 Gavin caught the crazy old man at work

 Finn and Holden just centimeters from a dangerous crash

The Taylor cousins enjoying Ann's stout cake

Phillip and Meagan hosted a sleepover for all the cousins

Good times with more to come. That's all for now.

OXO

D.