December 23rd through December 29th

 

December 23rd through December 29th: Monday mom had to work. I drove Uber every morning from around 3am to 7 or 8am except Tuesday and Sunday.  Tuesday I started early, cutting up vegetables and getting everything ready to make a few Chinese dishes for our Christmas Eve dinner. I cooked most of the day.  I had ordered rice and noodles and two dishes from Panda Express so I had to run out and get that order picked up. I cooked spicy dried fried green beans, spicy chicken, broccoli, and snow peas in a peanut sauce, and spicy cucumbers.  Panda Express added orange chicken and broccoli beef. We had way too much food. After dinner, we had the grand-kids act out the nativity while I read the Christmas story from Luke. It was quite the performance. Then we had a family prayer.  We so missed Sam and Ginny and their girls.

My peanut dish.

Dried fried green beans.

Broccoli beef,  orange chicken, noodles and rice.  Thanks Panda Express

Dinner is served.

Christmas Eve dinner, kids table.

Adult table.

Wednesday, Christmas, we visited Charlotte’s, then Kate’s and finally John’s house to see what Santa had brought the grand-kids. Then we all went down to James’ house to see what Santa had left at his house. We faced timed with Ginny to see what Santa had left at her house for Xela and Willa. Kate’s family did not make it, but the rest of us enjoyed a huge prime rib roast dinner that James had cooked in his smoker. It was truly the best piece of meat I have ever eaten.  We stayed and played some CEO and enjoyed being together.

Alex and Charlotte's house Christmas morning.

Bryce and Kate's house, Christmas morning.

Thursday mom had to work till noon. I got my tools cleaned up from Paul’s house. We went to the movies in the afternoon.

The force is strong with with one.

Friday we took down the Christmas decorations and then I went out in the afternoon and drove Lyft. I am going to see if there is any difference between Uber and Lyft. The apps are a little different, but the work is very similar so far. Saturday we left at 1pm for Arizona. We made it to Littlefield Arizona, near Mesquite, Nevada. We stayed at an airbnb we had rented.  James and Kirstin and kids arrived at about 10pm and stayed with us. Sunday we got up early and drove to Phoenix and went to church at the ward house where Mark and Linda, Chris’ brother and sister in law, go to church. We got there just as Mark and Linda’s sacrament meeting was getting out. We said hi and then stayed for the 12 noon sacrament meeting. We then went over to Linda’s mother's house for lunch. She is almost 100 and Linda takes care of her.

Mom with her brother, Mark, and his wife, Linda.

We then went to the house we have rented for all 28 of us to be together for New Years. It is a 6 bedroom house in Glendale, Arizona a suburb of Phoenix.  It is huge and will be great for our togetherness. Pictures next week of the house will be included in the blog. This is only the second Christmas that we have all been together in 11 years. We are truly loving being with all our our kids and their spouses and especially all of our grand-kids. We feel so blessed, because we are.