Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, Adrian and I waited patiently for my parents to arrive from the McDaniels. They were staying at our place, however, they wanted to see the McDaniel kids open their gifts so we were asked to wait. After a few phone calls and a few unwrapped gifts, they finally arrived. We took turns opening gifts which was a tradition in the Roberts family. Christmas sure went by fast. We had to hurry and clean up our family room before the Lytles arrived for Christmas day lunch (Adrian's family tradition). It worked out perfectly! We had a spare card table and the right amount of chairs. We ate ham, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, salad, parsnips, and yummy pies (thanks to Josh's fabulous baking skills). Well, it is rare to have family come to our home since our home is small. But, we did have dance dance revolution and a new knitting grandma toy (thanks to my parents), so the kids had plenty to do. Don't worry, I'll post the "2050" knitting grandma once I take a picture of it. It is classic. My parents are very clever. It sure was fun to have my parents join us for Christmas. Thanks for an enjoyable Christmas mom and dad.

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas Eve at the Roberts home. Our tradition of having a different country for dinner continued on. This year we had Indian food which was perfect. We all enjoyed the dinner and of course the Christmas Eve program. The Roberts sang Rockin around the Christmas Tree and it was a hit. I couldn't stop laughing! The children acted out the nativity which was adorable. Adrian and I just sat back and enjoyed it all. It sure has been fun to live near family. There has been talk of family members going to California next year but they will have to count the Reynolds out since my work doesn't allow it. Well, hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Primary Class

These are my girls, Logan, Rebekah, Savanna, and Bailey (Shane and Lucas weren't there that day). Arn't they cute? I'm going to miss teaching the five year olds at church. My new calling is to teach the eight year olds. I know most of the girls so hopefully it won't be too crazy. I plan on setting ground rules the first day so they better watch out for Sister Reynolds. No treats if they act up! I'm sure it will be another adventure in my life. Can't wait!

Larry H Miller's Christmas Sing Along

Since I work at the Jordan Commons Office Building, I was privileged to get invited to Larry H Miller's Christmas Sing Along. The 24th annual Sing Along was on December 15th which was a perfect FHE activity. I invited the McDaniel's and of course my hubby was present. It was free to the public and they even gave us free hot dogs and drinks, a free ticket to the 2009 Salt Lake Bees game, free popcorn at any Megaplex Theater and a free ticket to the 2009 NASCAR race at the Miller Motorsports Park. We were all encouraged to sing and they gave us a program in case we didn't know the words. We even got to see Big Buddah (Fox 13) and Santa Clause. Also, there was a live link to troops in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan so family and friends could sing to their loved ones. It was a really neat experience and a fun way to celebrate the Christmas season. Thanks Tiff and family for going with us. We had a great time.

Decorating for Christmas

After our Thanksgiving week in California, we decorated for Christmas which is one of our favorite things to do. It took a long time since we have accumulated many wonderful Christmas decorations (thanks to Tai Pan and Adrian's European touch).

One of my childhood memories was when we put out the nativities. The rule was to do nice things for others secretly so you could fill the manger with hay. I always tried to do the most acts of kindness so the Savior could lie comfortably in the manger. Yes, I am so thoughtful and humble too!

We also had "pixies" which is similar to secret Santa's. We would choose a siblings name and get a gift for them. It was always fun to go to the swap meet or South Coast Plaza to purchase that special gift.

Another tradition was to play Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. My grandma made our family a red Christmas bag and each person would gather their gifts, take a picture and put the gifts under the tree. This year Adrian and I know what we are getting so I thought it would fun to wrap the gifts and put them under the tree. I was a little spoiled this year. I guess I was a good girl this year!

This is the first year that I have a stocking personalized just for me. Adrian's was done two years ago but I wanted the colors in our stockings to be similar. The two stockings in the middle were our old ones that my grandma knitted. I had the longest stocking when I was growing up but now my stockings are the same length. My nieces and nephews are so lucky! I guess we will see if Santa fills both of them this year.

Well, we are excited for this Christmas season because we get to have my parents stay with us. It won't matter that they have our bedroom since we have a tradition of sleeping by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. I am so grateful for this time of year where we get to think about our Savior Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us. We are so blessed. We hope all of you have a happy Christmas (as they say in England) and a happy new year.

South Coast Plaza

On November 28th, we went shopping at South Coast Plaza. We even got to sit on Santa's lap which was one of the Roberts family traditions. This mall is one of our favorites since they have H&M, Ted Baker, Coach, Banana Republic, and any name brand you can think of. It is pure Beverly Hills. Love it! Well, we had a great time in California. Thanks mom and dad for spending some quality time with us. We sure enjoyed it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal because of my mother. She is so amazing and I hope I'll be just like her when I have my own family. I am so grateful that I could spend some time with my California family members. We even had shrimp which is one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving. It has been a family tradition since I can remember. Also, thanks Noah and Katie for bringing the Martinelli's. Yummy! We also got to see Kennedee's thanksgiving program on cd. She is adorable! Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Los Angeles Auto Show

We also got to go to the Los Angeles Auto Show which is one of my favorite things to see. Yes, I have a thing for cars especially fast ones. Normally, the auto show is in January so I was lucky enough to go when we were in California. We all had our favorite cars-Emilee-Nissan Pathfinder (I'll never own since Adrian's car was smashed by one so I'll settle for a Honda CR-V as my next vehicle-reality check), Adrian-Smart car, Dad-Mazda MX-5 Miata. Don't we look great in our new cars? I think I would look great in a Lamborghini but I don't think it is a family car. I can still dream! Well, we had a great time and now I know that Adrian would go back since he enjoyed it so much. Yippee!

Disneyland here we come!

Adrian and I spent a week in California for Thanksgiving. We went to Disneyland with my parents on November 25th. We had great weather till the evening when it started to rain. We were also able to get a couple Disney ornaments to hang on our christmas tree. Disneyland was so much fun during this season because of all the christmas decorations. My favorite rides were the Haunted Mansion and Small World. We had such a great time, we will have to go again next time we are in California.