Post Holidays

I was full of plans for celebrating Christmas with Seth and Angelica.  After all, they have never experienced an American Christmas.  While the area came alive with Christmas, from lights all over to happy shoppers, we tended to languish at home, struggling with the "holiday bug".  And so Christmas was a little underwhelming.  Still, I think the kids enjoyed it.  But it was definitely minimal.  For the last several weeks, sleep has been my ultimate high.  Sad, isn't it?  But today, after 2 1/2 weeks of feeling low, I'm beginning to feel somewhat better.  Yes.  I'll live.  So you may be thinking that I'm a bit of a whiner.  I suppose you would be right to think so.  So I'll end my extended rant now.

The kids decided that they wanted to sleep in the living room in Christmas Eve.  Why not?  So here is Seth, settling in.  Angelica set up her bed on the couch but soon wound up on the floor, next to Seth.

Cliff and Audrey drove to our house a couple of days after Christmas, bringing Rayne and fiance Dominic, and Allegra.  Grandson Chase, Morgan and son Hunter also drove here from Utah.  We had a wonderful time with them.  Celebrating a post Christmas with them was better than Christmas, for reasons already reviewed above.  Here is our second Christmas morning, with the Adams-Hart gang.  Note little Hunter, carrying out his job of putting the wrapping paper in the trash bag.

The kids--Rayne, Chase and partners--had their time here pretty well filled in.  They went shopping, and tubbing in the snow. Here they are, sliding down a nearby hillside.  Dom is leading the pack.  Looks like fun!

Of course, we went to Caldwell to walk through the amazing Christmas light display.  It never fails to impress.  Here are the beautiful lights of Caldwell, Idaho.

 Angelica, posing on one of the bridges.

Allegra, Seth and Cliff, holding Hunter.

 Here most  of us are:  Audrey, Chase, Morgan, Layne, Dom, Rayne, Seth, Angelica, Allegra and Cliff with Hunter.  I took the picture.

In between all the activity, there was time for some frolicking in the snow.  Angelica got a snowball smack in the face!  

I was sad to see everyone go just a few days after they arrived.  Well, everyone except Allegra, who stayed with us.  She spent a week or so with us, waiting for grandson Scott to drive here to pick her up for the drive to Rexburg and the beginning of another semester at BYUI. 

Allegra was a life-saver as she took over much of the cooking and did some fun things with the kids.  I was so happy for it since I was not perky.  Scotty arrived this past Friday night, as planned.  He brought his fiance, Jessica, along as well.  She will be our third Jessica!  She is a lovely girl.  I believe they can be very happy together.  They plan to marry in April.  Wow.  This year three of our grandchildren plan to marry!  I'm amazed that this could be.  Our college kids left Saturday morning and safely deposited at school. 

Scott, Jessica and Allegra, about to leave for school.

 

Layne is at a Church meeting tonight to learn about yet another change in ward boundaries.  That will be three changes in our ward since coming here.  This is a high growth area for sure.  So we will soon have more changes to adjust to.  Change.  I sometimes wonder why it is so hard, since it is impossible to avoid.  What changes await us in 2018 I wonder...