Then we had our white elephant gift exchange. There were piggies and makeup and mice, oh my. Yes, those are two real living and breathing baby mice. Ew. Grandpa picked them up first, but of course Colin took them on his turn. He handed me the box with the mice in it and said, "Uh, Mom, were gonna need a cage for those!" Thank you, Darci for taking them far away from me and my irrational fear of teeny mice. 
Of course, we read Luke 2, sang some hymns and had a powerful reminder of what Christmas is truly about. People headed home just in time to miss the big storm.
Christmas morning was magical with the kids. Santa found our house and boy, did he do a good job! Daddy lined up the kids at the top of the stairs, youngest to oldest, and turned on all the lights and the camera. The kids came downstairs and found the loot - they were just as excited about what the others got as they were about what they got. We spent the morning surrounded by littlest pet shops, HSM dolls, tanks, potato heads, lincoln logs, and princesses. Even Mommy got hooked up (thanks, dear :) Even though the weather was frightful, Grandma and Grandpa Pulsipher popped in for fun visit! 
We got ready and headed over to the Heuglys for more fun. It was really fun to see everyone! We started out with a fantastic lunch that was NOT potluck - that was Sue's gift to us girls. We migrated downstairs for the gift exchange that was highlighted with cute blocks, baby cradles, ponchos, and leg-warmers. Oh yeah. And that was just the beginning. It was fun to watch the kids (and the grown-ups) enjoy the fun. We settled down to some game playing and the sister-in-laws even got a couple of games in. A Christmas miracle! :) We got home exhausted, but thrilled with a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day. 
Don't worry, we're not done playing yet. But I have to hurry and post this so I can make it to my next party....
We saw a tree made out of blown glass. There were lights inside and they were synchronized with music. It was pretty cool... 
We saw the, the, the,.....THE GRINCH!!
We saw many beautiful trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, and decorations. We even had some of their yummy scones.. (thanks Grandma :)...
But the best part was the spirit of the whole event. We know that all the proceeds go directly to Primary Children's Hospital and all the trees are decorated and donated by companies, organizations, and individuals. When the trees are sold, they come with everything surrounding the tree. We saw more then one x-box, plasma t.v., wii, standing fireplaces, kitchen tables, rocking chairs, toys, books, ... you name it. The generosity of these donors was astounding!
Friday night was Mom's night out with a couple of kiddos. We have Jazz tickets and Joe usually takes the kids. This time, it was my turn. We hit a major traffic jam, but luckily I thought the game started at 7:00 (it started at 8:30), so instead of being an hour late, we were a half-hour early. After nachos, drinks, and the human slinky at half-time, we headed home. Of course, we had to get some ice cream on the way. Jazz game = ice cream. Always.
Saturday the fun continued. We went to see Bolt with Grandma and Grandpa Heugly. Since we went to the wrong theater, the kids had a chance to sing some songs and perform to an empty room :) But we got to the right theater in time to find great seats. There were 9 of us, only three chairs to spare in our row.
It was a cute show, very clever. The kids really liked it and when we got home, they immediately went to go play with Milo. It made them appreciate their dog that much more!
We had breakfast for dinner, dancers, and the whole Polar Express show performed live for our entertainment. Koko sang with a boy in our ward and it was absolutely fantastic... and when I figure out how to post the video, you can see for yourself. 
Of course, Joe helped out as Santa's helper and gave out the first gift of Christmas to our dear Stake Patriarch. Santa then passed out wooden train whistles to all the kids, he was a hit!
The Spirit was right and we were able to celebrate the real reason for this holiday season.
Thanksgiving was a great day!! After a lazy morning, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Pulsipher's house. There were 24 of us for dinner, a small crowd by Pulsipher standards, but it there was just enough chaos to keep it interesting. The weather was nice so the kids played outside for a while. 
Dinner was a huge success - we had all the trimmings: turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, yams, rolls, green beans, fruit salad, veggie trays, crackers and dip, cookies, cranberry sauce, all kinds of pie... It was wonderful!! It only took three tables to get everyone seated, and we each got our own cornacopia filled with treats (thanks Grandma!). 
It was so fun to see brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and a few neighbors. We were even able to talk to some of them on the phone. We sure missed those that weren't able to come!
Cheryl brought supplies to write letters to our family missionaries, Jesse and Mitch. The kids had a blast with all the fun paper, stickers, crayons, scissors and glue. The letters turned out really cute, and our Elders will know that we are thinking of them. 
Of course, every holiday needs a good sleeping picture. Camri dozed after sitting on daddy's lap for about a minute. Gotta love that tryptophan, it knocks the kids right out (and some of the parents). 
We had a great time with the Pulsiphers!! When things started to wind down, we decided to head over and say hi to the Heuglys. The boys got to play Risk and the girls got to watch the kids :) (and Errand of Angels - if you have ever wondered what it's like for a sister to serve a mission, especially in Europe, watch this show. It was eerie how similar it was to my own experience!) 
It was an amazing, fun-filled, tiring day! Of course, when I got home, I had to take advantage of some of the online Black Friday deals. Good stuff. We took Friday to relax and take advantage of Joe's day off. We even hit a few stores just for fun. I think we bought three things. Hey, we gotta do our part for the economy.
Thanks Ethan and Amy for officially kicking off the Christmas season with a bang!!
to this, BYU being forced off the field as soon as they started the traditional Haka dance. So rude.
Go Cougars!!!
