We started the week with Kevin's birthday!  Jim and Naoma took Kevin and I out to lunch.  Sarah needed to work in the afternoon and Mariah had basketball practice so we decided not to do anything as a family.  Instead, Kevin and I went to the mall together and came home to a sparkling clean home and a homemade banner!  I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner and then we all joined Dad in a game of Acquire where as per usual he beat us all by about 150%.  No wonder he likes that game!  We had a fun day.

Ben made his dad a "plate suitcase."  You know you want one.

Savannah sent her dad a present, too!

He really liked it!  (That's Taiwan in the background.)

We love that guy!

The next day was Megan's birthday!  How can she be seventeen already??  Sarah made her waffles for breakfast and her friends took her out to lunch.  That afternoon she came with Kevin and I to see Mariah play in her basketball games at the high school.  For dinner, we all went over to Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik's for a pizza dinner, cheese cake, and presents.  It was another fun day!

Savannah gave Megan a t-shirt, too!

We love that girl!

That night Sarah, Megan, and Mariah slept over at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  They stayed up until midnight watching Hallmark movies.  They just can't get enough!  Back at our house, the little kids decided it was a great night to sleep by the Christmas tree!  They got their night at Grandma's the next evening!

Thursday was Christmas Eve!  Sarah and Megan both needed to work Christmas Eve and Sarah even had to work until close!  Good thing they closed at 6:00!  We started our Christmas traditions right after that at Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik's house with Candlelight Dinner.  Yum!  Then the girls sang The Twelve Days of Christmas complete with actions and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  I read the nativity while they acted it out in costumes.  Then we played the bells and listened to the kids play Christmas songs on the piano.  Finally, we all got to open presents from Grandma and Grandpa.  We had a great Christmas Eve!  We had to get home quickly after that.  Ben was determined that we had to get in bed before Santa checked and we weren't there!

The next morning was Christmas Day!  Santa came and left everyone the presents they had asked for!  Happy, happy morning!  Kevin made us all French Toast breakfast and as we were finishing up, Savannah called us on Skype for our best Christmas present of the day!  Kevin had his computer hooked to the TV so everyone could see her and hear her even if they weren't the one in front of the computer.  She looked super happy and we all loved talking to her and hearing her stories and seeing her face and hearing her laugh.  It was the best moment of the day!

After that, we opened presents from family and friends.  The rest of the day was full of watching more Christmas movies, playing with new toys, taking naps, and reading books.  We also managed to have a nice ham dinner and let Dad win again at Acquire.

Saturday was more of the same except Sarah and Megan got to work and the little kids got to play with friends.  That night we all watched AntMan which Sarah got for Christmas from Megan.  Also, Mariah got a Flash t-shirt from Meg and Meg got a Flash t-shirt from her friend, so they got to be all matchy ALL day!

Also of note was that Sarah made everyone (except for Dad and Ben) a matching skirt as her Christmas presents!  She is a busy girl and barely finished but she did a great job and we all love them!  What a fun idea!

Dad and Ben wanted to have their picture taken in their new sweaters, too!

What a busy, FULL week!  Full of events and full of blessings!  What a merry, merry Christmas!

It snowed on Monday!  After school, the kids went out to play, partly from the encouragement of Sarah and adopted big brother, Jakob, who promptly, as big brothers will do, started a snowball fight. I think all my softball-playing daughters won!

Monday was also the day that Savannah left the MTC and flew to Toronto!  Because of the snow, her flight was delayed in Salt Lake City for two hours.  Fortunately, her connecting flight in Minneapolis was also delayed so she did not miss it.  She arrived in Toronto that evening and we got a call from her saying that she was alright and also received some sweet pictures from her new Mission President and his wife!

That evening Mariah had her Christmas Choir concert.  I had to miss it because I had to get Beth to her dress rehearsal for her performance that night, but Kevin, Sarah, Megan, Cali, and Chey went and said it was fabulous!  I have no doubt!  I wish I could've been there!

So, after Kevin, Chey, and Cali had their basketball practice, they made it to the end of Bethany's dance recital.  Her dances were at the end so they made it in time!  Ben and I enjoyed the whole show and we really did!  Ben was a great audience member.  We had a good time together.  Bethany was fabulous, smiling the whole time, and just looking like she loves dancing on stage more than anything in the whole world!  Because of a professional photographer, you get to see a little of what she looked like!  What a doll!

Tuesday Mariah finally got to play in her first home basketball games for the sophomore and junior varsity teams.  She had games Friday night, as well, and Kevin and I went to both.  She is doing super well.  I love watching her play!  Thanks to a professional photographer, you get to see a little of what she looked like, as well!  What a star!

Tuesday was Cali and Cheyenne's last Mapleton basketball game.  I got to watch them play, too! They did fabulously and ended up winning yet again.  It's been a lot of fun for them!

Wednesday was Ben's Kindergarten Christmas program.  Grandma and I had a lot of fun watching him sing with his class and say his lines.  They sang a lot of songs and Ben did great, remembering the words and the hand motions and singing along.  Since then, in his prayers, Ben has thanked Heavenly Father for his Christmas program and that he could feel God's spirit in his heart.  It's been so sweet!

Thursday we didn't have to go anywhere!  It was pretty amazing and really, really nice.  Sarah and Megan did have to work, though.  Friday, too, and Saturday, too!  Providing parents everywhere with toys for Christmas takes a lot of work.

Friday Kevin and I watched Mariah play again while Cali and Chey watched Beth and Ben and Sarah and Megan worked.

Saturday, Kevin and Cali and Chey had a bantaam game.  Kevin feared it would be the best team in the league and that his little team would suffer their first defeat.  Not so!  They won!  I guess that means our team is the best . . . not that Kevin would admit it!

Today, for the first time EVER -- Megan and I performed together on violins!  It was so fun.  Our choir sang a Joy to the World version that called for a violin duet obligato.  It was fast.  It lasted the whole song.  I played high, Meg played low.  It was awesome.  It was really fun for me and I think Megan, too.  I wish ya'll could've been there!  You'll just have to imagine us playing for joy and wishing you a Merry, Merry Christmas!

We had a fun pre-Christmas week!

On Monday, Calianne and Cheyenne had their first Bantam basketball game.  They were very scared before the game so imagine their delight when they won!  It turns out that their team is going to do just fine.  They are all playing well and their coach is very pleased.  In addition, their elementary school teacher, Mrs. Hobbs came to watch and support them!  We got a picture after the game.

Their teacher looks like one of the girls, but she is in the pink pants!

On Tuesday, we had a surprise visit from one Kris Kringle.  St. Nick!  Santa Claus!!  He knew all the kids by name and what they liked to do.  He told them all that they were great kids and to keep up the great work.  He asked what they wanted for Christmas and gave them each a treat.  Some of our kids were more willing to sit on his lap than others!  Ben whispered what he wanted in Santa's ear, because he listens to the songs and knows how it's supposed to be done.  Unfortunately, Mariah was gone to an away basketball game and Megan was feeling sick, but we got pictures with everyone else!  It was pretty fun!

On Wednesday, Cali and Chey had a Mapleton basketball game--their second of the week as they had one after they met Santa on Tuesday, too.  They just keep on winning!

On Thursday, we had an evening off and got to stay home!  We actually would have gone over to the high school for Mariah's first home games, but she got the stomach flu and could hardly stand up!  Poor girl!  We're hoping after this that she will catch a break!

On Friday night, Megan worked late at Funfinity where she actually had a fun time.  Sarah went with Hunter, Allyson, and Cam and rode the train to see the lights on Temple Square.  Kevin and I went out to eat and to do a little Christmas shopping at the Orem mall.

Saturday morning, Mariah's basketball team had a Breakfast with Santa fundraiser.  Kevin was one of the pancake makers and it was fun to see Mariah dressed as an elf with her teammates!

Also that morning, we went to a piano recital for Cali and Cheyenne.  They played Away in a Manger and Santa Claus is Swinging to Town.  They both did great!

After lunch, Cali and Chey and Kevin had their second Bantam game of the week and fourth basketball game of the week!  This time Beth, Ben, Mariah, and I all went to watch!  (Sarah and Megan were hard at work at Funfinity selling people toys for Christmas!)  Cali and Chey won again and everyone played great!

We got to kick back for the rest of Saturday.  Megan, though, had been invited to the Christmas Dance at the high school, so she went with her date to play laser tag in the afternoon.  Then he picked her up for dinner and the dance later.  They wore Christmas sweaters to fit with the theme of the dance and went with a group of about twenty.

Sarah didn't go to the dance but she had a big group come to our house to play games and watch a movie.  They had a great time.  They couldn't decide on which movie to watch so they decided on Wayne's World.  I asked her how she liked the movie and she said, "Wayne's World!  Ex-cell-ent!" Which you kind of have to say after you watch it!  Am I right?

In other big news, Savannah leaves for Toronto on Monday!  I am looking forward to hearing she has arrived safely and is on to her next great adventure!

I started a new job this week!  I found a stay-at-home accounting job and worked on financial records for about two hours everyday!  Are you guys jealous?  You totally should be.  It was tons of fun.  Ha!  It's totally true!