Ward Christmas Breakfast

Today was the day of our ward Christmas party. 

This year we held a breakfast at the Stake Center, and it was just me and Chris this time. Michael had to go to work and Corie didn't want to get up so early in the morning. Plus, Lizzie had come over for a sleepover and she didn't want to come to the breakfast either, so Corie stayed home with her. Mom eventually caught up with me and Chris after dropping Michael off. 

I did save a bit of chocolate muffin for Mike, Corie, and Lizzie; those muffins are huge. 

After we ate, there was a nice 12-minute clip about the Savior, of which I played a small part. Then the Primary kids performed a very nice version of "Silent Night" with their own little bells, and finally I participated in a little ornament painting craft. That paint was trickier to use than I'd thought, but it was still good clean fun...or mostly clean! 

Decorated Tree

Ta-da! The tree is officially decorated! It may be smaller than our old tree but it still looks very nice and some of those ornaments take me way back. 

I'm partial to the "Santa, Do You Take Bribes?" because that was bought in my WSU college days. When I saw it, I just had to have it for keeps. And of course, we always have to put Mickey and Minnie Mouse close to each other.

Putting Up the Tree

A few family photos while we enjoyed our Christmas tree, as well as some classic Christmas songs on my Smartphone. We'll add the official ornaments tomorrow.

Mather Family Party

Tonight was the night of the annual Mather Family Christmas party. Since I work in the daytime anyway, this was perfect for me. 

Aside from a nuthouse at work (I'm used to the Christmas crowds but they never cease to amaze me; everybody wants everything all at once) and getting briefly lost on the way, not to mention narrowly avoiding a wreck because another car ran a red light, it was fairly smooth sailing. We had a great time seeing everybody, with plenty of hugs to go around, and the food was delicious.

Good news for Mom, too: she's making excellent progress on her diabetes, to the point where the doctors are going to try to ease her off insulin (she'll still need to take special medication and watch her blood sugar) and it's possible her diabetes could be reversed altogether. I'm well aware that reversed diabetes is not the same as cured diabetes, but knowing the doctors are happy with what they're seeing is very heartening indeed. Goes to show healthy habits do pay off.

Layton Park Lights

Had a fun little outing with family tonight. As the title denotes, we went to the Layton Park to see the official lighting ceremony, and there was a little concert while we were there. 

We met up with Christine and Joel and their kids, and we strolled around the park together. Josh got lost for a bit but luckily we found him safe and sound, and I kept a gentle grip on Spencer’s hand the whole time. I also held Lucas’s hand to keep him from wandering off. Those little tykes can be very fast and stealthy when they want to be. 

We stopped by Chick-fil-A on the way home, because it was getting late, Mom was tired, and groceries were a bit low. Besides, we love Chick-fil-A; it's delicious, not too expensive, and luckily for Mom, it's diabetic-friendly. The Spicy Chicken Deluxe is my personal favorite.