Festive

We had a festive weekend, as all December weekends should be.

Friday:

Marianne and Robert and Ammon and Melanee and all their lovely children (except Clarissa because she was getting ready for her concert) came here for pizza.  Adam thought that if I got Papa Murphy's pizza and cooked it here it wouldn't be done in a timely fashion.  He wanted to bring home something precooked. I disagreed and bought Papa Murphy's anyway.

Adam was right.  I know, I know.

We went to the concert and true to form, it was fabulous.  Seeing live music performed well is unparalleled.  It lifts my soul and makes me happy.  Afterward Ammon offered to buy us all ice cream somewhere.  That brother...we told him we could get our own ice cream.  Someone suggested Chick-fil-a for the peppermint shakes.

Ammon ordered first and got one and then--they ran out.  Marianne had never had one before and I....have, so he gave his to her.

He's such a gem.

We went to Macey's, the grocery store with big and ridiculously low priced ice cream cones.  They had mint.  Halfway through our admittedly lengthy order they ran out of mint ice cream.

Dear Utah County:

Stock up on mint ice cream.

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen

While we were eating ice cream, Braeden mocked me for the way I was talking and said I "regress" around my siblings.

Regress? I think that was unfriendly of him.

Saturday:

Adam and I started doing errands and ended up buying a new couch.  Just goes to show you never know what will happen when you start doing errands on a Saturday.  Emma went to a play with Marianne's family and we had Morgan with us in exchange.  I forbade any Nerf battles--too many Christmas decorations at risk--but they had fun otherwise.

Sunday:

After church was over, we had Clarissa over for fudge making and tree decorating.  Last year, Adam remarked how much easier setting up the tree was since Braeden is so much stronger.  This year Braeden carried the tree in from the garage alone.  And that thing weighs a ton.  It seems a cruel fate to get used to relying on your children when they are close to growing up and leaving.

Emma and Clarissa and I made seven different varieties of fudge because too much of a good thing is wonderful.

I love these girls.

They are alike and different in delightful ways.

Adam photographed while we decorated the tree:

I don't know what Braeden is thinking here but my best guess is, "Are you taking a picture of me from outside?!?!"

From lots of different angles:

Here we are with big smiles, either because we are happy and we know it, we are decorating the tree, or we are about to sample seven different varieties of fudge.

Maybe all of the above.