WHEW!

Our ward party is over! It was a huge success! We set up 20 tables (with 10 chairs each) and had to set up 3 more tables when everyone arrived! It's so hard to tell how many people are planning on coming. We usually just estimate from the food sign-up list, but that wasn't a good idea this time! We estimated we had 250 people there without counting the committee's families. It was tight as we have a newer, but smaller building. We were very excited at the turn-out and very busy all night! Our kids were fantastic! Amanda is the oldest of anyone's kids (on the committee), so we all have very young families and these kids were troopers! We even had to give their table to others and put them in a room off the kitchen. They had been at the church all day with us while we decorated and

still were happy and under control during the party!

What a blessing! We love you kiddos!

We served the food family-style, by putting the food on each table. This was the best way to efficiently feed this many people. It took 10 minutes, if that, for everyone to have food and start eating! And those parents with younger kids loved that they didn't have to get up and get plates for their kids! That was an inspired thought! We also were inspired to go get 2 more lasagnas and bake 2 more dessert cakes or we would have been short on food!

The video Casey did was fabulous! Truly funny and touching all at once! The decorations were great! Thanks to my Mom for the fresh pine boughs and Nicole's Mom for the cute lanterns and Renae for the battery candles ....I'm going to buy some of the lanterns, so I may post a picture later. Mike went in to get a picture beforehand, but it didn't quite happen. We were just too busy. We had Bro. & Sis. Elliott do a musical number before the video and it really brought the Spirit and tied the evening together. Our Bishop spoke for a minute after the show.

We just couldn't be happier with they way things turned out!

So, today I was feeling more tired than I was yesterday! But, now that the party is over I really started to focus on Christmas gifts!

Panic!

I can't believe we are down to a week! Luckily, my parents watched our kids for an hour on Friday so we could get some things for them, but we still aren't done. Mike drove to St. George to pick up one present for Brandon that I had purchased during Thanksgiving in case we couldn't get it back home. When we couldn't...he made a trip down south with Amanda!

Eight hours in one day...
OH! What a great Daddy!

I just finished one present on-line and just ordered some vinyl from a place up here in hopes I get it before Christmas, too.

Cross your fingers!

I'm hoping some friends take pity on me this week and take my kids so I can get out and finish shopping! A couple of friends "owe" me and I hope that they can do it this week. Mike is being a Utah superfan again by going to San Diego with his Dad and Scott to see the game on Thursday and coming home on Friday! Somehow we will pull this "party" off, too! Although our committee is smaller since it's just Mike and I doing the party for our 3 kids!
Merry Christmas!

To back up a little, Mike was in Denver this week for a couple of days and so the kids and I decided to do something Christmasy and decorate a gingerbread house! We bought one of those great kits from Costco. I'm not good at construction or engineering, so our house had some settling problems once we were done, but we had a great time and it looks cute!

Brandon waiting for food....not ready to decorate the house yet!

It looks so cute, girls!