Christmas 2008 - Pt. 2

More slideshow- here's part two of the Richardson Family Christmas 2008 - Utah edition.

Our aunts and uncles all slept over with us at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and everyone was up by 7:30 to open gifts. Santa had been there to fill our stockings and leave us a few gifts - everyone's gift count was in single digits this year, it was all good stuff.

Harriet only asked for three things - new Ugg-style boots (yes, even in So Cal kids at her school wear them), a skateboard, and a new red digital camera. She got all that plus a new dress from Old Navy, crocheting kit and book from crocheter-in-residence grandma, a new pink Webkinz pig, and hair accessories.
Jack got a Ripstick (skateboard-style board), some DS & Wii games, some board games (Apples to Apples, backgammen/Chess, Monopoly) and a book or two.
Henry got a lego Darth Vader, many pixos (he's already made a whole gallery full of finished products), a robe he really wanted for some reason, and a Wii game to share with his brothers.
Jed got a Star Wars stormtrooper Clone helmet (don't ask) and a lot of legos, plus a Wii game to share with his brothers.

Watching the kids and being surrounded by family on a beautiful chilly Christmas morning was the best part for me.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I hope your holidays have been the happiest!

Christmas 2008 - Part one

Our Christmas celebrating started last Sunday with dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's in Laguna Beach along with our California cousins and Uncle Mike visiting from snowy Minnesota. After dinner we attempted a nativity scene, and then got right to the gifts!
Before handing out the "serious" gifts Grammy Ann had arranged a fun White Elephant gift exchange for everyone to participate in.

When everyone was finally satisfied (?) with their take, it was time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and head home to pack for our vacation to Utah!

Due to weather concerns, we left mid-day Monday and spent the night in St. George.

Luckily we were able to make it up to Salt Lake the next day with no real road concerns, just in time for Christmas Eve!

Here is a slideshow of the first half of our Christmas 2008, with our family in California ( and St. George)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tune in tomorrow for part two - Christmas in Utah!

Live Action

While we're "home" for the holidays (visiting Utah) and surrounded by tech savvy folks in my family (mostly extended family, thanks Spence & Sarah!) I'm figuring out some new tricks for the old blog.

First up: video!

Henry and Jed's second favorite place in the Coe backyard (after the pool, natch) is on the mega-bouncy trampoline. Usually I try not to watch them jump tandem for fear of heart-failure (mine) because they are mostly fearless. Here's a short clip of them doing front flips and somehow not cracking their skulls together.

Enjoy!

Running Cross Country

Pete and I try to make sure that the kids are always involved in extra-curricular activities, such as soccer, baseball, gymnastics, piano or something else which takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. Or, as Pete puts it "they need to be doing something". For the past few months Jack has been participating in a cross country workshop, which has mostly consisted of learning how to warm-up, stretch, pace, cool-down, etc. while being a runner. Jack has been joining Pete on a few runs lately, and when the opportunity to participate in this workshop came up, Jack seemed excited about it, as were we. Cross country was one of Pete's high school sports , did I mention he holds the record at Upland High School for being the 14th fastest runner (in something) in the school's history (as of 1987)? I have the plaque to prove it, I'm sure his record still stands....

Anyway, today for the final class they held a cross country meet, the first one that Jack has taken part in. We all came to the chilly park to cheer them on.


Here's Jack getting ready to run, wearing a new white hat representing the LF (Lake Forest) which he has just won. (no, not in a race, but in a warm up game of Sharks and Minnows)

While waiting for Jack's division (aka the "orange" division) to run, the little boys play at the park

Jed just hanging out

Henry jumping

Jack's group was the last to run today, here they are ready for the starting siren

and they're off!

The course was about 2 kilometers, or about 1.2 miles around the park.
Jack was a steady second the entire time - well ahead of the rest of the group, but well behind the number one kid.

Coming into the final stretch, cheered on by grandpa and grandma.
It's all downhill from here!

Arriving second at the finish line, with a time of 11:14.
Great job, Jack!!

Getting a congratulatory hug and head pat from some of his biggest fans

with his proud mom and dad
(notice there are still runners coming in behind us)

the awards ceremony - getting his medal

a picture with his group
(the kid in yellow was the first place runner)

a medal, a new hat, and a slice of pepperoni pizza for a job well done

Snow on them thar hills

Saddleback Mountains, Orange County, today

Thank you Grammy Ann...

for taking us to see The Nutcracker!



Love,
Abbie, Harriet, Kenzie, Jack, Henry, Jed & Porter

Santa with Breakfast

Last Saturday morning was Breakfast with Santa at our ward. Since as a member of the primary presidency I was in charge of coordinating and executing this event, the whole morning was a blur. A successful blur, but a blur nonetheless.

Breakfast with Santa is a tradition in our little ward, and every year the kids look forward to sitting on Santa's lap and getting a photo. Okay, usually my kids don't want to go anywhere near Santa's lap, but its more convenient and cheaper then going to the mall. Plus, there is breakfast!

Here are the photos.

First, the breakfast:

How does one mix up 25 lbs of Krusteaz pancake batter you may ask?
With one bishop, his paint mixer, and a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot of course.

Seems like Pete and his pals were just serving up pancakes for the Fourth of July breakfast now doesn't it? Boy, time sure flies.

Jack and Harriet were a great help to me this morning - they were first in line for the food! (not pictured: Harriet at Jack's left)

The twins like to help cook the pancakes as well, and through the power of nepotism, they get to!

Jack and the Red Spatula (sung to the tune of "Rudoph the Red Nosed Reindeer")

Harriet at the griddle

And here's the Santa:

(actually our Santa comes with a Mrs. Claus - I cropped her out of a lot of the photos that I emailed to people. Don't tell her)

Harriet

Jack & Santa

I think this is the first year that Henry went up voluntarily and took a picture with Santa.
He's either usually standing way off to one side, or being contained by someone who's sitting close to Santa. Go Henry!

And Jed, who was most doubtful that "Santa would know what Target to go to to get the Lego set I want"

And finally the whole family, struggling to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas (getting a good family photo, no?) I think by this point Mrs. Claus was exhausted and had fallen asleep. Shhh kids....

My many thanks to everyone who helped out and made this event a well attended, wonderful success! (although I doubt any of them even read this blog....)

ALOHA!

Every year our ward's awesome Activities Committee (aka The Phelps) put together a fun, festive Adult Ward Christmas Party. The ward party is always adults only, no kids allowed. Every so often someone will bring up the idea of having a family Christmas party, but that is quickly shot down, it being made very clear that there is a small but vocal contingent in the ward which wants a nice festive seasonal party with absolutely no children represented in any way. That, they argue, is what Breakfast with Santa is for.

So every year the Phelps put together a Saturday evening party complete with a delicious dinner and an entertaining show, which always adheres to some sort of theme. A few years ago it was a Christmas village, with snow covered house facades glowing with lights and candles in the windows, fake snow all around, glowing lamposts, candy cane and gingerbread decorations, cozy lighting and traditional fare. Jokes, carols and a variety show were the entertainment.

Last year it was Journey to Bethlehem, with the set up being like an ancient middle eastern market - large cut out camels hung on the walls, along with three bright stars in the distance. The food was served from different stalls ringing the cultural hall, complete with striped awnings, and baskets of breads, cheese, fruits to choose from - soup in bread bowls was the main dish. The entertainment was an exchange of the gifts we brought bearing, a sort of white elephant.

This year we enjoyed Christmas in the islands. As we approached the building there was a line of lit tiki torches stretching along the sidewalk up to the front entrance. In the main foyer there were greeters wearing traditional hawaiian shirts and grass skirts, saying "aloha" and slipping flowered leis and shell necklaces over our heads. We paused for a photo with the oversized tiki totems and palm fronds.

Inside the tables were decorated with edible fruit centerpieces and there was a tiki bar complete with fancy flower straws in your fruit punch

The food was roasted pork sandwiches on sweet hawaiian rolls, teriyaki chicken and rice, salads of every variety and desserts made with coconut.

The entertainment was the definite highlight. A Polynesian dance group from Garden Grove known as "Tekurio Nui", complete with drummers, callers, singers, hula and other dancers performed, raising the roof for most of the evening.

The dancing was more Tahitian and Samoan than traditional hula (not that I know anything about any of that really) but it was very fast paced and active, not slow and flowing like hula seems to me. There were several different groups of dancers, including one of three little girls about 10 years old, and an obviously pregnant woman in a one shouldered sarong dress doing a slower hula dance, ironically while a man and his ukulele played "White Christmas". It was so fun to watch them all.

Of course at one point in the evening the bishopric was pulled up on stage by the amazing dancers and "taught" to dance - Peter was dreading it, but was a very good sport.

He was really pretty good, actually.

Little Miss Enchilada

.

Tonight Harriet made enchiladas for dinner.

She used this recipe

from this cookbook

She made them with this sauce

and put them in this pan

spooning filling onto sauce-soaked tortilla

dipping and arranging them all by herself

We ate them with green salad, Spanish rice & chopped avocado
(well, Pete and I did. The kids ate cheese quesadillas, ham cubes from Sunday's ham, and vegetables dipped in ranch dressing)

Definitely delicious!!