It was nothing short of a miracle that we finally drove away from Salt Lake City to McCall. There were so many last minute ski and boot fittings and work wrap-ups and Christmas to-do errands, care for Mila and prepping the house so our friends Dave and Georgie could stay in our place while we were gone, and packing for Christmas and who knows what else. We installed crossbars on our car so we could borrow a roof rack so we could fit all of our STUFF, and we were still sitting cross-legged the entire seven hour drive. I have no idea how everything fit in our car and roof rack. Ski gear, warm clothing, Christmas gifts and decor to liven up our rental, half of our kitchen and pantry, even a bag of dress-ups for anticipated movie making.
Our roof rack wouldn't close, so we pulled over on the side of the road for Ceci to get on top of it so we could latch it. Tennie captured this great shot.
But once we got on the road, all five of us squished together in such a small space, we talked about all kinds of interesting things. This is one of my favorite things about grown children - the deep thinking, ideas and questions they have on all kinds of topics. The drive zipped right by.
All of Geoff's family (minus Nikki) met up in McCall. This time everyone got their own condo, or shared with one other family, and all condos were next to each other or within close walking distance. While no place had a large gathering place, it was really nice for each family to get good sleep, have a place to prepare their own meals and enjoy a little breather from the mayhem now and again. We were the first to arrive, and our condo mates, Britt and Hunter, arrived the next day. Then everyone began to trickle in.
Some went to get Christmas trees.
Since we got in late Saturday afternoon with just enough time to grocery shop and unpack the car, and the next day was Sunday where we decorated our little place and made sugar cookies and began to visit and be visited by incoming family, Monday was the first day to ski. Geoff was LIVING for skiing, and while the snow wasn't great this year in McCall, he was dying to get on the slopes. That is why his sacrificing his first ski day to spend my birthday with me was a big deal. Usually I just sit home and read while everyone skies on my birthday, which has always been nice, but this year I wanted to learn to skate ski. Geoff was so excited I was exploring a snow sport I could like, he agreed to take a skate ski lesson with me on my birthday.
It was a perfect day. Davey and Erica joined us for an hour skate ski lesson, which wasn't as hard as I thought, but I'm still VERY beginner. Geoff picked it right up, of course.
Geoff and I got acai bowls and browsed a book store and a few other cute shops around McCall. That evening we all met up at a Tollhouse pizza to celebrate. All 39 of us. It was a perfect day.
After surprising Christian with a birthday breakfast in bed, everyone but a few of us went skiing Christmas Eve. We gathered in the evening for a shared Christmas eve dinner (taco bar for simplicity). Somehow it worked having us all packed in to one condo.
The small cousins acted out the nativity, which somehow is rarely reverent and is usually quite chaotic...
Ian read T'was the Night Before Christmas, letting the kids finish the end of each rhyme. It was pretty animated. When it got to the final line, a booming voice from above yelled, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" It was Geoff's dad dressed up like Santa, looking down from a small upstairs interior window. I wish I could have captured the kid's reaction. They jumped up, waving and hooting and hollaring and staring in wonder. It was magical. I got the tail end of everyone's surprise and delight.
Santa had a gift for every person there. And everyone got a picture with Santa. It was really spot on childhood magic.
Our kids now sleep in on Christmas morning, which is another thing I love about grown up children! We all celebrated Christmas in our own condos. Ours Christmas morning was full of surprises, which was fun. Grown up kids still get super excited about gifts, and I'm grateful for that.
I had prepared a Christmas bingo game for the little cousins, with the winner(s) picking out a prize from one of the small pockets on our large elf. Prizes consisted of little shells, bells, colorful rocks and little animals. I didn't anticipate the very loud and proud yelling of bingo every second, but it was fun.
In the afternoon we all gathered to exchange family gifts. Every adult picks the name of another adult, and same with the kids. This took a long while. I snuck in a few unexpected white elephant gifts, as I have in years past. This time TK snuck one in for me!
We had a shared Christmas dinner with ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, the works. And somehow it worked smoothly with so many people in a small space.
After the littlest kids went to bed we did "updates" (Geoff's idea). We started with kids 8 and up telling what is going on in their lives. Everyone asked questions and we finished by asking if there was anything they were worried about or anything they wanted us to pray about. These kids beamed at the love and attention they received from the entire family. We've got some remarkable kids growing up in this family!
The next night the teenagers did "updates", and by the next night the adults just sat around and talked about issues in the family, and how we could support each other. These were productive, full-of-love late nights.
The rest of our week together as extended family was spent skiing, playing games, finding out what Harry Potter house everyone belonged to, making gingerbread houses, sledding, a teenage night with Poppop, and general visiting and hanging out.
It was all perfect. It was as if Mormor was watching over us all from heaven, still working her Christmas magic.
Except Zoey threw up, and kids began to get sick, and some adults too. The first week we were all together, then our little family stayed a second week to ski. Except we didn't ski because Tennie, Adele, Ceci and I were all sick. Like super, can't-get-out-of-bed-sick. Mine only lasted four days, but as of this writing, the girls are still all fighting this darn, persistent, nastiness. So that second week was spent making tea and warming soups, watching movies, putting together a puzzle, watching more movies, reading, and celebrating New Years while laying down, and going through rolls and rolls of toilet paper and medicines. Geoff was spared and snuck away to ski a time or two, but skiing alone wasn't so fun, so he stayed home and kept us all company most days. I will say that being sick in a winter wonderland is better than being sick at home.
On the way home we stopped in Nampa, Idaho to watch TK wrestle in a tournament. I had never been to a wrestling tournament before. It was a LOT of sitting around with about1-5 minute bursts of interest. I'm so glad we got to see him. He is GOOD.
Here is that cutie in front of the house at 14 or 15-years-old.
Our roof rack wouldn't close, so we pulled over on the side of the road for Ceci to get on top of it so we could latch it. Tennie captured this great shot.
But once we got on the road, all five of us squished together in such a small space, we talked about all kinds of interesting things. This is one of my favorite things about grown children - the deep thinking, ideas and questions they have on all kinds of topics. The drive zipped right by.
All of Geoff's family (minus Nikki) met up in McCall. This time everyone got their own condo, or shared with one other family, and all condos were next to each other or within close walking distance. While no place had a large gathering place, it was really nice for each family to get good sleep, have a place to prepare their own meals and enjoy a little breather from the mayhem now and again. We were the first to arrive, and our condo mates, Britt and Hunter, arrived the next day. Then everyone began to trickle in.
Some went to get Christmas trees.
Since we got in late Saturday afternoon with just enough time to grocery shop and unpack the car, and the next day was Sunday where we decorated our little place and made sugar cookies and began to visit and be visited by incoming family, Monday was the first day to ski. Geoff was LIVING for skiing, and while the snow wasn't great this year in McCall, he was dying to get on the slopes. That is why his sacrificing his first ski day to spend my birthday with me was a big deal. Usually I just sit home and read while everyone skies on my birthday, which has always been nice, but this year I wanted to learn to skate ski. Geoff was so excited I was exploring a snow sport I could like, he agreed to take a skate ski lesson with me on my birthday.
It was a perfect day. Davey and Erica joined us for an hour skate ski lesson, which wasn't as hard as I thought, but I'm still VERY beginner. Geoff picked it right up, of course.
Geoff and I got acai bowls and browsed a book store and a few other cute shops around McCall. That evening we all met up at a Tollhouse pizza to celebrate. All 39 of us. It was a perfect day.
After surprising Christian with a birthday breakfast in bed, everyone but a few of us went skiing Christmas Eve. We gathered in the evening for a shared Christmas eve dinner (taco bar for simplicity). Somehow it worked having us all packed in to one condo.
Ian read T'was the Night Before Christmas, letting the kids finish the end of each rhyme. It was pretty animated. When it got to the final line, a booming voice from above yelled, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" It was Geoff's dad dressed up like Santa, looking down from a small upstairs interior window. I wish I could have captured the kid's reaction. They jumped up, waving and hooting and hollaring and staring in wonder. It was magical. I got the tail end of everyone's surprise and delight.
Santa had a gift for every person there. And everyone got a picture with Santa. It was really spot on childhood magic.
Our kids now sleep in on Christmas morning, which is another thing I love about grown up children! We all celebrated Christmas in our own condos. Ours Christmas morning was full of surprises, which was fun. Grown up kids still get super excited about gifts, and I'm grateful for that.
I had prepared a Christmas bingo game for the little cousins, with the winner(s) picking out a prize from one of the small pockets on our large elf. Prizes consisted of little shells, bells, colorful rocks and little animals. I didn't anticipate the very loud and proud yelling of bingo every second, but it was fun.
In the afternoon we all gathered to exchange family gifts. Every adult picks the name of another adult, and same with the kids. This took a long while. I snuck in a few unexpected white elephant gifts, as I have in years past. This time TK snuck one in for me!
We had a shared Christmas dinner with ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, the works. And somehow it worked smoothly with so many people in a small space.
The next night the teenagers did "updates", and by the next night the adults just sat around and talked about issues in the family, and how we could support each other. These were productive, full-of-love late nights.
The rest of our week together as extended family was spent skiing, playing games, finding out what Harry Potter house everyone belonged to, making gingerbread houses, sledding, a teenage night with Poppop, and general visiting and hanging out.
Except Zoey threw up, and kids began to get sick, and some adults too. The first week we were all together, then our little family stayed a second week to ski. Except we didn't ski because Tennie, Adele, Ceci and I were all sick. Like super, can't-get-out-of-bed-sick. Mine only lasted four days, but as of this writing, the girls are still all fighting this darn, persistent, nastiness. So that second week was spent making tea and warming soups, watching movies, putting together a puzzle, watching more movies, reading, and celebrating New Years while laying down, and going through rolls and rolls of toilet paper and medicines. Geoff was spared and snuck away to ski a time or two, but skiing alone wasn't so fun, so he stayed home and kept us all company most days. I will say that being sick in a winter wonderland is better than being sick at home.
On the way home we stopped in Nampa, Idaho to watch TK wrestle in a tournament. I had never been to a wrestling tournament before. It was a LOT of sitting around with about1-5 minute bursts of interest. I'm so glad we got to see him. He is GOOD.
My mom lived in Nampa during her junior high years. Her dad owned a root beer stand, and every weekend there was dancing at the church with a live band. This was the late 50s. She remembered her address so we looked it up and found it. It hadn't changed one bit!
Here is that cutie in front of the house at 14 or 15-years-old.
The girls were dying to see the new Little Women movie that came out Christmas day. If they hadn't been so sick they would have driven the two hours from McCall to Boise to see it. The wrestling tournament went longer than we thought, and all showings in Salt Lake were sold out the evening when we got home. We spent some good time on our drive home finding an available theater that was timed right with our driving by. Turns out Wells, Utah would work. We found this old, little theater and were not disappointed. Little Women was a movie we watched every Christmas when the girls were growing up. Their childhood was similar to the imaginative, lively, creative characters in this beloved story. They feel like it is THEIR story (and Adele sort of really likes Timothee Chalamet). Since then they've all seen it 3-4 times since. A great ending to a great Christmas vacation.
And that was Christmas.
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