Christmas 2013

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone.  I feel like I'm barely starting to recover from all the fun, the sickness, and the spirit of giving!  We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  It wasn't just that Santa delivered perfect gifts for everyone, but we were able to really rejoice in the spirit of Christ.  Christmas Eve, we were able to deliver presents to Sundown M Ranch - an addiction recovery center here in Yakima.  My wonderfully generous family pitched in to purchase gifts for their adolescent program.  There were 20 kids there for Christmas.  We were able to talk to them and the kids hand delivered gifts for each teen.  It was an amazing experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to tell them things that I have learned from my brother Ryan.  

We then headed over to our friends the Bolles for Christmas Eve dinner and had a nativity program there.  Lyv took her role as angel very seriously and never moved her arms!  Jack and Sam weren't quite as committed to their roles as wise man and shepherd.  Max did his best as disruptor, trying to snag the baby out of the manager whenever he could.

 I loved the program because it took me back to my youth, celebrating with the Hill family.  Each part of the nativity had a song that was sung by all - I could see my mom coordinating the troops and Aunt Suzanne at the piano….oh, the good old days!

We headed home and opened up our PJ's, and surprisingly the kids volunteered to head to bed (knowing Santa doesn't come until they're asleep may have helped).  They were lights out by 8:30…crazy!  Sam kept waking up throughout the night checking the Santa status - first at 9:30 pm, then midnight, and at 1:30….finally at 6:30 he was able to convince the others to wake up!  It was such a great morning seeing how excited they were with each and every gift.

 I love to record what the "hot" items were for each Christmas so they can look back and see what they just couldn't live without!  Sam: i-pod shuffle, Mario Kart, & Nerf Xploder gun (he was also super excited for Nike Elite socks - seriously socks!  The cousins convinced how much faster and cooler he would be with them, well….that was it!  Jack: i-pod shuffle, Micro Charger track, Nerf Xploder gun (he also got a sweet pair of light up shoes that he's been dying for!) Lyv: Ariel mermaid doll, microphone, and coloring/painting supplies.  She was by far the easiest to please.  Poor Max got the short end of the stick - blocks and gold fish!

 After Christmas we headed up to the Summers' cabin for New Years.  We surprised the family by arriving a 1/2 day early, and from that point on it was party central.  The kids had a ball playing with each other, and we didn't see our kids until we headed down to visit Gma and Gpa Hill.

My in-laws are pretty darn fun, and we had a couple of intense games that left me side aches from laughing so hard.  The kids loved being in the snow - a rarity in Yakima.

 Shawn was a good sport and let us bury him in the snow.  He looks pretty comfy in a morbid sort of way!

As always it seems our trip home goes by too fast, and we are always sad to say goodbye.  The goodbyes aren't as bitter knowing that we'll be back more often now that we can drive home.  The car ride home seemed to drag on forever and I was about ready to pull out my hair trying to meet the constant requests of the kids for food, entertainment, potty breaks, etc. all while doing some incredible bending-stretching trying to reach the kids in the back!  I think I could join the ranks of Hoodini for being able to get out of and into small tight spaces.  Meanwhile Shawn sits comfy in the driver's seat and smiles as I moon the drivers passing us trying to get back into my seat.