Sunday, January 3, 2016

the end of the year, the rest of the story...

This week has been so busy and full of fun, besides the fact that it took me forever to post the year in review, that I've not kept up on the rest of our holiday festivities.  A few other memories and photos...

Our New Years Eve weekend was spent together, just Doug and I and the kids.  We have had so much fun together, eating, playing, watching movies and just chilling together! 

The party didn't really begin until Quayd and Grace got home from work.  He worked until almost 7 and Grace until 8:30.  She brought home two pizzas to go with the rest of our treats...relish tray, cheese and crackers and cheeseballs and instead of fried fondue, this year, it was chocolate fondue.  We were all so full by the time we ate all the first foods, that we took an hour break before really getting into the chocolate! For the fondue, we had Rice Krispie treats, strawberries, blackberries, bananas, chocolate covered orange slices, marshmallows, graham crackers and I can't even remember the rest!  Everyone liked this, especially Doug because chocolate is so much healthier than greasy fried.  Right.  ;)



We also had a stack of games to keep us busy, although we didn't even play them all.  We got started on the fondue and Survivor came up in the conversation.  The kids still had not seen the finale, so,  after a few rounds of "That's It!", we watched the last two episodes and the finale, keeping us up till after 2AM.  Not what we'd planned on doing but we loved every minute of it!  We are a Survivor loving family!
 


 We gave up on trying to take a selfie with all five us and just took a photo with the camera, which still wasn't good!  Oh, well!


I was surprised to see Doug open a Sprite and drink it!  He never drinks pop!
 

After working a crazy busy shift, Grace was thrilled to come home and get into her PJs!
 


 I'm not sure who was the silliest on NYE, Doug, Zee or Quayd, but there was much laughter!


Seriously... a lot of laughter!
 Zee was so wound up that I never did get a clear shot of her with the camera!  She was in high gear!


 Zulu was a party pooper but he did stay in the room, which he didn't do on Christmas.  Go-Go never leaves Quayd's side.


New Years Day meant sleeping in until 10, all of us, which I believe has never happened!  Quayd had to work, so the girls, Doug and I did a little shopping.  After dropping the girls off at the mall, Doug and I were able to set ourselves up with all the LED Icicle Lights and rope lights we need for our home next Christmas... all at 75% off!  Definitely a huge score!  We did our returns and exchanges.  We also finished putting away the rest of the holiday decorations.  This is the first and only year that we've ever kept the decorations up so long.  I actually quite enjoyed it!  Normally, I'm chomping at the bit on the day after Christmas, but this year, with the new home and new decor, and loving every single minute of it, the longer it lasted the better! I'm excited to have our home back in order again, but really miss the feeling of Christmas in the Air!  

I have had this idea to put up some rope lights on the top of the den mantle for a few months.  I did put up a string of Christmas lights at Thanksgiving, but wanted rope lights.  So, we were able to find some and Doug helped me get them up.  I love just the little bit of extra ambiance they add to the room.  Have I mentioned that I love our new home?  Will it ever become old?  I think not?




I also did a week's worth of laundry because, aside from a load here and there, I'd not done laundry all week long.  We were too busy playing.  After Quayd got off work, we stayed up very late, watching Scorch Trials, the second movie in the Mazerunner series.  I'm not a fan but Quayd loves it enough for all of us!

Doug and I woke up at about 8 on the 2nd, to begin preparations for Grace's birthday brunch.  Her requested meal was pumpkin waffles.  I also made a very delicious pomegranate syrup, along with buttermilk syrup and warm applesauce.  We finished brunch, got ready and raced to the theater for our first viewing of Star Wars.  We got there and I asked for five tickets for the 1:00 show and was informed that the 1:00 show was at the Providence theater.  Oops!  My bad.  So, we spent the extra forty minutes eating our treats in the lobby, taking pix and talking about the first six Star Wars.


 I really kinda like these guys a lot!


Can I just say that we LOVED Star Wars!  Can't wait to see it again!

On our way home from the theater, we stopped at the store to get Grace's "birthday cake" treat.  She chose my brownies with mint chocolate chip ice cream.  She also chose to celebrate with Layne and Julie, Kendall and Lasse.  They were skiing all day and going to a USU game in the evening, so we planned on squeezing in her party in between our fun and theirs.  However, Grace decided that rather than rush things, she'd wait until Sunday evening for her birthday party.  I asked her if she wanted to open her gifts without them and she said, "No, I'll wait and do it with all of us together."  I teased her that she would get a marshmallow for that one, referring to President Uchtdorf's marshmallow story on patience.  She replied, "No, I'll earn two."  

So, we let Layne and Julie know that we'd play after church and we headed to Firehouse for dinner.  Grace had chosen Buffulo Wild Wings a few days ago, but then opted to have Firehouse at the last minute.  Carol and I will take her for a girls night out next week to BWW.  
 

I teased her about working there, eating there all the time and still wanting to eat there for her birthday.  She truly loves Firehouse!  We all do!  She asked for a selfie with the two of us.  I love us!



My mother would die if she saw Quayd and ZJ behaving this way in a restaurant but, as we walked out, Quayd ducked down, Zeej jumped on his shoulders and he carried her to the car.  I am not fond of such rowdiness in a public place, myself, BUT... I am MORE THAN fond of seeing these two getting along so well and loving each other the way they do, so have at it!  I LOVE that expression on ZJ's face! 
 
 We came home and I talked Grace into opening just one of her gifts, since it was only 8PM.  I had a plan.  (winkwink)  She opened the new Blu-Ray/DVD of Hugh Jackman's latest movie, Pan.  We watched it and the kids loved it!  Again, not my kind of movie, but watching the kids and Doug loving it was all I wanted to watch anyway.  Seriously, I love watching them have fun.


 I think that I'm worse than the kids about everyone going back to school and work after the holidays!  It was so much fun being home together and celebrating the holidays, Grace's birthday, the new year.  I love cooking for everyone, eating together almost every meal, traditions and games.  I did not even have time to do my puzzle yet this break, which is my reward for taking down the decorations... waiting until so late to take it down sort of put a dent in that time.  But, now that the kids are going back to school. I'll have all January to do it!  Well... after Bunco and after a trip to see Liza and fam and YSA dinner and and and...  Life is good!  And I think I'll start sharing quotes again.  I miss them!

a good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed your are.


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