Merry Christmas to Us All

We hope that all of our readers enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did. Of course there a literally hundreds of photos, but I have limited myself. I thought I would highlight the grands. As part of our Christmas Eve extravaganza, we dressed the kids and tried to pose for our own nativity. We had mixed success, but there is no question that Kate and Drewfy took their parts very seriously.



This is one of two angels that were present. She was happy to be loose and moving around, all through the exercise. She is a happy little girl who, for some unknown reason, likes her Poppy.



Leondis took his part seriously. He really made some progress on walking while he was visiting. He seems to get more confidence daily. Of course he kept his hat on through the entire exercise, a testament to good hat-training in the home.



Lydia was a beautiful as ever. She makes the perfect angel. She just visited Stacia in St. George, and her hair looks it. She is a third generation Stacia client from our family.



Here is tall, grown up, shepherd Jake. He is getting very mature and we are not sure how much longer he will cooperate at these events. He turned 10 this month.



One of the favorite gifts received was this Little People doll house, being played with by two little Eves people. Leondis was really interested in this one. He shouted boy sounds into every room of the house. Evelyn shared, but not entirely willingly.



The other favorite gift was given by Booty to his family. Laur got her own SLR and can't wait to shoot some photos. She is a great photographer, so we are pleased at the prospects.

Buboppy

Getting Ready for Christmas

Our days this week have been filled with preparations. Both Bubby and I are working until 1:00 PM each day and then finalizing our Holiday planning. There is still a little to do, but we are working our listing and checking off the events.

It has been fun to have Booty and Laur visiting. We love being around Leo. He is the happiest baby, and never ceases to entertain us. We went to Bruno's last night for a bite to eat and even though he is starting a cold he was flirting with anyone who passed.

Daniel had a work crisis yesterday. His work computer decided to pass into the great cyber-beyond. It was actually a three-year old, cascaded (previously used), iMac, so no big surprise about its untimely demise. After quite a bit of discussion, the decision was made by his department chair to order a new one. Hope it gets here in time for him to work out the bugs. Classes start on January 4th. I recommended that he buy himself a terabyte external hard drive and get real familiar with the workings of Time Machine. That program takes the crisis out of these events.

Babsy and company will be migrating northward today. I hope the snow is over by the time they head this way. Things will be rocking and rolling once they arrive. Beany is on the hook to make us paella this evening. Bubby just can't seem to get enough of that delicious yellow rice, chicken, and vegetable dish. Beany's version is top notch.

In case we don't get an opportunity to write again before Christmas, here is a shout out to all of readers for a "Merry Christmas." May the blessings of the season and the knowledge of the redeeming mission of our Savior make this celebration memorable for all.

Buboppy

Visitors from Down Under

The last couple of days, we have had visitors from Australia. Jeff, Peta and Olivia (pictured above) have been staying with us while they visit southwestern Utah's national parks and monuments. We meet them when we were in Fremantle, and during our last trip we plotted this visit. Peta is doing a semester abroad this spring, and squeezing in a little vacation before that happens. This is Olivia and Jeff's first visit to the States.

We have had so much fun visiting and hanging out. Olivia is ultra polite and really enjoyed having a home base where she could just relax and play instead of being in a car seat and motels. Jeff is a "crib" master, and schooled me 3 out of 4 games. I am hoping for a rematch sometime soon.



This morning, they packed up and headed south. They are going to overnight in Las Vegas (Jeff used to deal in a casino) and then drive down to Las Angeles where they will catch a plane for Minnesota and Uncle Larry. Of course Larry introduced us to Jeff and Peta in the first place. After spending Christmas with Larry and J, they will ride a train back west to begin their semester abroad. We are very jealous of the train trip. I think we will try that sometime.

It has been so great visiting with them. Glad we had a chance to see them again.

Buboppy

Temple Square Christmas Program

Sorry it has been so long, but this week has been unbelievably busy for me. As you know from other sources, we were in SLC last weekend. I was part of a very interesting meeting with a highly placed executive in IHC on Thursday morning. We left our house a little after 5:00 AM, and were on time for the 9:00 AM meeting, despite the morning traffic. You will remember that the end of last week was unseasonably cold! We watched the outside thermometer in our car all the way, and the record holder was Nephi. When we rolled through there before sunrise, the temperature was an astounding -20 °F. Needless to say, we didn't stop to stretch our legs.

While I was meeting, Bubby was in the temple doing initiatory work from the Dutch lines. When she got that done, she walked across the mall to the R.S. building. She wanted to look at some posters on display there. They provide some enrichment ideas. I joined her when I finished, and had a pleasant conversation with three volunteers who all had children/grandchildren who were attending, had attended, or wanted to attend SUU. I passed out copies of my business card, and did my promotional piece. Bubby was smiling the whole time. My role at the institution seems to be moving much more into a PR phase.

We had lunch in the JS Memorial building (Nauvoo Cafe) and Bubby found some nativity sets she wanted at Deseret Book. We drove to Babsy's to see the kids and wish her a happy birthday. We did dinner together, and then Bubb and I stayed at an SLC hotel for the evening (courtesy of the Utah State Legislature).

On Friday, afternoon, I had another meeting. This time at the Utah State Office of Education on 5th South. We enjoyed the loose schedule, but spent most of it with Babsy and the kids. That night, we took Jakey and Kate with us overnight. For Jake's birthday, Bubb wanted to show him a good time. Because it was our nickel, we stayed at Bubb's (and Jake's) favorite, the Little America. We had a nice garden room with a couple of queen beds. We headed to Temple Square for dinner on the 10th floor of the JS Memorial building, and walked around a little. We rode Trax to, and from, so I am sure the kids had fun. However, it was butt-cold. I was glad we had brought heavy coats for everyone.

Early Saturday morning, we were awakened to sirens right outside our window (on 5th South). Bubb got up to snoop (you know, "Who lawsee, I wonder what that is!"), grabbing a pair of glasses off of the night stand. All the noise turned out to be SLC's version of "Shop with a Cop", an annual good deed involving fire and law enforcement throughout the state.

Bubby got back into bed and read. About 30 minutes later, I wanted to get up, and started looking for my glasses. I looked high and low, but could not find them. Bubb rolled over, shining her flashlight on the subject (Jake and Katie were still sleeping). She said, "There they are," and I replied, "Those are yours." Of course it was only then that Bubb realized that she had been wearing my glasses for nearly an hour. As we began to laugh out loud at the situation, it all came clear. No wonder the view out the window was so blurry. No wonder she couldn't read properly while wearing the glasses. No wonder they didn't fit over her ears. We laughed so long, that we eventually woke up the Grands. Just another amusing episode in the lives of a couple of queekers.

Saturday night we were invited to dinner and the performance of the Mo Tab with guests Natalie Cole and biographer David Mccullough. It was a lovely occasion, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Uncle Rol and Auntie Nell made the arrangements for us. We never thought we would get an opportunity, so thanks to them.

On Sunday AM, we rose early and drove home. We wanted to be in Cedar City in time for our 1:00 PM choir practice. Of course it was snowy on our drive, but the further south we went, the better the conditions. The worst spot was Scipio pass, which hadn't been plowed. By the time we crested the summit, we were doing about 10 mph! Of course, there was snow to shovel at home, but we made the practice.

I am sure that there are other photos to be included in this post, but I don't have them here, so that will have to wait. We will leave our readers with an earnest wish for a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. (Photo credits go to Uncle Rol).



Buboppy

Dutch Christmas

On Saturday, we spent a good part of the morning getting ready for our annual Dutch Christmas celebration. Kudos to Jodie for making the arrangements and hatching the plan. Our festivities began with the annual Children's Storybook Cavalcade on Main Street in Cedar City. I got this shot of Alyssa, wrapped in a blanket because she insisted it would not be cold enough for a coat. Of course a girl from the North Country has thick blood, and it was probably in the mid-forty's in the sunshine, but every time the breeze blew, you were reminded of what the calendar says.



I couldn't get Dallin to cooperate for a photo, but he was also there to see the parade.



Here is Ducky John, ready for some fun. It was a great day to be in Cedar City.



I couldn't resist a few photos of some of the characters that we know are favorites of family who could not be in attendance. These three guys posed for a shot, and we thought of our Jake who just read this book.



Of course everyone loves Dora, and she was resplendent in her backpack.



Dopey looked great and was actually in the parade several times. He gave all of our kids a wave and smile.



Rudolph even stopped by for a high five and a wave. The parade gets better every year, and I could tell that the little ones really enjoyed this year's version.



My photos of the actual Dutch Christmas celebration are spotty. I was spending too much time helping with the meal. I did get this photo of the group playing with the giant ball that Josh brought along. They enjoyed this.



One of the games required that everyone take off their shoes. Of course that was Miss Evelyn's cue. She does have a serious interest in shoes, and socks. Here she gives her most winning smile as I catch her trying on everyone else's shoes. She was more entertaining than most of what was going on.



One happy photo of Mom and Little Girl. I just love the way Evelyn throws her head back and gives it her best smile.



Uncle Jim told an unabridged version of Sinter Klaus and Swarte Pete. His delicacy in telling certain parts, like the race of Pete, was much appreciated by some.



This final photo shows Sint's White Horse, played by Kat, Sint himself, that's Josh's Eric, and a lively Pete, played by Cado. It was a grand evening, enjoyed by all who participated. Thanks to Jodie for setting it all up. Our family is so big now we will likely always have to use a cultural hall for these occasions.

Buboppy