Christmas Morning

 Happy Day!  We celebrated Christ's birthday with breakfast, presents, and the joy of being together.

 Sam and Jonny passed the time before breakfast by counting.

 Annelise, Sophia, and Mia ate their crepes and chatted.

 I don't think this is a serious look.

 Crepes with fruit and nutella were an Ebert tradition before they became Spendlove Christmas fare.

 Bryce and Mia with Bryce's football.

I collected presents all year for my adult and children's Christmas tables.  Each family member took a number and then took turns picking gifts off the table.  "No more wrapping gifts on Christmas morning just to unwrap them ten minutes later!" Jonny exulted.

 Jonny checked out the children's table before making selections for Sam.

 It was a white Christmas outside.

It was high drama inside as the grandchildren planned their strategies for choosing gifts from the table.

I passed out the grandchildren's photo books, which were as popular with the parents as the grandchildren!

Lisa made a Spendlove calendar with a picture of each family member by that member's birthday, as well as large family photos on each page.

 Michael gave his dad the perfect gift for a psychologist....

 Kyle relaxed for a moment in the remodeled "addition" to the living room.

 A roomful of love and fun.

Christmas Eve

The first of our four Big Parties in five days (and also the eve of Christ's birth).  The Flindts were with me to pack the last caramels in boxes for the coming guests.  Michael prowled the gathering with his camera and took these gorgeous pictures. 

Scott and Jean Calder and most of their children were in Germany and Saudi Arabia, but we adored hosting Grant and Jamie, Scotty and Tara, and their kiddies.  Grant and Jamie brought Truman (very new), Marlowe, and Lulu.

Supper was on, with chicken tortilla soup, limeade, an elegant fruit plate from Jamie, and Tara's luscious desserts--coconut macaroons, peppermint bark, and fudge.

 Jonny, Jenny, and Sam arrived from Christmas Eve dinner with the Leathams.

 Tara and Scotty's Will (also new) had hair as red as his father's beard.  A true Celt!

 Sam was stoic about his social agenda.

 Lulu and Marlowe--as pretty as their pictures.

 Bryce felt at home with his grandma and grandpa, after staying with us in SLC for a week this summer.

 Our remodeled living room felt huge--plenty big for all our friends.

 Cousins are the best.

 

 

 So are sisters.

 The crowd gathered for our Christmas program.

 

 

 For her talent, Mia did a one-handed cartwheel right across the living room rug.

 She also sang a song from her nursery school Christmas program, complete with hand movements.

Lulu is a gymnast, too, and did a skip and roll across the carpet.

 Sophia played a piano solo.

 Bryce sang "Little Drummer Boy," which he had also performed for his ward party in Seattle.

 Jonny recited his Christmas poem from 2007.

 Annelise showed examples of her art work.

Scotty and Grant sang "Hang Up the Baby's Stocking" and we all called out "beep, beep" at the perfect moment.  In his dad's absence, Grant also read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

 I presented copies of my pamphlet, "A Flawed First Draft of Your Genealogy Back to Adam."

 I also read the Christmas story from Luke.

 It was then time to laugh and talk, pose for pictures, and say goodnight.