I was excited for the "season" this year and I did not go all out with decorations or presents but I decided I was going to chill and I really felt peace this year. I thoroughly enjoyed this hectic time, we didn't look at lights (unless they were in our neighborhood) we didn't visit Santa, we didn't go to any parties (unless your count Ty's end of the season football party) so it would look like I shouldn't be in the spirit but I was and I loved it.
The first two weeks of the month were crazy busy with my children's end of the semester stuff... Kyley had winter formal she took Caiden looked beautiful and had fun I am so glad she has a good group of friends. She had end of the semester projects so she was quite busy but she finished strong straight A's (we hope 89.6% in Spanish 3 hopefully he rounds) Wyatt had scouts (close to getting his Bear), piano and a choir concert, he sounded great. Ty had a guitar concert and two football playoff games. We had a cold cold cold front move in it was crazy cold. His team finished the season 3rd in their league, they wanted to win it all so 3rd place was a let down, but he learned a lot and bonded with these players and I really liked the parents which was an extra bonus.
Taylor was still at NAU she didn't get done until the 21st Loren was off so we made a day trip out of it and we all went up to get Taylor. She had to work so we found snow (not hard) and a hill and did a little sledding. We didn't get home until 2:30 am Sunday but we were home my family was all together all was well in my world. At church I looked down the row and we were all together the first time since July and I had tears in my eyes, and with the choir singing and the narrator reading the Christmas story I was over come with emotion - I felt at peace.
Sunday night was the Chesley family party at Maren's house we were a little late becasue the Arizona Cardinals were playing topped ranked Seattle SEahawks and it was close game - Cardinals won it sure is fun having a winning football team, better than a winning football team is family and most of the family was at the party. It was genuinely good to see everyone, again it just seemed all is well.
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| Kyley, Taylor and Kendall home from BYU |
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| count the decorations - our pretend to sleep picture |
Monday we cleaned and "decorated our tree" quotes because we only put 15 decorations top. See we didn't even get the tree until the 17th and we got it from our good friends the O'hares. They are from England and they were going back to spend it with their famlies. We were at their house for Ty's football party and I complimented her tree and she asked if I wanted it. She got one to help her get in the spirit but they couldn't leave a live tree up until they got home in January. I said sure - not really certain if they would really, but sure enough Tuesday I get a text, "tree outside our house looking for a good home" they had left the lights up and it was still in the stand so Loren and I threw it in the back of our truck and bam - we had a tree. Since it was so close to Taylor coming home we decided wait but by them it was so close to Christmas so we did minimal decorating and I loved it.
Christmas Eve is still the longest day of the year for Wyatt. W opened our O.C.E. (open Christmas Eve) presents by 10:00am, robe for Taylor, now she matches Kyley and sweats for the rest of the kids kind of like pajamas. It was nice and relaxing for me, made some banana bread and waited for my mom, dad and Matt to come out for dinner. We had great grilled chicken thanks Loren and great conversation. My mom told the kids about how her and my dad first met and how their first date was on Tuesday December 12, 19667 which is why we decorated our tree on the 12th every year growing up. However during dinner the truth came out, their actual first date was on "Friday" according to mom which we figured was December 8, 1967, they met at MCC and went to Bob's Big Boys for lunch which dad drove them to and paid for. Mom still says it wasn't a date, sounds like a date to me - Matt immediately sent out at text alerting all my siblings of the deception we had been living - crazy what comes out at the dinner table Christmas Eve. I love having my parents over - it is a fun tradition. Wyatt had prepared by staying up until 11:00pm Monday then waking up at 6:00am Christmas eve day so by the time my parents left, he had hugged us his requisite 3 times and was asleep pretty early. Ty hung out in Taylor and kyley's room for a while waiting for Santa to arrive.
Our kids must have been great because they all got good stuff - Taylor and i-pad, Kyley speaker system, Ty - gun 30.06 Wyatt a Wii-U and lots of little stuff, but I can tell you it wasn't the stuff it was having my family home. We headed out to Loren's mom (now Grandma Cook since she got remarried) and had a wonderful breakfast with more visit time. Home for a nap then off to my parents house for Mexican dinner more cousins and gifts. The cousins are all growing up so fast, and the are all such good friends I hope it stays that way through high school. Taylor and Kyley were old enough to participate in the white elephant gift exchange it is crazy to me to see how adult my kids are, time marches on, next year Taylor will most likely be on a mission, we even started Taylor's mission pool (she hasn't' even started her papers yet). If I thought too long about Taylor being on a mission I would start cry, since that means she wouldn't be with us next year and I would become one of those mothers that post on Facebook "best present ever." referring to a phone call from their missionary. So many friends and family have missionaries out I feel like when we pray for the missionaries it has new meaning since we know so many. We visited with my brothers and sisters laughed and laughed, stayed longer than we normally would and I loved it - all is well!
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| *Boys with their knifes* Karrie, Dyan, Mom and Me (Laura had left)* *Tthe Original 4 Cousins, Ryan, Kyley, Taylor, Austin* Girls with their dolls* |
The first two weeks of the month were crazy busy with my children's end of the semester stuff... Kyley had winter formal she took Caiden looked beautiful and had fun I am so glad she has a good group of friends. She had end of the semester projects so she was quite busy but she finished strong straight A's (we hope 89.6% in Spanish 3 hopefully he rounds) Wyatt had scouts (close to getting his Bear), piano and a choir concert, he sounded great. Ty had a guitar concert and two football playoff games. We had a cold cold cold front move in it was crazy cold. His team finished the season 3rd in their league, they wanted to win it all so 3rd place was a let down, but he learned a lot and bonded with these players and I really liked the parents which was an extra bonus. 
Taylor was still at NAU she didn't get done until the 21st Loren was off so we made a day trip out of it and we all went up to get Taylor. She had to work so we found snow (not hard) and a hill and did a little sledding. We didn't get home until 2:30 am Sunday but we were home my family was all together all was well in my world. At church I looked down the row and we were all together the first time since July and I had tears in my eyes, and with the choir singing and the narrator reading the Christmas story I was over come with emotion - I felt at peace. 
Our kids must have been great because they all got good stuff - Taylor and i-pad, Kyley speaker system, Ty - gun 30.06 Wyatt a Wii-U and lots of little stuff, but I can tell you it wasn't the stuff it was having my family home. We headed out to Loren's mom (now Grandma Cook since she got remarried) and had a wonderful breakfast with more visit time. Home for a nap then off to my parents house for Mexican dinner more cousins and gifts. The cousins are all growing up so fast, and the are all such good friends I hope it stays that way through high school. Taylor and Kyley were old enough to participate in the white elephant gift exchange it is crazy to me to see how adult my kids are, time marches on, next year Taylor will most likely be on a mission, we even started Taylor's mission pool (she hasn't' even started her papers yet). If I thought too long about Taylor being on a mission I would start cry, since that means she wouldn't be with us next year and I would become one of those mothers that post on Facebook "best present ever." referring to a phone call from their missionary. So many friends and family have missionaries out I feel like when we pray for the missionaries it has new meaning since we know so many. We visited with my brothers and sisters laughed and laughed, stayed longer than we normally would and I loved it - all is well!
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