Gifts

Speaking to your missionary son on Christmas day is the best gift!! It's even better when it' a SKYPE call and we can hear and see Truman and he can hear and see all of us.  FANTASTIC.  Technology is grand.  He looked so good.  He sounded great...a bit of a british accent.  He was "lovely" and "right proper" and "well good."  He laughed about the 2 inches of snow that closed down all of England, the crazy driving he has to do a ton of and what his plans were for boxing day.  Tru bore a strong testimony and laughed and cried a little. I just wanted to reach through the screen and give him a big hug!!! LOVED IT!  Merry Christmas to this missionary momma.

I made and gave away 2 quilts this year.  One to my sweet Lindsey and one to my new DIL-- Bre.  I love cutting up fabric and sewing it back together in new and interesting shapes and designs. Lindsey's is black denim with 3 different black, green and pink flannel patterns.  It's soft and I love how my cousin Laurie did the machine quilting with flowers and leaves.  So gorgeous.  In pink thread of course.
Bre's is yellow and purple.....her two favorite colors.  It's mostly creamy white with windows of pink, purple, green and yellow showing through.  3 large flower shape come up from the bottom on the left hand side.  It also has beautiful stitching, thanks to Laurie, and a soft butter yellow backing.

I put together a HARMONY family picture book of our family from 1986 to the present day.  I made one for all of the kids, and our 2 grandmas.  It's 24 years of Wayne and Melinda Welch family life... our family motto, how we looked, where we lived, grandparents, traditions, our bear lake tree, family song, scripture, rings, banner.  All of the stuff we have established as a family.  This was a good year to do this culminating book.  We had 5 kids...and now we are adding more.  We have a new family direction starting with Add and Bre's wedding. We are excited to be extending our family tree.

We have kidnapped Laila and Monson for the week...from Christmas to New Years and we are spending it in California at Disneyland and Universal Studios with the Madsen, Mark Welch and Terry Welch families.  There are 22 of us on this epic adventure.  
This was the big gift for this year!
This morning Laila and Monson opened alternating notes that read : "Get Ready. Get Set.  Is it sunny? You bet.  Pack your bags.  We are leaving today.  Going to DISNEYLAND...hip, hip, hooray!"
 Laila squealed with delight...Monson looked quizzical..."Really?!?"
Two hours later our car was loaded and we were off.  
Trying to find food on Christmas night in Las Vegas...means smokey Casinos.  We have eaten, swam in the hotel pool, and we are off to bed; ready for church and the rest of the drive to Anaheim on Sunday.
I am thrilled to have Monson to myself for a week.  Had we stayed home, I probably wouldn't have seen him much.  He will celebrate his 18th birthday with cousin Tyler and all of us, in Disneyland.  I am excited about this thought.  My baby boy is turning 18...wow.

Family vacations are always fraught with stress and anxiety....laughs and fun, fun memories!