Christmas 2013

Our Christmas was a stress free, sick free and quiet one. The most we traveled was an hour and 20 minutes north on Christmas Eve to Los Osos. Billy's brother Ian and his wife Stephanie planned a dinner in which our family came up and Nathan and Rich came down. It was a really wonderful evening spent with family. I really enjoyed watching Billy hang out with his brothers, he doesn't get to do it enough. Ian did a great job with the Prime rib and mashed potatoes. We brought up ceasar salad, asparagus and homemade rolls... dinner was excellent and the company even better. I was also able to bring up 3 bags of baby boy clothes for there expected son in April! They got half the clothes and I'm bringing the other half to Arizona for my sister Jamie who just had a baby boy on the 17th of December.
Christmas morning was nice and quiet. The boys didn't wake up too early and they weren't whining to open presents right away. They started with their stockings and we went from there. Billy and I were able to split up while shopping one day and this made it possible for William to pick a present for Zachary and vise versa. I wouldn't have been able to make that happen otherwise. It was fun to help William find a gift for his brothers :) I look forward to future Christmas's when we can do this more easily.

 Putting on the whole armor of God!

We spent the day playing outside, riding our bikes and going for a walk. It was a beautiful nearly 80 degree day. Around 4pm the missionaries came up to join us for a Christmas dinner. Billy cooked a beautiful turkey! I made homemade rolls, roasted sweet potatoes, asparagus, ceasar salad and fruit. We had chocolate haupia pie for dessert :) Something that I have not made or had in years! It turned out really good. The elders were happy too. The boys helped me pass out a few gifts to the elders and in turn the elders let them help with the unwrapping. Journals and pens, dress socks and a big bag of treats/ snacks. I think they were mostly stoked on the beef jerkey. A package got opened right then and there at the dinner table and they were all smiles. Who knew.
We shared a Christmas message around the fire and then packed up into the cars and drove down the street to carol and deliver treats to our neighbors. The missionaries left from there and then we were invited inside to hang out with our friends and neighbors the Radelfinger family. It was a perfect way to end such a sweet Christmas day. The Radelfingers had delivered treats to us a couple days before Christmas... they made our family out of gingerbread men! It was awesome and delicious. I don't normally care for gingerbread, but Felicia really knows how to make it good.

 

Billy gifted me/us a family membership to the YMCA for Christmas! I am really excited for this. We have talked about joining for years. With his schedule and me being alone as much as I am, it will be a really nice break to be able to drop the kids off in the kids corner and swim laps, run on the treadmill or simply soak in the hot tub! Merry Christmas!