There were some highlights:
The annual Orange Ball golf tournament lives on, though this year it was just Dan, Aaron, Poppy and Uncle Phil. Aaron and Uncle Phil won, though I'm told a good time was had by all.
Having dinner at the Ninja with Sarah and family and Bubby and Poppy for Andrew's birthday celebration and watching the kids enjoy different kinds of sushi. Even Oliver wasn't too horrible (he was busy eating most of the time).
Tuesday, the big kids got invited to a tea party with Bubby. By all accounts, they enjoyed themselves. Oliver got to run errands with me--but at least the errand included a stop at DQ to order a cake for Andrew's birthday and an ice cream for Oliver.
Andrew turned nine! We had a special birthday breakfast (crepes and sausage) and he got one last surprise present (a Pokémon wii game)--he opened most of his presents last weekend so they wouldn't get lost in the Christmas rush. (And, in keeping with his current mood, I have no pictures of him from his actual birthday).
Watching Lydia take her turn as Mary in the live nativity. Usually her big sister does this, so it was clearly a thrill for her to be the star. And in general, the Christmas Eve program was lovely, especially Jake's piano solos. Lydia deserves points for trying to play her song without any music. (There were some minor hiccups--see below).
Having a lovely breakfast Christmas morning (bran muffins, breakfast casserole) at Dan's parents home and then opening presents in turn. The kids were mostly patient and gracious about waiting their turn, and it was fun to watch their excitement.
Evelyn helping Oliver with his stocking.
Evelyn apparently really loves the stuffed wampa Santa gave her. (We just watched the first part of Star Wars Episode 5 with her, and her response to Luke in the wampa cave was not, Scary! Get out of there, Luke!--but "Oh, poor, poor wampa.")
What was Santa thinking, giving A & E both nerf guns?
Oliver also likes Evelyn's wampa--when he can get it.
Sledding with the kids on Friday morning. We hit the local hill just right--only a few people were there when we arrived and they left soon after, so we had the hill all to ourselves for nearly an hour. And we managed to get there before the cold front really moved in.
Swimming on Saturday morning. The kids (Andrew) wanted to go sledding again, but as the temperatures were in the balmy teens, Dan and I said no. So we went swimming instead--which doesn't sound much warmer, but the aquatic center kept the pool nice and warm and the kids, especially Oliver, had a blast. Oliver's only problem is that he thinks he's invincible, and he keeps marching into water that's over his head.
But there were also some "low" lights:
I got released from my calling in the Young Women today. I'm going to miss the girls terribly--though I won't (probably) miss the weekly Tuesday night activities. One thing that does make the transition easier was the distinct impression during church today that the "mantle" has passed--the authority that goes with a calling is real, but the transmission of that authority is also very real, and I felt it today. Also, I don't think I could have asked for a better group of women to replace us. That doesn't mean it won't hurt sometimes.
Andrew was a little under the weather (at least, I hope that's all it was), which made him grumpier than usual. During the live nativity on Christmas Eve, he volunteered to be the donkey--and then tried to do his donkey kick while he was at the manger with Mary and Joseph. He also spent a considerable amount of time rolling around on the floor while we were trying to sing Christmas hymns. Neither Dan nor I was impressed. And the grumpiness continued the next day--he actually told me he was "disappointed" in what Santa brought for his stocking. (We'd made a conscious decision to scale down the stocking gifts. I guess we succeeded.) I think next year we're going to have to focus more on gratitude and less on gifts.
This is one of the pictures I shot Christmas morning. He was clearly excited by everything. (Actually, he did enjoy most of the day. I think.)
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