Christmas Holidays and welcoming 2019

Choir Concert

Alex is in the Spanish Fork High School Concert Choir.  His group had joined with the other high school choral groups to present a beautiful Christmas concert.  Their director has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from BYU and was an awesome leader.  The program featured many Christmas carols and other lovely Christmas music.  All of the groups were well prepared and had their music memorized as did the director.

The photo below shows the Combined Men´s Chorus - where Alex is on the second row.

The Grand Finale was Hallelujah! from the Messiah and was beautifully done.  We thoroughly enjoyed the concert!

Peteetneet Train Show

Every Christmas Season for the past 22 years, a local man sets up his model trains at the Peteetneet Cultural Center and Museum for children and adults to come and see.  

We took London and Dex to see the train display and explore the Peteetneet Center which was originally a school.  Afterward we took them out for a fresh donut - it was a fun outing.

A visit from friends from Hawaii

One of the great blessings of our mission was meeting the wonderful people of Hawaii. Brother Barilla served as a temple worker and Sister Barilla came to the temple faithfully each week.  They have a son living in nearby Salem which they came to visit over the holidays.  We invited them to come for lunch and spent an afternoon together.  It was a sweet reminder of the good times and good people  of the island we came to love.

Mickelsen Family Christmas Gathering

Our whole family - except Treygan who is serving a mission - came together on December 23rd. This was the first time we had all been together in over a year and it was a special evening. We began with the grand kids acting out the Nativity while Hal read the story from the New Testament.  We had a donkey, lambs, angels, wise men, and of course, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Below are some photos from the presentation.

After the Nativity, we held a family testimony meeting together. It was a spiritual and special time.

Appetizer Dinner

Violet, Gigi and Dorothy came early and helped me to get the tables decorated and then they made this yummy fruit and cheese tree which was part of our dinner.

Our dinner of Appetizers featured shrimp, cheese balls, Chinese gyoza, pork, seeds and mustard, artichoke and ranch dips, veggies, fruit, little smokies in barbecue sauce, baked brie and Swedish Cream, cookies and lots of Hawaiian candies for dessert.
After dinner, we gathered again in the family room to open Christmas gifts.

Preston 2.0 was excited!

Lulu can be very hard to get to smile for a photo!

We were so glad that Jessica, Adam, Gigi and Liam could join us this year!!

We began the gift opening with the youngest family - Conrad, Hailey, Dex and London. It is always fun to see what gifts they give to each other - each family gives presents to one other sibling`s family each Christmas. It is especially wonderful to see the expressions on our grandchildren`s faces as they open their gifts.  

The cousins, Aunts and Uncles all have so much fun together and love to be with each other. They can be a crazy, noisy, wild bunch but we feel very blessed to have our family!

After the gifts were all opened, Hal and Allison brought out the flutes and kazoos. One year when our kids were young, we took them out to breakfast on Christmas Eve and then bought some kazoos and walked around on the downtown streets of Caldwell blowing and "kazooing" Christmas songs and carols.  The older kids said they were embarrassed to be a part of our "Kazoo Choir", but they joined in anyway and had fun.  This has become a sort of family legend memory that we have talked about many times.  So this year Hal and I found some Dollar Store plastic flutes and Allison ordered some plastic kazoos from Amazon and the whole family had fun playing and singing and making lots and lots  and lots of noise!!

It was a wild, wonderful, crazy time!!

Even little Lulu loved playing her kazoo!!

Christmas Eve

The morning of Christmas Eve, we went out for breakfast at Denny`s Restaurant.

Of course the kazoos made an encore performance by Hal and Alex

The kids sat at their own table next to the adult table.

Lots of "cousin love"  shown in the following pictures!

Grandma and Grandpa with our own "kazooing" photo bomber!

Alex - our star kazooer!

Christmas Eve Dinner

That evening, we gathered at Allison and Jon`s home for dinner and games.

We enjoyed: ham, potatoes, veggies, jello, and Allison´s yummy homemade rolls for dinner with candy, cookies and other Christmas goodies for dessert.  Hailey, Conrad and Family as well as Adam and Jessica and family were with the
in-laws that evening.

Hal and I brought Doris Fritz who is a widow in our ward that I "minister/teach".  She is a delightful lady who is originally from England but met and married a US soldier and emigrated to America years ago.

Evie is showing Doris one of her toys.

The photographer for the evening shall remain a mystery!

The "White Elephant Game"

Numbers were drawn and the game begins!

Then the choosing and stealing and freezing of gifts ensues! The kids and adults all love this game!

Christmas Day Evening Meal

Lulu showing Violet her "Baby Shark" book that Santa brought her.

For Christmas Day supper we had our choice of 3 kinds of homemade soup: cheese and broccoli, taco soup, and clam chowder.  We also had Allison's yummy rolls, ham and sandwich fixings, a cheese ball and lots of Christmas goodies!!

The Craw`s return and we celebrate the New Year!!

Jessica, Adam and family returned from Layton and their visit with Adam`s family and spent several days with us.  Liam and Dex had a sleep over at our house while Gigi had sleep overs at Tricia`s house.  

These two boys have lots of fun together!

New Year`s Eve at the Thomas Home

The adults feasted on ribs and rolls from Texas Roadhouse, baked potato bar, green salad, and cookies made by Tricia`s friend Kim for dessert.

New Year`s Eve Family Photos

 The older cousins planned a "Kid`s Chinese New Year`s Party" complete with Chinese food, decorations, music, watching the Mulan video and fixing the younger girl`s hair with chopsticks!  They were all so cute!

 Their party was held in Tricia and James partially finished basement.

New Year´s Day at Evan and Kelly`s Home

We gathered for our last Holiday party on New Year`s Day.

Kyra and her friend

We dinned on leftover ribs, green salad, and delicious cheese and chocolate fondue with fruit, marshmallows, cinnamon bears and other dipping treats - compliments of Kelly

 The girl`s had fun playing with crutches at the party.

 
Cousin Fest!!

Our hostess and Grandpa

This is a photo of the stiff, scratchy napkins leftover from Tricia`s New Year`s Eve Party!  She was a good sport with all the teasing!
We had great Holiday Season together as Family with lots of food, games and fun!  Happy memories were made!!
Happy 2019 everyone!!