2019 New Year's Day Fun

Xela and Aurora were off playing with high school friends most of New Years Eve and Christmas Eve. On New Year's Day, we started the day by playing Carcassonne - a game that takes so much time, we only play it on New Years. It took us three hours and we missed Patience Gaydo's New Year's Day brunch, which is always a tasty treat.

Here is the city that the three of us created
on New Year's Eve (a tradition),
without playing the actual game
(faster this way) 

Then the younger three and I wanted to get out of the house, but getting three kids to agree on one activity is like finding the end of the rainbow. It's not possible.

Finally, after Eric helped the sister missionaries for over an hour at the church, while Nate, Neta and I played in the gym, I decided we were going to go bowling. We grabbed McDonald's on the way and then spent about and hour and a half tossing 8-10 pound balls down lanes. Nate and Neta had bumpers on their lane while Eric, Graigry and I did not. Our lane also encountered technical difficulties so we played two games in the time it took Nate and Neta to play three.

Everyone left with smiles on their faces, even if during their last game they got a gutter ball in every turn. Yep, that was me our last game - should have been on N&N's lane. I think Nate ended up being the one with the highest score overall.

Nate awaiting results

Neta waiting on pins

Hoping for a spare

Pondering her options

"I GOT A STRIKE!!"

Eric waiting to see
how many pins will remain standing

It was good to do something together outside of the house that wasn't work or service oriented. Not that those things are bad, because they're not, but we seem to overload on that and forget that it's important to play as a family as well. Here's to a new year!

Nate's a teenager!!

This year we weren't busy shopping for a car on Nate's birthday, however, it was on a Sunday which, for a Scott kid, may not be the greatest. We had received the usual Gma Hibbert birthday box and had those presents ready to open plus I had purchased Nate a specific Lego he wanted (I had to swing by work to pick it up because I left it in a cabinet) and Gma Scott had something for him. Present-wise things were okay, I guess.

Opening the first present

Rubix on steriods - Have fun with that one, Bud!
(he loves rubix cubes)

Reading instructions hoping for clues
to solving the puzzle

What's inside?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to NATE!!

Now that the day has been celebrated, we need to plan a friend party. Poor kid, with his birthday always during the Christmas break, usually has to wait until school is back in session to get a party organized and people invited.

So happy to have Nate a part of our family. He wants to make others happy and be their friend, is oft times emotional, but that is because his heart is on his sleeve. He's going to do great things. Love you buddy.

(Another six months and I'll have a house full of teenagers! YIKES!!)

Christmas Day

I, of course, was sleeping in. I got a phone call at 7:55 from Nate asking if they could come downstairs. There have been times when we had the living area blocked so they couldn't see what "Santa" had brought. This year there were no big surprises, so sure, they could come downstairs, but they couldn't open anything.

Neta wanted to get Ro new boots because her old ones
were worn out. She's very good to think of other's wants.

Xela looking at Stitch ornaments
(the character from Lilo & Stitch movie)

Nate collects Cars (the Disney movie) cars
Here was a new set from the third movie

Rollerblades for Neta-bear
She's grown out of her other ones
(wish they would stop doing that)

I got Eric his own copy of Ticket to Ride - Rails and Sails
(his new favorite game)

Who doesn't want 10 of their favorite candy bar?

Xela has a new love of rock climbing

She was given a harness. I bought her shoes.

Now she has...

Nate's new winter hat - Mr. Sock Puppet

Opal is unsure of Eric's new slippers

Aurora makes big cookies for her friends
(& other events)
Now she has a "cookie sheet" for her cookies

This Hot Wheel thing I bought on a whim;
Why not? Something to encourage them to play with the
bucket full of cars they already have.

Not a quiet toy

(It soon went upstairs)

Aurora, Xela & Graigry playing Aurora's new game,
VILLIANOUS
A game of Disney villians,
overcoming heroes to obtain their objective

I had hoped for a quiet Christmas morning, without the cousins, aunt and in-laws coming over, and it was what I received. Not that I don't want to spend time with family, but in year's past, it's been a little overwhelming and really, why do we need a crowd to watch our family open presents? The Scotts came over as the hot wheel set was being put together; Miles said it was too quiet at their house - definitely not quiet with that thing going. :)

We opened presents from the Scotts soon after cleaning up our mess and had Christmas dinner over there as well. Afterwards we came home and the kids and I played the "Family Feud" card game that Nate had received from Kimmie. That provided a few laughs for us. I took Nate and Neta out to try on their new rollerblades. Nate, being his first time, was very unsure of himself on wheels and intimidated by the whole situation. Hopefully, once the weather is warmer and if we can find a smooth place to practice, he will get better so that he and Neta will have something else they can do together. We watched the movie Megamind, one of the three that we got for Christmas and a favorite of the kids, at some point during that afternoon. Eric watched the other two movies, with some of the kids off and on, before the day was through.

Overall, it was a good Christmas day. I received a pair of shoes from Neta. She knows the kind I like because we wear the same size and she's worn out two pairs of mine. I call them my Christmas shoes. I got a mug from Xela and and lap computer desk from Ro. The kids did a good job matching their mom with useful/usable Christmas gifts. 

I went back to work for half a day on the 26th and then was off for the rest of the year.

Christmas Eve: Christmas Prep

We (meaning the kids and I because Eric didn't want to this year) watched The Church's Nativity videos depicting the annunciation, shephards, birth, presentation at the temple, the wise men and escape to Egypt. I asked the kids to try to remember that we celebrate Christ, his birth and his gift of redemption during the Christmas season.

Then, as is Christmas Eve tradition, we watched Polar Express. Once kids had all gone upstairs and, in theory, had their eyes closed dreaming of sugar plum fairies, Xela and Eric helped me unload presents from the trunk of my van and get them placed under the tree. Another tradition is our interior white Christmas. I have learned in years past and have remembered to save the snow flakes I've cut out so I don't have to recreate a brand new "snow storm" for the living room. I pulled out the folder and then Xela helped me cut a few more and hang them all. It was fun to have an elf to help me. Eric made a comment about he wished we'd never started this tradition and then Xela mentioned how much she and the kids liked it. That made my heart happy.

My Snow-making Elf

One of our new snowflakes

Finished Product

At midnight, she decided to call it quits and went to bed. Eric helped me fill stockings and then we went to bed. I was excited to see reactions from kids in the morning.

Christmas Eve & Kick Ball

Indiana doesn't seem to understand that Christmas is when the snow is supposed to fall to create a white Christmas. Instead it reverts back to fall and 50 degree weather. That being the case, and with me wanting to do something active/outside as a family, we agreed to play kick ball, a family favorite. Usually we play in the backyard, but it was not in a state which would allow for safe play (doggie presents hadn't been picked up + stomped on ground = smelly, muddy mess) so we went to Ellenberger Park where there was a ball diamond and large grassy field.

We didn't bring bases so my winter cap and Nate's became first and second base and then an unneeded jacket became third. The soccerball wasn't as pumped up as we would have liked, but it worked well enough. We also brought Opal with us. Ro volunteered to be on dog duty and then we took the six remaining Scotts and divided into three teams. Two teams would be in the outfield while one kicked. Xela and Graigry were one team and ended up stomping the rest of us.

Eric awaits the pitch...

...and it's up!

Nate for the pitch to Neta. Xela ready at 1st

"I wanna play!" - Opal

...Neta ready to run home from 3rd

We were going to go grocery shopping after playing, but when we realized the store was closing early, we played another inning. It was good to see everyone playing together and see more smiles than whines and frowns.

Nate reaching for the fly ball

Graigry with the grounder grab
(now if we could only get someone out!)

A momma reindeer on the field

Neta's turn to watch Opal.
The canine caught Neta off guard and slipped away,
running up the hill to the street.
Thankfully the cars saw her, slowed down and we grabbed her.

 When we finished our game, Eric decided he wanted to test Opal's obedience. He went ahead of us, we kept the dog. When Eric reached the base of the hill to the parking lot, he called to Opal and I let the leash go. She ran full speed to Eric. Once there and rewarded with body scratches and "good girl!" I called her back to us. She came running (even knocked me over). "Good girl, Opal!" and tummy rubs, then Eric called her. Off she went as fast as her legs would go. I called her again and then Eric called her one last time. She wasn't running as fast that last time. I haven't taken her for a decent jog in a month, so these sprints were a bit of a shock to her lazy legs. We got a kick out of watching her though.

December Weekend in Utah

My niece, the oldest grandchild on my parents' side, got married on Saturday December 8. Patrice and Grant were flying in together from Texas and so my mom called and asked if I wanted to come. That way all the Hibberts would be together for the special occasion. Who is going to say no to someone buying them a plane ticket for a quick weekend get away? Not this girl.

I touched base with Xela, who is in Rexburg, Idaho, and she began looking for rides down to Salt Lake for that weekend. Everyone descended on Hibbert Headquarters Saturday morning and it was GREAT!! I love spending time with my family.

Xela spent Friday night at Neil's house, eating pizza and watching a movie with her cousins and then drove in with Neil to pick me up from the airport. It was so good to see her and give her a hug!! I'd been looking forward to this weekend for weeks and that hug was one of the major reasons. We were going to wait for an hour until Grant and Patrice got in, but Neil decided to head back to his house to pick up the cinnamon rolls he'd forgotten. His wife, Amy, had made these Cinnabon sized rolls for us to eat and he'd left them. He lives close enough we could take the hour to make a loop for the rolls. Yes, they were that good.

Once four of the seven Hibbert siblings were in Neil's car, he asked if there was anything we wanted to do. The only thing, aside hang out with family, that I wanted to do was to donate at the Giving Machine, which was located on Temple Square. That's where we headed before going to Mom and Dad's.

The machines are located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The lobby is decorated and has this glorious tree as its centerpiece. Someone is playing Christmas songs on the piano the whole time.

There was a line, but it didn't take more than 20 minutes to get to the machine and while waiting, volunteers gave you a sheet of the options so the five of us reviewed and tried to decide what to buy for someone in need. Then it was time to make a selection and get your picture taken.

Which one? Which one?

Xela working her card to pick her item

Donated. Receipt & sticker in hand.
Smiles on our faces

After walking away from the Giving Machine empty handed, Neil and Grant suggested that we ride the scooters around downtown. Xela, Patrice and I had to download the app on to our phones, which Xela and I were able to do without a problem. Trice's phone kept arguing, so she decided to hit the Lion House in search of their delicious baked goods while we found scooters and rolled around Temple Square.

Daily Shot of the Temple
Hibb Sibs + Xela on Temple Square

We went around Temple Square and around the Conference Center block a couple of times, racing up and down the hill on the north side of the Conference Center (thankfully not much traffic, as we were in the street). Xela made us all nervous as she fearlessly zipped down the steep hill on her scooter. I was very glad I had a long coat and gloves because zooming around cutting through the winter canyon winds is a little crispy on the body. We made a stop at Neil's car so he could get his gloves.

Towards the end, Neil lent his scooter to Patrice so she could ride for a bit back to the car and we headed to HQ.

Much more fun wheeling around than I thought

I love that Dad always greets us with a big hug and "Oh! It's so good to see you!" His mom used to do the same thing when we visited them back in the day. Grant, Patrice, Xela and I were crashing at their house for the night, after the wedding so we put our bags downstairs. We went to the back deck and because the Texans hadn't seen snow, Grant and Neil decided to make snowballs and aim at something.

"That sunthing on the fence." I don't know who suggested the terra cotta sun disk, but it took less than five minutes of being home and one accurately aimed snowball to drop the thing and crack it in two. We were all laughing, including Dad who had purchased said item as decor for the fence while Grant apologized for having a better aim than expected.

Grant holding the target of the winning shot.
The fence behind him, that you see over the stairs,
used to be where that hung.

After that snowball sacrifice, more snowballs were created but the aim became a blue water barrel in the back garden (it was already on the ground). There were a couple of hits and then Neil tried to get some snow in the bathroom window which had been left open (Dad likes the crisp air contrast coming out of a warm shower). He was not successful and I don't think Grant dared try.

We had to be at the hotel for the wedding by 5:30 so we had time to chat and snack.

I remember Dad stringing the beads on this tree. It is one of the trees that is in the living room all year long.

Here's a conversation regarding the cinnamon rolls and how Amy was going to get to the wedding: whether or not Neil should go back to Layton and pick her up.

We got dressed up, Matt and Beka were already to go as Beka had to be there earlier than everyone else to play the piano background music, and then went in separate cars (Neil and siblings in one, Mom and Dad in another - at least I think they went together) to Little America Hotel where the wedding took place.

Patrice, me and Grant waiting for ceremony to start

It was a nice ceremony, the groom's vows were super sweet for someone that thought they weren't very good with words. Then there was a dinner (HUGE piece of steak with a large potato and sauteed veggies - delicious), words from the fathers, a game for Kelsey and Jared to play together with onlookers to laugh with them, and then DANCING!! We Hibbert siblings love to dance and jump around together. Some of our favorite memories are dancing in the living room together as kids.

But first, the  eye dropping moment of the night - Mom and Dad got out on the dance floor during a slow song. My dad DOES NOT dance, so a number of cameras were grabbed to catch the moment.

From L-R: Tiff & Corey Wride, Mom & Dad, Matt & Beka
(Tiff is 8 months pregnant)

The dance floor was not that well lit, as you will notice in the following videos of us Hibb Sibbs jamming. In this video, my sister, the very pregnant one, does the Hammer-time thing with Neil.

It's her 12th child, so nothing intimidates or inhibits her in regards to pregnancy.

Us old farts weren't very familiar with this song and were trying to figure out how to dance to this one.

We danced and laughed for three hours - SO MUCH FUN!! Then we met back at HQ for some more visiting before Sunday when everyone had their own congregations to attend. Additionally, Patrice and Grant had to be at the airport by 1:30 and I had to be at the airport at 5:30. Those of us crashing at HQ went to church with Mom and Dad. It was interesting to be in my childhood church building and to see some of the people whose kids I grew up with and who were some of my leaders growing up.

Mom and Dad drove me and Xela to the airport to drop me off before taking Xela back to Neil's house where her ride would be picking her up later. I got another big hug from Xela, a good hug from Mom and Dad as well and then I headed to my gate.

It was a quick trip, but one that I'll remember and treasure for years to come. Hanging out with my family always brings joy to my soul and happiness to my heart. There's a family reunion in July. Time to start saving so we can get the kids out there to play with their cousins. :)

Bring on Christmas Decorations

Scott tradition has held that Christmas decor comes out the Monday after Thanksgiving. I brought stuff over the Saturday after, but we didn't put anything up until Monday. Eric decided he wanted a different tree this year, one that would be easier to hang upside down, that we wouldn't have to rewire to make it hang like it would if it were right side up. That would be nice, but I didn't want to spend money we didn't have, but I also didn't want to have to spend hours working the tree.

Off to Menard's we went. Eric had to order windows for one of the rentals anyway, and they were on sale, so we made a trip of it that Saturday. Got the windows and got a tree that had branches that clipped into place instead of being already connected to the tree ready to fall into place. We were able to take the trunk, flip it and then clip the branches in upside down. That way they didn't droop and I just had to use a little wire to keep the ring of branches in an even circle. It went much faster.

The tree was hung Saturday evening and we were ready to decorate Monday evening. I laid out different ornaments, after putting the lights into the tree, and the kids took turns hanging their ornaments. I didn't try to get all the ornaments on the tree this year, in fact, there were many that stayed in their boxes because I didn't want to have to repack them all. The kids mentioned that there were fewer ornaments up, but the tree looked decorated enough; no one but us would notice.

After an hour of listening to Christmas music and decorating, we had our finished product.

I have a small collection of nativities from over the years. This year, instead of placing them around the house, as we had to do some rearranging of furniture and ended up putting the end tables on top of each other, I set up my own little nativity nook.

My mom got me the knock-off Lego nativity for my birthday, which the kids helped me put together. Next year I'll have a few more to add. :)

Check - Thanksgiving 2018

I took very few pictures of Thanksgiving. In years past we've played volleyball with the Sorenson family in the morning while the turkeys cook, but we didn't coordinate anything this year. We told Karen that we wanted to have dinner at our house because Eric had invited someone else over. I'd purchased a turkey and other dinner usuals as Karen hadn't said anything, and I hadn't asked about it, until a few days before, so I planned to do it all at hour house. When Karen finally did call to ask about dinner plans, I mentioned Eric's invitee and so we had dinner at our house, and we had to have it at one so that Kimmie and Becca could get to their significant others' family dinners.

Time to Eat!!!

Opal: "Can I have some? Please??"

A quick pic of the feast

Dinner felt like a check box. We had it as an extended family because that is what is done. People ate and left and that was it. Eric and his invitee, Dawn, sat at the table and talked while we cleaned up. They sat and talked for four plus hours. I got some bills sorted and the kids asked when Eric was going to be done and if there was something they could do. I texted Teresa Sorenson and asked if they wanted to play volleyball. They were willing and so we met them at the church, which put a stop to Eric and Dawn's conversation because she had to move her car. Eric didn't come play.

We had fun, playing for about 90 minutes with a dodge ball because no one brought a volleyball. Game was a little different this year because there were only four Sorensons and four of us Scotts. Brian and Krystina got to a point where they didn't want to play anymore so it was two tall adults on four short Scotts. We played where you could let it bounce once and then hit it. We Scotts had a good time and I think the adult Sorensons did as well. Mike thanked us for getting them out of the house, which was what we needed as well.

Volleyball has kind of become a Thanksgiving tradition which, I believe, both families enjoy.

Graigry turns 15

Time flies by so quickly. My third born is now 15 years old and I don't know why time goes so quickly.

Graigry had a game night with some friends from Herron over at the Dearborn house the Friday before his birthday, as his birthday was on Sunday. After fast Sunday, instead of dinner at Grandparents' Scott's house, we had dinner at our home: sloppy joes per the birthday request of Graigry. Dinner was the only time I got pictures.

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

Waiting to blow out candles while we sing

Graigry opened a couple of presents and then the festivities were over. Time goes by so quickly. I'm glad they are growing up, but at the same time am terrified that I will have left something undone, unsaid, untaught, unsomething'd and that the kids will not be prepared to face the challenges that lay ahead. Then again, I find comfort in knowing that if they gain and hold tight to their testimonies and trust God in all things, life may be hard, but it will all turn out okay.