We left here on Thursday after the kids got out of school and drove through the night until we got to my brother's house in Layton early Friday morning. The kids did well on the drive, and the only annoying part of it was driving through New Mexico. I'm sorry if any of you are loyal New Mexicans, but I HATE driving through your state! We always joke that you know you're in New Mexico because there are road construction signs everywhere, they slow you down to 45 MPH through this supposed construction, and yet there is not an ounce of actual construction going on. And what's with all the "Safety Corridors?" UGH! Drives me CRAZY! Anyways - we're just glad we got to Utah safe and that the kids did so well.
Brock and I spent Friday resting while the kids played with their cousins and my parents (Grammy and Gramps), who were also visiting for Christmas. That night we left the kids in Layton (except for Flint who came with us) and all the adults went out to eat in Salt Lake and then continued down to Provo to attend "Farley Family Christmas." It's a one-man show that James Arrington puts on and it is hilarious! We were excited to go and had budgeted plenty of time for travel - or so we thought. Unfortunately though, there were two major accidents on the highway, and those, added to holiday travel, put us in stop-and-go traffic almost the whole way from Salt Lake to Provo. Our plan was to drop Flint off at Julie's sister's house, but travel was so bad we knew we'd all miss the show if we did that. We decided to take our chances on bringing Flint with us, knowing that they may not even let him in and I'd be sitting in the hall with him. I was worried about having him out in a large crowd anyway, so we thought this was the best option. When we got to the theater though, they had no problem with a baby coming (it's a very low-key show and there were other babies already in the audience) and it was in a very small auditorium with a small audience. I just hung out at the very back, away from anyone else, and Flint slept through the whole thing. It ended up being perfect! We loved the show and had a fun time hanging out with Derek, Julie, and my mom and dad.
On Saturday, we had fun Grammy and Gramps dates. The boys went to lunch and then spent the afternoon playing at Boondocks, while the girls got all fancied up to go to lunch and then to see Ballet West's Nutcracker. It was a wonderful afternoon, and I'm so grateful the kids got to make fun memories with some of their cousins and grandparents. I didn't go with the boys, so I don't have any pictures of their excursion, but here's a few of us girls:
When the party ended, we drove to Brock's parent's house in Rexburg and arrived tired but excited to continue our Christmas festivities. Greg and Kira's house is SO magical at Christmas time! Kira decorates every nook and cranny, and the kids were so excited to spend time with their Grandma and Grandpa. Kira had a ton of fun activities waiting for the kids, so we spent the next few days baking, doing Christmas crafts, watching Christmas movies, playing in the snow, and relaxing. Grandma and Grandpa made Christmas SO much fun for all of us! We also went to a couple of really neat live nativities, which was one of my favorite parts of the whole week. What a great way to focus on the real meaning of Christmas!
Somehow, we managed to get the kids nestled in their snug little beds, and then we all got a little sleep while we waited for Santa to arrive.
Christmas morning was fantastic! We were all excited by the gifts we gave and received, and we were so very blessed in every way.
Christmas morning was fantastic! We were all excited by the gifts we gave and received, and we were so very blessed in every way.
Brock was so thoughtful and absolutely spoiled me this year! He gave me a weekend away with some friends at Time Out for Women, as well as this beautiful opal necklace:
He bought the necklace on a trip to Australia as a high school senior back in 1996. His intention was to someday give it to his future wife, but he forgot all about it. His mom found it a few months ago, so he wrapped it up and gave it to me for Christmas. The best part of this though, is that my birthday is in October, so my birthstone is an OPAL! I think it's pretty cool!
The best gift I received though, was a book Brock put together for me, with letters in it from many of you. He contacted as many people as he could reach without me finding out, and asked them to write me a letter. It was so touching to read through so many letters of love from some of my favorite people in the world! There were letters from people I've known in San Antonio, Canyon, Amarillo, Ames, Utah, Idaho, my mission in California, and lots of my wonderful family. It was especially touching to read how Flint's journey has so positively affected so many people. I shed many tears reading it, and I love to pull it out to be reminded of the wonderful people who have touched my life through the years. What a blessing!
We spent the rest of the week enjoying our new Christmas gifts, relaxing, and visiting with extended family. Flint got to meet his one living great-grandparent, Brock's Grandma Rosie. I have no doubt that Flint knows his other great-grandparents, as I'm sure they have been part of the army of angels watching over him. It was special to get to introduce him to the one he hadn't met yet.
The one bad part of the trip was that Flint got the flu and a double ear infection! Poor baby! Luckily, we found both pretty early, so some Tamiflu and antibiotics got him back on track and feeling better in no time. YAY!
The drive home was long but safe, and we're just so glad we got to go celebrate the holidays with family. There are always sacrifices that come with making these trips, but great sacrifices bring great blessings. Growing up, my dad was in the army, so we never lived close to our extended family. I am SO grateful though, that my parents recognized the importance of keeping extended family relationships strong. They did everything they could to make the trip "home" once a year so we could see our grandparents, and the aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived in the same area. These were priceless experiences, and some of my most treasured memories from my growing up years. The drives were long and hard, (we almost always lived about 24 driving hours from my grandparents) but they were also great bonding times. My parents would listen to Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow while they drove through the night, and I remember sitting next to them and looking at the stars in the sky while we talked in the middle of the night. I remember the total excitement and anticipation I felt, as we started to get closer and could see recognizable landmarks that told us we were almost there. I'm sure us four kids also griped, complained, and fought a lot on those drives too, but the funny things is, I don't remember that. All I remember are the good talks and the excitement that we were going to see our family. And that doesn't even begin to count the wonderful experiences we had once we got to our family member's home and got to hang out with them! THAT was the best part of it all!
It brings me so much joy to know that my kids are now experiencing the same types of wonderful memories. On our way into Utah, there was a point in the middle of the night when I was driving, and Duke ended up sitting in the front passenger seat next to me (don't worry - we turned off the airbag!). We talked about Christmas and all sorts of silly and non-important things, but I knew that that moment was being written on Duke's heart. There were many times throughout this holiday when I watched the kids with their grandparents or their cousins, and it was like watching myself as a child. It was pure magic! I am grateful for extended family and the strength and love they provide. I'm grateful that my kids have wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who make every effort to keep those connections strong. I'm grateful that this Christmas will live on in my kids' memories for years to come, because of the magic of family.
What a fun blog post! It was fun to reminisce again about the wonderful memories.
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