Christmas Eve Celebration

After dinner Santa watch officially began.  Can you see rudolph's nose?

 Then we were off to do our last night of the twelve days of Christmas.  We do this every year with our best friends the Robinsons.  We take the money that we would normally use to buy gifts for each other and use it to try to brighten someone else's Christmas.  Every night we deliver a nativity piece and a treat.  We hope that the memories we make doing this together will last much longer than the gifts that might otherwise be purchased.

Papa decided to have a little cat nap while we were gone.

LUKE 2

Next onto my favorite part of the evening. . . acting out the story of the Savior's birth.

 First choose a character and costume

Logan - "Cowboy Shepherd"

Lexi - Angel

Lydia - Shepherd

 Jesse: Photographer GG: Narrator Me: Wise Woman (its a stretch I know but you have to work with what you got)

Papa: Joseph Nana: Mary
And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in the manger

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night

Aunt Cortney:
And lo, the angel(s) of the Lord came upon them . . .

And they came with haste . . . 

And you know the rest of the story

Lydia & Lexi both played some Christmas carols

The first gift . . . Christmas Pajamas

We thought the kids were winding down for the night, but after a wardrobe change from cowboy shepherd to cowboy santa the show really started

One more check on Santa's progress

Then off to bed

And to all a good night

Christmas Eve Dinner

MENU:

Appetizers:

Homemade Egg Nog

Shrimp Dip

Salad:

Spinach, Pomegranate, & Pear Salad

(Thanks Lori Robinson - it was super yummy)

Main Course:

Cordon Bleu

(made by Papa; asst by Nana)

Garlic - Parmesan Potatoes

Tomato - Basil Green Beans

(Made by Aunt Cortney)

Dessert:

Creme Brulee with Fresh Berries & Mint

(Also made by Aunt Cortney)

 GG, Lydia, Cortney, Clayton

 Lexi & Logan

 Lydia

Nana

There is nothing like Christmas Eve dinner.  Its amazing how smells, tastes, and flavors can bring back memories and really comfort your soul.  The Evans Cordon Bleu tradition was started when I was growing up.  I don't know where the recipe came from, but it was an immediate favorite - so much so that when we were asked what we wanted to have for birthdays and holidays we would ask for cordon bleu.  Well its not an easy dish to make.  It takes lots of steps and a couple days to get all the flavors to infuse into the chicken. In order to simplify life a little my Mom decided that we would have it once a year on Christmas Eve.  Well as you can imagine when you only have something once a year it becomes extremely desirable.  The Evans family loves it and we look forward to having it each year.  My Dad made it this year and we all agreed it was the best batch yet.
**This is the story as I remember it. Mom - Please feel free to make any corrections to this story in the comments section.

Grandpa's & Grandma Lori's Sleepover

Our festivities continued as Grandpa & Grandma Lori came to stay with us. Lori had asked the girls what they wanted for Christmas when we were together at Thanksgiving. They told her that they wanted skateboards. I had no idea that when they told her they "wanted" skateboards they really meant that they "wanted skateboards more than anything else, and if they happened to get them it would be the highlight of their year, if not their lives". And they didn't think they could even hope to actually get a skateboard because in Mom's mind skateboards mean skinned knees, broken bones, and stitches. Well, Grandpa & Grandma Lori made all their dreams come true when they delivered 3 skateboards, and protective gear as an early Christmas gift. The excitement was through the roof. I don't know if I've ever seen kids so thrilled. It was really fun to watch and unforgettable. It was a great gift for me too since the skateboards helped keep the kids entertained in the crazy days leading up to Christmas.

POST SKATEBOARD EXCITEMENT

We ended the night with one of our favorite December traditions, reading Christmas stories. As you can see we were all exhausted from the exhilarating evening. Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Lori. We can't wait for more sunny days to perfect our skills.

Note to Self: Sign up for more accident insurance ;)

Weekend with Grandma

Grandma & The Girls

Grandma & Kade came up North for an early Christmas celebration. Grandma got a room at the Marriott so that she could have some special grandma time with the kids. They went to the Grand America Hotel to see the famous window displays and enjoy a special treat (only Grandmas allow you to have treats before dinner). Later they were nice enough to allow Jesse, Logan, and I to join them for dinner and then we all went to look at the lights at temple square. It doesn't matter what the thermometer says its always FREEZING at Christmas time on temple square, but somehow in the cool temperatures our hearts were warmed as we enjoyed this tradition and remembered the real reason for the season. Jesse, Logan, and I were then politely asked to leave so more spoiling could take place. We all agreed that memories are the best, most lasting gift you can receive. We will always remember our Christmas memories in the city. Thanks Grandma and Kade!

Natural Disaster - Dec 1, 2011

Before and After

We lost our huge pine tree in our backyard because of the windstorm that blasted Bountiful with winds that reached up to 110 miles

an hour. The tree fell to the West and miraculously missed our neighbor's house by inches. The wind was not only strong, it was freezing cold. We spent a sleepless night listening to it howl, and blow things around. We got up about 6:00 am and realized our tree was down, but somehow our trampoline had stayed put. We decided we better get the trampoline down fast. My hands and ears were freezing as we worked to untie the knots holding the pad down. We witnessed miracles throughout the neighborhood and community. There were over a thousand trees that went down that night, and we didn't hear of any injuries and very little major damage.

Thanksgiving 2011 at Grandpa David's & Grandma Lori's

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Whiterocks. The weather was pretty nice for the end of November and we were able to get out and enjoy the mountain air.

Lexi was completely grossed out by the turkey, but the rest of us enjoyed one of the best birds ever along with all the fixins. Grandma Lori is such an amazing chef! It was a treat for all of us to be able to eat all of her culinary creations on Thanksgiving day.

Logan finally got pumpkin pie! Since we went to the pumpkin patch in October he had been asking if I could make him pumpkin pie. Being the great mom that I am I never made it for him. So he was thrilled when he finally got to eat Lori's pumpkin pie. It was delicious, of course.

Lexi loved it too!

Lydia loves the wide open space and being in the country.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for a fun, memorable Thanksgiving!