A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS IN THE NORTHWEST

i cannot type. maybe darla will post the pictures as to why, but i wanted to post something about our christmas. this had to be one of the best ever. it started with paula, bill and co. coming for thanksgiving.  it was so fun to meet chantell (spelling most likely incorrect.)

we had a white Christmas. you may think we are beautiful green but we are spectacular white.  3 accidents right in front of our house slowed everything down but the fun. we sledded up at allen's with cory's family hosting us. they are so wonderful!!! we also had a great sled run here on the side hill.  kaia was more daring than cole which was surprising.

baby finn arrived and so did uncle adam and aunt mindi and 3 more cousins to love him and scare jason that he would be loved to death. we got a visit from jason's mom trish which was great fun too.

the boys got us a gorgeous tree. the house was beautiful and everybody helped which was so great because i ended up working a lot those two weeks before and after Christmas.

I SANG IN THE MESSIAH WITH MY GIRLS. darla  being one of them and sunday night they all came to hear me sing the alto solo "Behold a virgin shall conceive and Oh thou that tellest good tidings to zion." I was accompanied by the full orchestra and i nailed it. it was so awesome and i am so blessed at my age to be able to sing. i was so scared i seriously considered standing up and walking out. ellynn sings and performs--i sing--performing is hard on me especially with an orchestra--pitch, timing. . . but God blessed me. 

mike really does love us enough to share his family. we partied with the stinchfields. what a crowd we are now. remember disneyland after the wedding with just the 17 of us.  we just thought we were a crowd then.

it was a little tense about meags. we are still concerned, but i know we can count on your prayers!

the news that we had another little bundle of joy coming from brind and julia was awesome.  i'm glad finn ? and ? will be so close in age so they can play together.

you have heard about our fun pretty much from the other more diligent bloggers, but here is my favorite memory.  Christmas Eve i ended up working.  everyone helped put Christmas together here while i tried to put Christmas together for Ted and Gerda, our neighbors across the street.  Gerda had just had a mini stroke last week and was still very weak.  Ted has alzeimers and had just had surgery on his eye.  their caregiver had not been able to make it for days because of the snow hence i was filling in.

we fed the kids their Christmas dinner 1st and then while the adults ate their meal in peace i took 7 of the oldest grandkids over to ted and gerda's.  ellery had made them up a plates of Christmas dinner on our Christmas dishes & each of the kids were carrying the gingerbread houses they had so carefully made.  the dads helped us get across the street there was so much to carry and it was so slick because it had started to rain.  the kids were singing carols when gerda opened the door. she was so delighted. they all tromped in tracking water all over my freshly mopped floor.  they were so excited to give her their gingerbread houses and to put dinner on the table for them.  they kept giving her hugs and she kept giving them expensive chocolates. ted came upstairs and they stood around the beautiful finnish made fireplace and sang "I am a child of God."  gerda thanked them in her rather thick german accent for bringing Christmas to them!  it was so beautiful and sweet to see all their angelic little faces.  we even made it out of there with the floor remopped and no overt pushing, shoving or fighting.

then home for the nativity with all the cast being under 12 except ellynn  (---oh and jason.)  you should have seen all 15 g'kids.  it was amazing.  i have to add that wilohm should win some kind of award for holding his pose as nephi praying for his people while june, sawyer and tristan repeatedly tried to tackle and distract him. all the big kids were great, the parents were near comatose and the babies were unruly, sadie accidently  broke my toe during rehearsal, (no one believed me till the next day when they saw the bruising and the cut behind my baby toe) but what can i say we did it and i thought of mom all those years with all of us. WHAT A HERITAGE WE SHARE!!!

LOVE YOU ALL, AUNT LE ANNE