SUZ: 2023

We started off December with our Ward Party. I was called as the Activities Chair back in October. Let's just say I was very relieved when the night of the party had passed. We had the YW do face paint of the kids.

I kept the decorations very simple. We had paper-bag snowflakes and 3D trees that the YW cut out on the walls and tables. We served chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple spinach salad and a roll for dinner. We dished up all the food on plates and had the YM and YW serve the plates to the crowd. We served about 180 people in 20ish minutes. It was a pure whirlwind.

The next day we braved the snowy roads to drive up to Pocatello for Harvey's baptism.

Nona and Papa gave the kids their Christmas PJs early this year.

We had the Activity Day Boys do a Gingerbread Village for our local Gingerbread festival. We weren't able to go to the festival but enjoyed looking at all of the houses at the art center the week after the festival.

Millie earned a sloth stuffed animal sewing kit for getting her piano practicing done. She was quite delighted with the result.

Phin had his last basketball game of the season.

Phin had a Christmas Recital. He learned Carol of the Bells...because it is Seth's favorite.

We attended a Santa and the Sheriff event at our local Sheriff's office. The kids were able control the police robot, sip on hot cocoa and eat doughnuts.

Millie helped me make Star Bread one Sunday. We ended up with a little extra dough and she made a mini version.

I also experimented with scoring my loaf like pine trees.

A sweet student gave me a gift basket that included a reindeer "beauty" mask. Millie was so excited to try it out...after also claiming the water bottle and blanket that came in the basket. I was willing to let her try it out...and this was the result. She hated how it felt.

Phin was very curious at that point and decided he hated it too...so no beauty masks in the future for these two.

Lou made jingle bells at school. She came home happily jingling her bells and singing the song.

She also had a visit from Santa.

They made and sat in "train cars" to watch the Polar Express in their PJs.

We continued the hand bells at home throughout the season. It was fun to see the kids improve.

The first day of Winter Break we had our mattress out in the front room. There had been a manufacturing error and the company very generously reached out to us to replace our mattress. While we were waiting for the company to pick it up we put it in the living room and the kids played pirate ship all day.

Then we went to Tracy Aviary. I had some 2 for 1 coupons from summer reading and we figured that the 50/60 degree weather warranted an adventure outside.

We arrived near dusk and were able to see as they turned some of the lights on for their Light Walk.

We also heard some great WHOO WHOOs from this owl.

We used our PBS Adventure Passes to take the kids to a dome show at the Clark Planetarium. We went to a holiday music show...the best part of the show was the last song with the laser show to Mannheim Steamroller music. After the show we took the kids on a little "progressive dinner" date.

We had chips and queso from Costa Vida at this "swinging" table at the Gateway.

Then we took Trax over to Temple Square.

The lights were very limited but we got some great views of all of the construction.

We made a stop at J Dawg for fries and hot dogs and then a spot in the food court for Tru Fru. Then we hopped back on Trax to check out the lights and windows at the Grand America.

We ended the night at Deseret Book for some BYU Creamery ice cream.

The girls "helped" me make some gingerbread cookies.

We also went to the Bountiful Ice Ribbon.

Christmas Eve were were up at my parents. We convinced them to do Seth's family's tradition of steak. We pulled out the hand bells for some more cousin fun.

Phin and Millie also played the piano.

I forgot my kids pajamas...but here are the rest of the cousins in PJs.

The next morning the kids were delighted to see their Christmas wishes come true. We had the best morning opening gifts and playing with toys.

We headed back to Nona and Papa's for homemade pizza.

JB brought his pizza oven and cooked each pizza to perfection.

Silas received a Penguin Stuffed Animal sewing kit and quickly got to work at Nona's.

We planned to leave the day after Christmas for a few days down in St. George with Sarah and Joe...but Phin was up most of the night throwing up. Then Lou threw up later in the afternoon. So on Wednesday we loaded everyone up in the car at 5 AM for the trip all the way to Vegas were we had planned to spend a day trip.

We met Sarah and Joe's family and Nona and Papa at In & Out. Then we headed to the Bellagio to see the gardens. They were decorated with a Nutcracker theme.

We walked the strip and stopped at Hershey's for a photo op.

We had tickets to a Comedy/Magic show at the Excalibur.

You had to be 5 years old to go to the show...so here is the crew minus me and Lou and Sarah and Jack.

While everyone was in the show, I took Lou on the tram down to Mandalay Bay and then we walked back by the Luxor.

When we got back to Excalibur, we sat outside the magic show and played with Lou's purse until the show got out.

Then we walked back to Hershey's with the entire crew.

After Hershey's the rest of the group headed back to St. George with a detour in Mesquite for a buffet dinner. We headed to M&M world which was so busy.

Then we walked all the way up to the sphere. It looked so cool from the strip.

This photo from a distance gives a better perspective of the sphere. We ended up walking on the street behind the strip...it was far less crowded (and far less scandalous).

We went to the Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur. Millie, Lou and I sat together and then Seth, Phin and Silas were on the row above us, a few seats over. It was delightful to watch Millie's expressions during the show. We sat in the Ireland section.