Christmas!

The weekend before Christmas we went to Booneville for the Hicks' side Christmas party and dirty Santa gift exchange at Aunt Lesia's house with lots of yummy food.  It's not a Hicks' party unless there is a huge spread of food and dessert :)! 

We stayed with Davin's parents that night and did our Christmas with them the next morning.  His parents got the girls lots of great things, but the main gift was a trampoline.  It's a medium size one that's really nice and the girls will LOVE it.   His mom got us each wonderful things as well, but my main one was a new sewing machine!  I was surprised she got me one, but so happy!  I still have a LOT to learn, but I'm excited about it!  After gifts and a yummy lunch with the family, we headed back home.


The next week on Wed the girls and I headed to my parents that morning. It was my mom's bday and I wanted to be there for that.  Davin worked, but was able to catch a ride with Joe since they were spending Christmas in RSVL too!  Since we were going to be there through Monday I felt like I had my whole house in my car, plus the dog :)!  That night we had a family dinner for my mom's bday. 

The next day we met up with Joe and Amberley for an early morning run!  Then we had a few more errands and things to buy for Christmas...so last minute this year!  That night we also went downtown to see the Living Nativity.  Joe and Amberley and her fam (the Bauman's) were all in it that night.  The girls loved seeing the animals and dancing to the music they had playing!
And after that we drove around some neighborhoods and looked at the Christmas lights!  Since I was a little girl my dad would take us on what we called "whole wide world rides".  We would get in our PJ's and drive up and over the hill in our town where you could see the whole town lit up and from a child's perspective it looks like the whole world lit up :) so that's what I called it and that's what it's been ever since.  We always went at Christmas time, but we also went a few other times of the year.  When we went in the summer we would get ice cream.  It is one of those childhood memories that I will always hold on to.

Friday night was our Christmas Eve get together with my mom's side of the family at my Aunt Linda's house.  The food is SO yummy and so are the desserts!  After dinner, we play games and it's a lot of fun.  Wendell comes up with the best games! 

Saturday night we went to the Christmas Eve candle light service at my parents church.  I always look forward to the Candle light service each year.  The girls loved when all the candles were lit!  We went home and watched a Christmas movie.  Perfect way to end the day.
Christmas morning we woke up and let the girls open their gifts from my parents!!  Then we had our Mortenson Christmas breakfast tradition.  My mom found this recipe years ago for these blueberry pancakes with some kind of cream cheese topping.  They aren't your normal pancakes but they are my FAV pancakes, the best ever, seriously!!  My dad cooks the bacon and sausage to go with it.  My brother and I are on the same Holiday schedule so he and his wife were there too!

My sister and her family do Christmas at their house since Zak is 8 and then they come over for lunch.  My grandparents came over this year to cook us lunch.  We had Pop's famous spaghetti and grandma's Asian salad.  Then after lunch once everyone was there, we did our gifts.  Last year we decided to just draw names with my family, but my mom still gets us "stocking" gifts which are so not stocking gifts, ha!  After gifts we played games and just enjoyed each other's company.

We had a wonderful Christmas with family and celebrating the main reason!  Thank you Lord for sending us Jesus so that we can be saved and have eternal life.  What a wonderful gift, the best gift!