Last Sunday, Grace was super cute.
She has a new-found love for wearing her hair in a bun.
On Monday, Grace had school, but the rest of us were free! I went to my 6-week check-up, we did laundry, and we made rocky road brownies. Alice was sick with a runny nose, and had some fun playing with her headband.
After school, Grace spent some quality time with her two favorite boys.
That evening, we had "Family Christmas Eve" for FHE. We made Christmas tree pop-up cards, then read the Christmas story from the Bible. We turned off all the lights except the Christmas lights, lit candles, and acted out the story using the Filipino nativity set.
It was a really nice and spiritual experience.
Then we sang a bunch of Christmas hymns together.
Even Charlie "Bones" got into it!
On Tuesday, Grace dressed up cute for school.
Cute kid.
She is so pretty!
We went to her winter concert at the school, and sat in the back row so Alice could stand on the bench. (P.S. Can you believe they store their handicapped people in that closet?)
See Grace seated in the front. The concert was 20 minutes long, with the kindergarteners singing 2 90-second songs. Nothing about the concert was holiday-themed.
Then we used the rest of an old giftcard and went out to brunch.
Alice barely ate anything that whole day because she was sick.
I liked the food though.
Cutie pie.
Butter knives are great for entertainment.
Oh, by the way, Charlie totally smiles now!
That evening, Grace met up with the primary to sing at the nursing home.
Paul took her. He said she sang well, but was too shy to visit with the residents afterwards. That night, Paul and I watched a corny Christmas movie on Lifetime. I love that kind of stuff!
On Wednesday, Alice was still sick with a cold.
Paul took the car into the shop for a trip check and some other things, and had to take the bus home. We had a family couch party.
That evening, Paul went out with the EQ president to deliver some treat plates. I got more kid time.
Charlie is the best stocking stuffer this Christmas! That night after the girls were in bed, we checked the weather and realized we needed to leave earlier and go farther the first leg of our trip than we had planned. So we canceled JaLayne in Sacramento, booked a hotel in Reno, and worked like crazy to get stuff ready for our trip.
On Thursday, we dropped Grace off at school, then went to the grocery store, the gas station, and the auto parts store. Then home to pack the car, just in time for me to drive back to Grace's school for her class party. I ran a bingo game, which all the kids loved, and ate the alfajores and coconut balls the Chileans brought. Grace also played musical chairs. As soon as school let out, we picked everyone else up at home, and drove 4.5 hours to Reno.
The roads were dry, the kids were decent, and we got to our hotel by 6. Our room was cold, so the girls climbed right into the bed.
Charlie didn't want to miss out on the party.
Paul brought us some fast food, which we had to eat on the floor. It turned out to be a bad idea, with milkshake everywhere and lots of crying children. Alice was still sick, and hadn't napped in 2 days, but a hotel room with 5 people in it wasn't conducive to sleep. She stayed up until 9:30, then cried until 11. It was pretty awful.
On Friday, we got up at 8. We could've slept much longer, but didn't want to drive in the dark. We made good time and the kids were pretty good, and we got to Riverton right around 6 pm. Mom/Dad Gabe were there with the house all put together and dinner ready. We ate and visited and got the girls to bed.
They were pretty tuckered out, so they needed Grandpa's help getting to their room. Then we unpacked and visited, and Lynne/Kit arrived later. We talked and planned, and went to bed tired.
On Saturday, we slept in some, then the kids had grandparents time. Grace was a rock star with Grandpa's guitar.
We went on a double date with Lynne/Kit to the temple, but it was closed, so we went to the new Scheel's instead. Paul and Kit posed with the football statue.
They have an AMAZING aquarium inside.
And we went on the indoor ferris wheel!
I hung out with the creepy animatronic Thomas Jefferson.
Lynne and Kit went fishing. (Realistic background, right?)
Paul preferred the animatronic Abe Lincoln.
Chillin' with the big fat bear.
When we got home, our kids were still alive, Grandpa was well rested, and Grandma was just showering. 3 kids is a lot! Then Grandpa and Lynne gave Grace a glitter tatoo.
So rock star!
Grandma completed the look with face paint.
That's what I'm talkin' about!
After Alice's nap, she was ready for some face paint too. The rest of the afternoon was a blur and most of us fell asleep around the living room while the grandparents let puppet making.
In the evening, we went to dinner at Cafe Rio.
Then to Temple Square to see the lights. It was SO crowded, and we dressed much warmer than we needed to, but Alice loved seeing all the baby Jesuses in the nativities.
Paul and me in front of "our" temple.
Pretty lights!
We went to the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for a better view.
On our way back to the car, we saw a fountain show at the City Creek mall. It was set to music, with fire in the middle!
We were all tired when we got home, but happy for a fun day. I put curlers in the girls' hair to make my life easier with 9:00 church the next day. Then we played Monopoly Deal with Lynne/Kit, made sugar cookie dough, and visited. Our whole family has a cold now, so we went to bed pretty wiped out.
