The Move

Audrey seemed to know something was up, on Friday, New Years Day, 2021.  My job was to play games with Audrey, as Dave, Mike and Heidi loaded all four of our cars with boxes to take to their new home in Cottonwood Heights.
 

Mike and Heidi's new home is gorgeous, with seven large bedrooms, some of which will be used for a piano room, a crafts room, and an office.  There is also a theater, a gym, three fireplaces, and an acre of land.  "I expect to live here the rest of our lives," Mike said.

Heidi had been filling boxes at their Avenues home for weeks.  "We had more stuff than I imagined," Mike admitted.  He rented a truck for Saturday to take furniture and other big items across town.  

Friday afternoon, Mike and Heidi invited family to come take a look.  Henry was glad to oblige.

Mike and Heidi love chandeliers.  They felt lucky the prior owner left so many extras, such as several chandeliers.  The second floor has a large loft area that will be used as a playroom.

The prior owner had three daughters, and the three upstairs bedrooms are charmingly decorated for girls.  Audrey will start out in this pink bedroom but, as Heidi says, "She can choose any bedroom she wants."

My favorite was the bedroom decorated with scenes from Alice in Wonderland.

Jonny and Jenny have been staying with Jenny's parents, the Leathams, this Christmas.  We were glad to see Dave and Shelly Leatham, when they came to check out this new family house.

Dave will miss having Mike drop by our house to watch JAZZ games with him.  The new home is 25 minutes from us (but still closer than Iowa and Washington, where Jonny and Lisa live).

Jonny and Jenny leave this weekend to drive back to Iowa.  We have been spoiled to have them visit Salt Lake City for long stretches this year, since Jonny can work remotely during COVID.  While they have been here, Jonny has bought and renovated two rental properties.

Mike and Heidi's house has classic style, including French touches like the family room fireplace.

Henry loves Jenny's dad, whom he calls "Papa."  

Thomas and Sam checked out the French doors onto the back porch.

One of the treasures left by the prior owner was this giant bear.  "Do you want the bear?" the owner asked.  "Yes," Mike said.  "I was going to buy one myself."

On Friday night, Mike and Heidi's last night in their Avenues home, Dave and I stopped by with dinner.  We will deeply miss having them live nearby, but we are thrilled that they now have a real "family home" of their own.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning at the Spendloves is remembered for our Christmas tables, at which family members throw dice to get their position in line, and then take turns choosing gifts from the table.  This year, the adults chose from watches, knives, sheets, a vacuum, jackets and pullovers, and the ever-enticing selection of books chosen by Jonny.  Naomi and Spencer curated a young adult table of gift certificates, bonzai kits, and games, to which I added a barely-used Instapot and 25 lb. sacks of rice and beans ("So none of you will starve").  Annelise, Jonny, and Heidi supplied ideas for the children's table, which included both the sublime and the ridiculous (yellow plastic chicken legs that stick to the ceiling).  This year we circulated lists of the items on the table, and a number of family members participated by Facetime. The whole crowd voted to do it again in 2021.  "I've been thinking how we can make the children's table even better next year, Grandma," Annelise told me.  I will certainly solicit her advice!

We ate blueberry pancakes ("I have never made so many pancakes in my life," said Kirsten), and browsed through traditional gifts--photobooks for grandchildren, journal addenda for children, and Lisa's family calendars for us all.  Dave's and my gift from our children was the large and lovely family portrait taken last summer.  It hangs in the entrance to our kitchen, where we can enjoy it all day, every day.  Lisa also put together a book of family memories for Dave's and my 50th wedding anniversary, in which she included stories from Dave's and my lives and a page about each of our descendants.  Lisa gave the book this Christmas.  

Everyone wore masks, but Dave nevertheless considered the event too dangerous to attend.  He spent Christmas morning making a long loop through the West Desert.

There was time to browse through the gifts.

Thomas was perfectly happy with a green balloon.

We all admire the charm and talent with which Jenny raises her three active little boys.

Jonny gave Sam a first lesson on his Christmas guitar.

And then it was time to clean up.  I promised myself to do better next year, at remembering the religious meaning of Christmas.  Still, we do well, as a family, at showing love for each other, which has religious import, as well. 

 

Christmas Eve

During Christmas 2019, I hosted eight parties of 20 people or more during the two weeks surrounding Christmas Day.  Because of COVID, I limited my Christmas parties to two--Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  We were a small but happy group on Christmas Eve--just Jonny's family and Kirsten, Spencer, and Naomi Flindt.  After dinner, we joined a Zoom call arranged by my brother, Scott, with his out-of-town family members and mine.  Camille's mother-in-law also got creative this year.  The Ebert tradition is to eat German food together on Christmas Eve.  Marilyn Ebert delivered platters of rouladen to family members before the party, and they joined in a Zoom call as they ate it!
 

My Christmas menu is as sacrosanct as my Thanksgiving one.  We ate honey-baked ham with 

traditional "sides".  Jonny asked for funeral potatoes and he got them!

                                         

A meditative moment for Henry.

I had to include this whole series of pictures of Thomas struggling with the Christmas ham.

Noodles for Henry

"I know what it's like to be the younger brother," Jonny says.  He tries to give Henry, squeezed between assertive older and younger brothers, some good alone time.  On December 23, 2020, Jonny and I took Henry to lunch at Ramen Legend, in Sugar House.  While Jonny and I slurped pork ramen, Henry stayed with chicken nuggets and fries, but served stylishly in a bento box.

 

The Happy Jab

 Dave--seventy-four years old and asthmatic--is at risk for getting very sick with COVID. He is also a front-line heath worker, treating patients' psychological problems in person and virtually.  The whole family was relieved when he got his first COVID vaccination on December 23, 2020.  It was an event worthy of a photograph and a celebration!

Paris and Rio

Our family has not done much actual traveling this year, but we've traipsed the world over in our dinners.  On December 13, 2020, we zipped over to Paris for beef bourguinon and creme caramel.
 

I even had posters of the gargoyles on Notre Dame and a bistro in the Latin Quarter.

Janice brought us a  sweet note and a bag of homemade chocolate granola for Christmas, and said how excited she is for her husband, Mark, to come home from Saudi Arabia in just a week or two!

Audrey didn't appreciate that there was gourmet French food to be had.  She was satisfied with a bit of juice in her sippy cut.

On December 20, 2020, Jonny and I collaborated on a Brazilian dinner--limonade made with fresh limes, fejoida (black beans with a variety of meats), collards with peppered bacon, little cheese buns, tres leches cake.

Thomas, 2, is a photographer's delight.  His emotions ripple right across his face.   He is so used to having his picture taken that, whenever I ask him to pose, he automatically calls out, "Cheese!"

Sam is marvelously analytical and creative, and we enjoyed hearing him play piano pieces.

Henry, like Thomas, lets his emotions right out.  He was not feeling well-treated, and we knew it!

Michael loves my food and always praises it.  He is a favorite guest!