Christmas

Congratulations to my parents who just celebrated their 62nd anniversary just before Christmas! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Christmas time was a blast. It was a very nice few weeks. We were missing Andrew and his family, but Ryan and Angeles made it in from Idaho. And my parents weren't here for Christmas itself, but were here before that for 2 weeks and after that for a day. Being together is the best part of Christmas.

We didn't do much, however (as if we ever do). Some families travel or have some activity like skiing or sledding or whatever. Our activities involved a lot of sitting. We ate, played games (though I didn't play very many myself), and ate some more. There was some shopping (that involved some activity) and visiting and movie viewing, too.

And, of course, the annual Perazzo clan Christmas caroling. The weather was kind of mild, so we didn't freeze like we sometimes do. So, it mostly went well except we do owe a big apology to the Lee family who had to listen to our off-key singing. Hannah and Kaellen joined us at the next house-- the singing was much improved after that.

Christmas service at church on Sunday the 23rd was quiet nice. There was music, of course, both to listen to and to sing along with and 2 great talks. How grateful we are for the birth of Jesus Christ, for His life and teachings, and His great Atonement.

Christmas morning itself was a slow go. It was great. We don't rush things around here. Ryan found the pickle we hide every year (the paper mache one Eric made in 2nd grade which started this tradition), so he got to be the first to pass out a gift (which didn't happen until almost noon).

New Year's Eve was a quiet affair here. We actually stayed up. That's about the extent of the excitement.

Ryan and Angeles went home yesterday. :( Things would be calming down now, but Hannah and Kaellen have been in the process of moving in. So, things may not be exactly calm, but there will be more of a routine once school starts this week.

Tomorrow is a big day in that Andrew starts his new teaching job at Higley High in Arizona. He finished up his Masters and his student teaching just before Christmas and now will be teaching 10th and 11th grade English for the Higley High Eagles. Good luck Andrew! We're so excited for you!

Now that my Sunday School calling is over, I have received a new calling. I am now in charge of the ward bulletin. I think it's a good calling for me. I just need to learn to use google docs better so it won't be such a frustrating experience. Less stress than teaching, for sure. But now that we won't be having announcements over the pulpit, it's important to have the info in the bulletin accurate and thorough.

pickle hunting!

Ryan found it first!

Eric's napping while Alex plays Santa

a good time had by all

birthday season

There have been 5 birthdays in our family since I last posted. The last post was just before Alex's birthday in October.

He has since finished his Eagle Scout project (weeding outside and then doing some painting inside the Old Harmon School building) and submitted his paperwork on time (with a few hours to spare). We are still waiting to hear from the scouting office that he has earned his eagle.

So, Alex is now 18. As an employee of Dairy Queen, he was given an ice cream cake for his birthday. It was decadent and delicious!

He is at an exciting time in his life as he has just 1 1/2 weeks left of his high school career. He finishes his 2 community college class this next Wednesday and then his 2 high school classes the Wednesday following. He is working on his mission papers, but that will take some weeks to complete before he can submit them.

Next in the birthday line up is baby Joy. She turned 1 in November. As she lives in Mesa, we did not get to celebrate with her. :( But Happy Birthday Joy!

Joy's birthday was a fun anniversary for me...it was day 365 of my Duolingo streak. Duolingo is a language learning site. They currently offer 37 different languages (including the made up language Klingon from Star Trek). Today is day 387 of my streak. Too much fun!

Eric followed with his big day 5 days after Joy's, turning 27 years old just before Thanksgiving. Our new tradition seems to be to skip the birthday cake and just have ice cream (he did request birthday cake ice cream--it's an actual product, in case you didn't know), but our 2 stores here didn't have it, so we had to settle on other flavors. It was still delicious.

Hannah turned 23 at the beginning of December. No cake. Just ice cream. No pictures. :( (bad momma).

Today is my 57th birthday. My friends and I got together earlier this week and used our silhouette cutting machines to craft as my "party.". We made address stamps using a silhouette mint, a plaque, an etched pie plate (mine reads "if you can read this you're too late), and a serving dish. Fun!

Last night the community college had the art show reception. Turns out one of my pieces (a heart-shaped box with a panda on it) earned a ribbon! I totally love making pottery!

Had our first snow this week. Tuesday morning there was some snow, a lot of which had melted by the evening. The next morning there was a lot more snow with a 2 hour delay start time for school to give the roads a chance to be cleared. It's beautiful out. I love to hear the snow crunching as I walk in the hushed silence.

My parents are currently staying with us for a bit before they travel on to spend Christmas at my sister's in Vegas. I love visiting. It's a great time of the year.

We are looking forward to the end of the semester, Christmas (I haven't even started decorating yet...that will probably happen later today or tomorrow), and the start of the new year. Hopefully, I won't wait 2 months in between posts in 2019.