We know how to have a good time!

We have had a wonderful Christmas. Lots of parties and lots of fun. We started out the festivities with a Lauder Family Party(my mom's side) We had a great night at Uncle Jeff's house in Lehi. Stephen had to work and missed the whole party. I was a bit sad he couldn't see our family skit that we preformed. We surprised the group with a synchronized swimming routine . It was hilarious. Me and my brothers; Bracken, Chase and Derek along with my step-dad Brian dressed up with goggles and swim caps and preformed a routine we copied off of YouTube.(look up Summit ward Synchronized swimming) I have a video of it but it is too large to post, so you all will miss out on a good laugh.

On Christmas Eve we traveled down to Provo and visited with Stephen grandpa. We had a nice visit and even danced polka in his living room. Then we stopped at Stephen's dad's house and the kids played with his model train set. His dad then followed us to Leslie's (Stephen's mom's house) were the big party was held. We enjoyed a traditional Swedish dinner, since Leslie's heritage is Swedish. We reenacted the birth of the Savior, complete with costumes. I actually had a part this year when Macy refused to dress up as Mary. Usually I get to be the camera man. The kids enjoy it so much. Stephen enjoys playing the donkey. He just lays there and pretty much goes to sleep after his part about giving the pregnant Mary a ride into Jerusalem.

The kids favorite part is the presents, of course. We open all of our gifts from Stephen's side of the family. It is usually ciaos as the kids run around opening gifts. They all get so excited. Every year Stephen's mom gives the kids matching Pajamas for Christmas night. This year they all got pirate pajamas with gear to match. They all looked so cute dressed as pirates, with hooks, eye patches and tattoos.

We got home around 9:30 on Christmas eve. All the kids having fallen asleep in the car. We tucked them all in and began the "Santa" routine. Stephen insisted on buying all the kids bikes so he put them all together while I filled the other gifts with batteries. Then chase and Brian came over to help with the BIG gift. Out in the backyard in the snow, they built the kids trampoline until 12:30 in the morning. It was quite the undertaking and they all had sore arms the next day from stretching the springs.


Christmas morning was fun. Aiden seemed disappointed in his gifts until he noticed something out in the backyard. That cheered him up. Macy and Asher love their bikes and do you think that dreaded Snowplow that I went a hunting for was even touched. NO! So much for trying to get something Asher really wanted.






We started an ornament tradition last year where each person gets an ornament that represents their year. Stephen and I got one that says, University of Utah, because he started school in 2008. Aiden started Kindergarten and Asher got a lightening McQueen car because of his big 3rd birthday and it was his favorite movie. Macy thought hers was a cookie and tried to eat it, but hers was a little girl talking her first steps and then I added a cast to one leg.


Around 11 we made it over to my mom's for a nice breakfast and more presents. The kids were pleasantly surprised by the new playroom my mom and Brian put together for them. They repainted the room, and hung a wall length mural on one of the walls. They bought new toys like a kitchen set with all the gadgets and a tool bench. Asher played in there ALL day until we went to family dinner at aunt Carries house at 5:00.

The next day we got back together with my side of the family and went bowling with Megan's side of the family. (chases fiancee). It was fun to meet her family and we all went out to Applebees afterward.

Then on Saturday we drove up to my dad's house in Whitney Idaho. They had 16 inches of snow and we had a relaxing time. (The roads were horrible the whole way up.) The boys all went out snowmobiling and sledding on the farm, and the girls just watched movies and relaxed.

So our Christmas was a wonderfully long drawn out affair, which I love. We are now preparing for our New Years Eve party here at our house tonight. Nothing too exciting, everyone leaves by 10:00 pm. We are using Christmas gifts and making gourmet paninni sandwiches, virgin margaritas and a yummy chocolate fountain. Everyone's Welcome!