Here we are at the end of another year. This has been a stressful year, but a good year too with lots of new adventures.
2019 Top Events
Ashtyn graduates, moves out and starts school at UVU
Whitney survives her first and hardest semester of surg tech
Ethan earns his Eagle scout award
Amanda survives having her first adult child
Jeff gets invited to go to the Masters Golf Tournament 2020- His dream come true!
Ethan is the only kid that still wants me to buy the advent for him.
My dad sent us some beautiful Christmas cards.
Ashtyn has been working so much that we hadn't had a chance to go get our ornaments for this year. She had a doctors check up on Monday so she got out of work early and we were able to go. This year we went to Hobby Lobby. Here is what we all chose:
Golf Bag for Jeff
I chose this little white church that lights up because it looks just like the white chapel at TITP
Ashtyn chose this sleek and classy greyhound.
The greyhound is her HP patronus and
she is a classy girl.
Whitney chose this medical themed one for her surgical tech goals
Ethan of course chose another video game themed one ha ha
Monday night was the second annual Shaw Family Christmas Eve party. It wasn't actually on Christmas Eve. Scott and Malia started this tradition last year but I missed it because I was sick. This is the first year in a long time that I wasn't sick near Christmas and I am so grateful. We had a lasagna dinner then we exchanged white elephant gifts. We had made a gag gift of toilet paper, room spray and chocolate covered raisins and were going to call it the Taco Bell survival kit but got too busy to make it look cute. Ruby ended up with our gift and I think she liked the toilet paper- it was so cute how happy she was. We could learn a lot from her. Then we played the money game again. Last year Jeff won. This year Kristy won. We ended the night with a sing a long. I forced them to sing all 12 verses of The 12 Days of Christmas ha ha. It's a great song! It was so fun to watch Ruby dance to the music. It was a great way to spend a night.
Christmas Eve we spent doing a few last minute errands, playing games and working on a puzzle that Ashtyn had given Jeff the day before. Melinda and I went to visit Liz in the hospital and take her a gift. Then we read the rest of the Ensign Christmas devotionals that we had missed and let the kids open their pjs. Then we watched our traditional showing of Lampoons Christmas
Vacation and went to bed.
The kids are usually up by 6 so at 7:30 when they hadn't come in I was hoping they weren't dead- ha ha. They finally came in at 8 to wake us up and we opened our gifts. We had hoped for a white Christmas but it didn't snow till much later in the day and I wasn't sad about that. We all got some new clothes and socks and such and then some of the favorites were awesome hiking pictures I got Jeff, a record player for me- that stopped working half way through the day and will need to go back, White chic boots for Ashtyn, lots of sherpa for Whitney and new lights to hang in her room and Ethan got a punching bag. We tried to tone it way down this year but went overboard as usual. At noon we headed over to Tom and Sharon's to eat lunch and exchange gifts with all the Shaw's. After lunch the kids put on the nativity. Ashtyn was narrator again but Ethan handed Mary and Joseph the baby but Whitney sat out this time. Corban and Ruby were Mary and Joseph.
Jeff gave me Jim and Pam socks
I was so proud of the date box we made for Paul and Kellie- it had 6 dates inside. Jeff got a sweet golf shirt. Miles gave me a Kalimba and I was so excited- I've been wanting one. Ashtyn got her nail drill and lots of nail supplies she wanted, Whitney more sherpa- she loves being cozy and Ethan got a sweatshirt and a jacket so he was in heaven. After we had to hurry home to cook the ham for Christmas dinner with my family. Only Danielle was able to make it from Greg's kids but everyone else was there. Including Emily who was home for the holidays. Liz was still in the hospital and couldn't come. She has had a rough year and been in the hospital more than not. We had fun watching Brody and Brookie open their gifts. We got Bronson a Woody doll and he loved it as you can see. It was a long day but a nice day and I'm glad we have so much family so close so we can all be together.
Papa loved his new Jacket from Scott and Malia
The rest of the week we just relaxed and I loved not going anywhere and just being with my own little family. Ashtyn still had to work a ton but we here most mornings. They finished the puzzle and started a new one. Ethan has been going to town on his punching bag and we don't see him anymore and we have played lots of rounds of Dutch Blitz and Jeff's new game
Whitney gave him Exploding Kittens.
Friday Jeff and I went to dinner and to see the new Jumanji movie with Leif and Julie. I loved it- it was so funny. I was also happy to come home and see that the kids had ordered pizza and had been hanging out playing games together. Saturday I took Ethan to get a haircut in preparation for his Eagle board of review the next day and then Jeff and I went to the temple for the last time this year. We love to go on the 8 PM session on Saturday nights because it is never crowded. We got to be the witness couple and we saw Tom and Sharon. There could not have been a better way to end the year.
Saturday I was in my room when all of a sudden the sky got dark and when I went to the window there was a huge flock of birds hovering outside our house and then they all landed in our yard. It was so spooky and crazy. They were only there a few minutes and then they all flew away at
the same time.
Sunday Ethan had his Eagle board of review. He is now officially an eagle scout! We still have to wait until we get the official post card in the mail from the council before we can do his court of honor but he is done. I am so so proud of him! He has wanted this for a long time and has worked for it for years. It is such an honor but more importantly it has taught him skills that he will use all his life. Way to go Ethan!
