Well we just don't have anything much going on!  Sorry to not have exciting things to report.  We are still doing English and will be so happy when it's done, but I have finally gotten used to preparing early so it's not such a strain and agony to go.  This is part of the class.  The couple in the middle is the couple from Iran--Mozhan and Monsour who have been with us the longest.

We decided that to get to know the couple from our ward that works in the temple on Wednesdays I should start working there now.  So I told my supervisor that I was switching to Wednesday mornings and will start this week.  Preparing the English lesson days early makes that possible.  When we quit the English class we will be driving alone so we can stay and do a session as patrons so we won't be driving with that couple anymore.  They are super nice and we are happy to get to know them better.

We also decided that we will be more social and so went to the "Empty Nesters" FHE this month.  It was also a lot of fun getting to know more people and feeling more like we belong.  

Aaand then we went to the High Priest's Christmas White Elephant Gift Exchange this past Friday.  They held it this month because the Christmas season is too crowded.  It was also fun and we got to know people better.  This is a nice group of people our age and there were some pretty crazy gifts exchanged.  We brought home an actual little white rattan elephant in a pretty bag and a beautiful jeweled purse from India.  And you know that it will go to Heather, right?

Could have been a lot worse.  There was a toilet seat, a voodoo practice kit, and an actual deer leg with camo painted hoof that was a liquor bottle cover.  That was pretty gruesome.  They said sometimes there is a little gift that when you open it there is a note that says, "your gift is in the garage!"  and it's a broken bicycle or no good lawnmower, etc.  Those awful things are repeats that come back every year.

This week we have New Beginnings in YW for which I will make cherry crisp for 60 people.  I'm so happy to do it.  Originally we were supposed to have 60 little cherry tarts.  I couldn't imagine making 60 little tart shells and transporting them to the church safely.

We are looking forward to seeing people when we come for Atticus' baptism the second weekend in April and also seeing Colin when he comes the end of the school year.  He will be coming to stay with us while he makes arrangements to settle in Austin and start school there!! We are so looking forward to seeing everyone.

There hasn't been a lot going on for us.  It was so good to see everyone for the holidays and then there was a little let down.  We put away the Christmas things.  I didn't get a picture of the angels that we put up over the tv on our tall slanted wall.  They all fit!  It was so good to see them out again with the checked stockings.  They brought back happy memories.

I relaxed and read and Dad got busy with the year end/year beginning business:  got the cars inspected and registered, income tax started, homeowner's exemption applied for so our tax will be less next year.

Susan and I had raked the back yard of all the leaves and gathered up 6 bags.  Dad and I raked half the front and got another 2 bags and he took all of them to the dump.  Feels cleaner inside my head somehow to have them all gone.

Friday Dad took me for a little ride to a stand by the road where a guy was selling pecans.  He bought me 10 pounds!  It was my Christmas present.  Should last for a long time.  I love that he remembers that I love them and even if he doesn't even like them he is willing to get them for me.  He's a nice man.

Another thing that I really like is that he is going to the temple with me every other Thursday.  He isn't able to sign up for the Thursday shift because he is busy at the peanut butter cannery every other Thursday, but he is willing to go with me when he's not assigned there.  So this week he went and it was so nice to have him there.  He means to study Spanish (when he isn't needed to serve on the shift) so he can serve the Hispanic patrons, but there was a brother missing and the coordinator asked Dad to fill his spot so he served mostly all day doing what needed to be done.  He did get to study some and  feels good about the Spanish he is learning.  He feels he can almost do what is needed already.

I have been working on some family history.  I have found a new cousin!  She apparently died young because my mom never mentioned her as she was recounting her aunts and uncles.  She is Irene Neal, daughter to John Balas Neal and Sarah Caroline Pegg.  She is listed clearly as a daughter on the 1880 census but somehow we missed it before.  Now we can get her tucked into her family where she belongs.  I'm concerned about the four missing children of Christian Link and Anna.  They apparently died before the family left Russia.  Or they stayed because they were married and settled.  Don't know.  How do we find out?

Did you know some of our family came from Russia?  They aren't Russian, but German.  Apparently they moved to Russia when there was so much political upheaval in Germany.  There is a whole "Germans in Russia" organization so there must have been lots of people that did that.  Maybe they will have some information we can access regarding these lost relatives.

Just 10 more weeks for English class.  Counting down the days.  Then we will switch temple to Wednesday mornings and have the days around the weekend free to make trips to Utah and Illinois and California!  Makes it a lot easier to plan trips to have the ends of the week free.

Wow!  Where to start?  How do I tell about all the fun and happy times we had during these few days?  At the beginning, I guess.  We emptied the shelves that are Matthew height so that he wouldn't be bothered by books and decorations.  The tree the same.  No decorations Matthew height down.  The glass museum empty of glass shelves.  Just a case that he enjoyed standing in to see in the mirror.

We opened our presents early.  Erin and Mike and his family gave Dad the whole set of James Bond movies on Blue Ray and they gave me a Blue Ray player.  Heather sent Dad 6 loaves of wonderful Grandma Sycamore bread and 6 loaves of California sourdough bread.  What a surprise!  It was very welcome!  There is no really good Dad bread here.  Wish I had taken a picture.  She had it packed perfectly.  And she sent me a beautiful set of pictures of herself so I can hang it among her siblings.

Bennetts arrived Wednesday before Christmas.  The Barneys met us at our house and Atticus and Sarah immediately started playing on the swing and tree house.  Atticus spent the night at Barneys and played with Sarah.

During the day of Christmas Eve we went to an impressionist art museum that James wanted to see.  It was very interesting.  It was a private collection from one family.  They had some famous paintings and quite an eclectic collection of all kinds of interesting art and objects.  No pictures allowed.  Outside the museum was an ancient old tree that was art itself.

Later in the evening Christmas Eve we all went to Barneys and had their usual seafood dinner with shrimp and scallops.  Bennetts spent the night there so they could all wake up to their toys together Christmas morning.  Dad and I went over to see what Santa brought to everyone later that morning.  In the afternoon we had dinner together here.  Atticus got a wristwatch telephone that he could call his parents from whenever he wanted.  And they could call him.  Atticus spent the night again with Sarah and called his parents during the evening.  We went to lunch Saturday on the waterfront and had a good visit.

Evanses arrived Saturday afternoon and the fun started all over again.  The kids loved seeing each other and played and played outside.  The weather was still holding so that it was pleasant.  Dad made a fire in the outdoor fireplace and the kids played in the tree house while the adults visited.  It was cute that Alice came in to tell her mom that GP had made a fire just in case maybe that wasn't okay.  :o)

Sunday we had everyone for dinner and had a great time together.  Lara brought a huge bowl of  delicious fettuccini Alfredo and we provided chicken strips and veggies for everyone.   Evans kids got to join in the fun.  Barneys had some cots that worked well for the kids spread out in the front room all together.  They did actually sleep.

Monday we went to the gym with Lara and I got almost crippled for the next few days from walking longer than usual on the treadmill.  Then Bennetts went to Galveston but Atticus went with the Evanses to the children's museum downtown.  Dad and I stayed home to watch Matthew as he took his nap.  I went grocery shopping while Dad watched Dr No and enjoyed it.  Lara and Sarah came over that evening and watched some Pixar shorts for FHE with us all.

Tuesday we girls went to the temple and then investigated the two cemeteries where my dad was buried and my mom's parents are buried.  It was a cold and wet day.  James went to see the movie he had been wanting to see in 70mm (Hateful Eight) with Jon.  Bobby and Dad stayed home to babysit and wait for the dishwasher to come and be installed!!  They watched the Minions movie that Bobby hooked up to the tv with his computer.  When we got back from the cemeteries there was the dishwasher in all its glory!  Yay!  And it works like a dream!  It's perfectly quiet and it cleans perfectly.  I love it!  Thank you all for helping us get it.

In the evening Dad and I went to get Erin at the airport while Susan and Heidi made paninis for dinner.  It was glorious to see Erin.  Everyone was so happy to have her here.  We stopped in to Barneys to let them welcome her and then came and got Alice and took her to Sarah's girl party that she had planned.  Atticus hung out with Sam then too.

Wednesday Dad went to the temple to work for a brother that had subbed for him at Thanksgiving.  That was the day we had planned a girls' day out with Alice and Sarah.  All the women and girls went to lunch at Zio's Italian food.  It was a good place with lots of time to talk and visit.  The food was delicious and we loved being together.  After lunch we came home and decided not to go go-carting because the weather was cold and wet.  We decided on a jumping place that turned out to be perfect.

It was two huge rooms full of blow-up toys for all the kids to play on.  This is a challenging one that they all mastered.  You can see Atticus at the top and Alice at the bottom.  Matthew even had a place that he could enjoy plus just wandering around and trying out everything,

James didn't want to be in the picture and Matthew was tired.  They all had a good time together.  I loved how they looked out for each other and played together.

Thursday morning the Bennetts left to go back home.  So sad.  But it was really good to get to see them as much as we did.  Atticus and Sarah and Robert and Alice had had such a good time together.  I hope they remember how much they all loved being with their cousins.

New Year's Eve we had a PARTAY!!!  Barneys came over and we ate and drank and played games and everyone stayed up late.  Poor Sam had had his wisdom teeth out Wednesday and so wasn't feeling up to much party so he and Mary and Jon went home early to rest and Lara and Sarah stayed to see in the new year with us.  Evanses had brought honkers and tweeters and poppers that we got to use at midnight!  The kids loved it.

Then New Year's Day the Evanses left to go back home.  It was hard to see them go.  Nice to get together but sad to end it.  What a good time it was.

But we still had Erin!  After going back to bed for a while we got up and watched two James Bond movies.  Dad wanted to see Goldeneye and Erin wanted to see Casino Royale.  Then Barneys had invited us over to have dinner.  Lara fixed a beautiful ham and we brought funeral potatoes and veggies.  We shared all the goodies we had left over from the party and had a nice evening together.  We played a new card game Lara had called Dutch Blitz.  Dad and Jon watched Sam play Grand Theft Auto on their big tv.  When we came home we watched Quantum of Solace.

Saturday morning we watched Skyfall and then went to IKEA to get some kid cups.  I didn't have any for the kids to drink from while they were here.  A little late, right?  But we will have them from now on.  After IKEA we went to a late lunch at Tin Roof Barbecue and it was FABULOUS!  Erin and Dad said they were almost the best ribs they had ever had and they had a delicious broccoli cheese rice side that I loved.  So now we know where to go when anyone comes to visit again.  Dad had wanted to go to Pappa's bbq that Sean had tried when they came out, but it was closed!  What a disappointment!  But Tin Roof was great.

After lunch we took Erin to the airport and left her.  Bummer.  Now we are two again.  It was so much fun to have everyone visit.  It filled the house with noise and fun and joy.  It's quiet now, but we are used to quiet.  Dad settled down and watched Living Daylights and I did indexing.  Then we watched an old Sherlock and went to bed.  Back to normal. So...when are you coming again?