I am very grateful for our family and friends; and as I think about the special times shared this past month, I feel very blessed.
On the morning of December 24th, we got ready and went to church for our
sacrament meeting and special Christmas program.
I enjoyed singing with the choir the Christmas songs we had prepared.
Christmas has always been a favorite time in my life, and there is a part of me that has never outgrown loving the special magic of the season. It was especially wonderful this year having many of our family come to spend Christmas with us. In former years, we used to have family reunions at Christmas time; but as grandchildren grew in number and size, families preferred coming for reunions during the summertime when the weather was more conducive to traveling and there wasn't the challenge of having to include presents with the luggage. So it was exciting to learn that our four families living outside of Utah were thinking about coming to join us and our three Utah families for the holidays this year. We hoped the weather would cooperate, and it did except for Brent and Tauna's family in South Dakota where the weather conditions changed and Brent needed to stay at the farm to take care of the cattle.
Our Christmas Eve celebration
began by enjoying a traditional ham dinner
before the Nativity Pageant and Santa's visit.
How fun to get out the nativity things
for the children to choose their costumes
for the annual Nativity Pageant.
We were ready to begin with the reading from Luke and Matthew
with the pageant people prepared to make their entrances at the appropriate time
when it was noticed that none of the children had opted to be Joseph,
so we hurriedly corrected this; and Mason became a very young Joseph for our Mary.
Austin, Isaac, Jamon, Shannon, Joshua, Corban, and Megan (shepherds and wise men)
Ethan (narrator)
Mason and Brynlee (Joseph and Mary)
Ethan (narrator)
Mason and Brynlee (Joseph and Mary)
Rebecca, Kate, and Jenna (angels)
Zack, Amanda, and Maren (wise man and shepherds)
Miles (sheep)
Jeff and Rochelle came from Arkansas to spend Christmas with us.
It had been quite a long time since we had been together with them for Christmas,
and we were pleased they could join us for our Nativity Pageant
and the visit from Santa.
"Where is your hat?"
"Where are your reindeer?
Santa had good answers for all of Miles' questions.
As each boy and girl took a turn sitting on Santa's knee to receive their present on Christmas Eve, it was fun to hear their answers to Santa's questions.
The back and forth between Jamon and Santa was one of the best.
Jamon: "A
Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle."
Without missing a beat, Santa replied:
"You'll shoot your eye out,
kid."
(Prompted by memories from a family favorite movie, A Christmas Story.
to sit on Santa's knee.
When Santa handed the present he had for her, she told him:
"You have the same wrapping paper we have."
Corban was the youngest child in Doug and Shannon's family
to have a turn with Santa.
the youngest child represented.
and then a group photo was taken before Santa continued on his way to
make his visits on this important night of the year.
(Kristine, Jenna, Shannon, and Scott)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Christmas morning with Jeff and Rochelle's family
and Scott and Kristine and their girls, Jenna and Shannon.
Finding out what Santa had left.
(Zack, Jamon, Kate, Jeff, and Rochelle)
before opening any of his presents.
Santa came through yet again.
and they had a nice surprise to see they both received the same American Girl doll.
open their presents,
and we appreciate the gifts we were given.
(Sam and Narene)
Another part of our Christmas enjoyment is
receiving cards and letters from
family and friends.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The grandchildren were glad it snowed on Christmas Eve.
They had fun playing in the snow, especially those from Arkansas.
(Miles)
the middle-sized ball of snow was too big to pick up to place on the bottom tier,
so Grampa Sam got his tractor.
While driving over the snow-covered lawn
and headed directly toward the snowman-in-progress,
Sam forgot about the ground-level trampoline in his path.
It took Monty's tractor with a backhoe to get the tractor off the trampoline.
they would use the huge snowballs they already had
to build an igloo instead.
The opening was big enough to go inside,
as Miles is doing in this photo.
We continued to enjoy Christmas day
being with family members who came to share it with us
and having a visit by phone
to hear about Brent and Tauna's Christmas in South Dakota.
More fun in the snow in the pasture behind our house
getting pulled on a large snow tube
behind Doug's four-wheeler.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
What we did not know until the day after Christmas was that our family was planning on a surprise combined 80th birthday celebration for Sam and me. Getting together as a family during the Christmas holiday was opted as the more convenient time than earlier on Sam's birthday (November 9) or later on mine (March 10). Beth had come up with an excuse to get us to go to their church building where invited family and friends had arrived to surprise us. She had told us we were being invited to watch her children at a talent show at their ward.
They would have been successful in pulling off the surprise had it not been for Sam's coming down with the stomach flu the very day of the party. They were still encouraging me to go without him; but after telling them I was going to stay home with Sam just 15 minutes before we were supposed to be there, they finally had to tell me about the surprise.
Happy tears revealing
feelings of surprise, love, and appreciation.
(Rochelle hugging Narene)
(Rochelle hugging Narene)
Family and friends at our surprise 80th birthday party.
Greeted by long-time friends.
Dee Powell, was in our Rosebud district
when she lived in Valentine, NE quite a few years ago.
Debbie and Dave Tehrani
are also long-time friends.
Our friendship began while we lived in South Dakota.
They lived in Valentine,
but Dave worked for us a few months
and stayed in our home
but Dave worked for us a few months
and stayed in our home
before leaving to serve a mission back East.
Debbie served as my secretary when I was
the president of the Rosebud District Relief Society.
We continue to love them as family.
Me with my brother, K. LeRoi, who lives in Saint George, Utah
Scott welcoming guests.
A tribute display of things our family
managed to remove from our home
without our noticing or missing them.
Our neighbors, Pam and Monty Bingham (center)
and Sandra and Eugene Cook, friends in our Empty Nesters group,
were among those attending from Spanish Fork.
Lauri and Kevin Hyer (my sister's son and wife)
came from North Salt Lake.
Shown here visiting with Ryan, Doug, and Scott.
A video was shown with pictures from our past and present
and included an introduction created by
our granddaughter, Maggie Kuta.
Jeff reading the choices
for a quiz about the lives of Sam and Narene
including information relative to
the years we were born.
Shannon made the cake.
The top layer was chocolate,
and the bottom layer was Sam's favorite carrot cake.
Sundaes and brownies were served and appreciated
by those attending, except I was too busy
enjoying visiting with everyone and watching the program
to think about eating.
to think about eating.
Friends and family
by the display on the stage.
(Cleggs, Sumsions, Todd, Kyle, Koryn, Kortney, and Brady)
Cousins always enjoy being together.
(Paul, Rebecca, Brynlee, Anna, and Kate)
It would have been a perfect birthday event except for Sam's not being able to go and the concern about how to get me to go without him. We appreciate the effort involved in the planning, the preparations, the people invited, and the love shown.
The special gift from our family was
given to us back at home after Sam was feeling a little better.
This framed world map now hangs in our office
with colored pins on the countries Sam and I have visited.
Sam has been to Antarctica, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City State), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saint Martin (French part), Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (61)
I have been to all of the above except for Panama, Netherlands, Morocco, and Belgium.
I have been to all of the above except for Panama, Netherlands, Morocco, and Belgium.
Thank you, family and friends!
