Christmas was so much fun! It has been years since I have spent more than two days at home so it was so fun to be there for so long even though there weren't even half of us kids at home. We got there on the evening of the 23rd and got right busy with the partying...well after a night's sleep.
On the morning of the 24th everyone went their separate ways to finish shopping. We felt like shopping superheroes because we were in and out of stores without having to wait in lines or anything! ...maybe because everyone else in the Mesa area had already done their Christmas shopping..
That afternoon, we reconvened to watch Scrooge, a family tradition. It was then time for Christmas dinner and our program. The tradition is that we each do some kind of talent that is Christmas related.
 |
| Scott and I sang together. He wasn't totally in the mood so he didn't sing tons, but he did come in for his "click, click, click" We love his tricks. |
 |
| Emily memorized The Living Christ and it was super impressive |
 |
| Emily and Ben sang "What Child Is This?" and they sounded wonderful. |
 |
| I couldn't get rid of his red eyes in this picture, but he was sure cute in this outfit. |
 |
| Wilford read Christmas jokes....funny ;) |
 |
| Stan played "The First Noel" and "Joy To The World" so beautifully |
 |
| Mom led us in...I don't even know what it is called but I knew the song. It's about Santa Claus |
 |
| And, per tradition, Dad got in front of the pump organ and played "Silent Night". |
Then it was time for the Nativity. Stan and I were Joseph and Mary and Scott was baby Jesus...he was a pretty busy little baby.
 |
| The missionaries had joined us for the evening. |
We especially enjoyed FaceTiming with Mom and Dad in Idaho as we opened their presents from them and they opened ours to them. Then came bedtime.
Usually present opening comes really early at the Merrill home, but this year I woke up at 5:20 so confused why I hadn't been woken up yet. I went into Emily's room and she was just lying in bed. We talked for about a half hour, it might be one of my favorite memories from the trip. We decided to wake everyone else up, so it wasn't until about 6:15 that we were heading into the living room.
 |
| In the boys room waiting for Mom and Dad to come out. |
 |
| Scott seemed to like all his toys. He is just getting to the age that really really plays with them. My favorite gift is that kitchen aid next to me!! |
 |
| He LOVES the little snacks that he got in his stocking. They are kind of the size of Cheetos and taste like Waffle Crisp...who wouldn't love them? |
 |
| New shoes for Stan and they fit! |
Scott's favorite toy were his tupperware that he received. He plays with them the most and will usually pick them over other regular toys:
 |
| Stan's favorite gift were these "from" Scott :) Just kidding, they weren't his favorite, but he does quite enjoy Scott's snacks so he got some too |
 |
| Grandma and Grandpa Merrill gave Scott this cute car/walker. The seat can spread apart so that he can walk with it. He is getting better! I wish I had a picture of him playing with his toy from the Moore grandparents. It's a cute little tractor with animals. He enjoys eating the animals :) |
 |
| Reading the manual, a habit of Stan's |
 |
| Our tradition is to have the cousins over for eggs on toast and hot chocolate. It was kind of a funny year so no cousins came, but we enjoys ours. Mom is the best to always cook for us with a smile :) |
 |
| This year we had a fun time inviting some of Mom's family over for a nice dinner on Christmas night. I love my family! |
We had a great rest of our trip in Mesa.
 |
| One night we cooked curry and it was delicious. |
Another present Stan got was a magnet mounted ham radio antenna for us to put on the corolla on trips. He spent most of one installing power from the car battery so that he could plug his ham radio into it when he wants. We also were able to have a fun get away one night and my family was so nice and watched Scott. We enjoyed going to the Cheesecake Factory and then to Matt's Big Breakfast in the morning. We had planned on going on a hike one afternoon but our desired hiking spot had too many visitors and we turned around and went home :)
It finally came time to head back home on New Year's Eve. We didn't know we were heading right into a snow storm (it wasn't supposed to hit until that evening). It took us an extra couple hours to get home but we were so grateful to get home safely. We almost got in one accident with a car who had lost control going the opposite direction. We surely counted our blessings that day to have been kept safe. It was a wonderful trip spent with wonderful family!
