A Hawkins Family Christmas

Although we were in Oklahoma twice during the year, we missed having the Hawkins family around during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. They are unable to attend many of our family activities so I don't take lots of pictures of them. I don't miss out though, because Jodi takes thousands of pictures a year and shares them on her blog. Therefore, I took the liberty of 'borrowing' some of their Christmas pictures to post on my blog.

Ty, Jodi & Abby at live Stake Nativity

The Hawkins Family Christmas Picture
Olivia (2), Abby (almost 7 mo.), Miles (3) and Owen (5)


The Nativity starring the Hawkins kids

New pajamas on Christmas Eve

Abigayle's First Christmas

Season's Snapshots

Cousin Marcia and the Schvaneveldt grandkids-

(Oh, Fernando!)

After Christmas Eve's turkey dinner--
out came the treats

Cool Whip balls were the favorites-
I'm so done making frosted sugar cookies...
except maybe on Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's

Brynlee

What I left out for Santa

Courtney on Christmas Day

The view from Jill's deck-

Christmas Day dawning in the valley

Colorful Christmas

I took this picture on CHRISTMAS DAY while on a walk. It was a nice day with temperatures in the 30's and should have pleased everyone. The YELLOW sun shined in the BLUE sky most of the day, the snow on the mountains was WHITE, there were fields of BROWN or GREEN and the lawns we passed were very GREEN as well. We couldn't have asked for a better combination.

Christmas Parties

The H. J. and Edna Milligan Family Christmas Party was held on Saturday, December 11th at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville. The site is a replica of a 1917 farm and village. By my count there were 98 in attendance. About half were adults and half little kids. Family members came from 6 states: California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah and Idaho. Many thanks to those who made this party happen, to those who provided the food, arranged the location, brought desserts etc.! Thanks for your generosity. It would have been nice to sit down and visit with each of the attendees. That was impossible with all the hub-bub going on.

Our festivities took place in the Opera House

Hailey holding Aubrey and petting a horse.

Jayse, Ashlyn and Katelyn ready for a ride

Andrew, Ashley and Ashlyn

Kaden, Tanner and Landon chasing after the wagon

After enjoying a nice meal, the younger generation put on a talent show. We were entertained with dances, gymnastics, musical numbers (violin and piano), poetry, riddles, jokes etc. We played a candy bar game. There was the usual 'mad-grab' out of Kent's boxes of motel supplies to everyone's delight.


These are the 16 female cousins in attendance. I was outside when this picture was taken so I snitched it off Facebook. Front row: Heidi, Jill, Jennifer, Jamie, Emily, Natalie. Back row: Lauren (the youngest cousin), Kim (the oldest cousin), Staci, Leslie, Robin, Rebecca, Angela, Holly, Candace and Andrea.

These four cousins were born within a year and a half of each other. Eric belongs in the group as well. L - R: Rebecca (holding Talmage), Robin, Candace and Natalie. Several of the cousins now have four children of their own but Natalie is the most prolific as she will soon have her 6th child. One time within four months, each of my three sisters and I gave birth. David was born December 26th, Leslie arrived on January 12th, Sam was a leap-year baby on February 29th and Jodi followed on April 22nd. Mother and Dad had 28 grandchildren and I think 23 were at the party. Two years after the last grandchild was born, the first great-grandchild arrived. There are nearly 70 great grandkids so far. Mother had 7 kids in 10 years...4 girls followed by 3 boys. James Keith, my middle brother, died as a newborn. Our sibling picture is below:

Ron~Marilyn~Kathy~Kent~Jean~Marsha

Pretty setting, gorgeous day, but awfully muddy!

Since our Utah kids were going to be in town for the Milligan party, they wanted to have our immediate family Christmas party later that evening. Cousin Marcia from Texas joined us and stayed with us for two nights. Candace and Robin and their families stayed at the SpringHill. It's a treat for the kids to stay there, go swimming and have a continental breakfast. Anyway, 25 of us ate downstairs in our 'banquet room.' We had ham, funeral potatoes, green beans, rolls, coke products, brownies and fudge. After putting the tables away we had a white elephant gift exchange which brought lots of laughs.

On Christmas Eve we will be having one more holiday dinner for our local (geographically speaking) daughters and families. We bought an extra turkey at Thanksgiving and need to free up some freezer space. After that we can rest for a season...oh, but what about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day etc.? Actually, we haven't made any plans. Hallelujah!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December is here...

The stockings were hung by the office with care,

In hopes that our little ones will leave them there...

We've got a 'Logan High' tree this year...red and gold. I can't decide if I should add gold bead garlands. I can't find the tree skirt (a.k.a. batting, which looks like snow) or 3 large red bows for the garland on the front porch.





Twice a month we have young single adults over for Family Home Evening. If the group is large we have the basement set up. On Monday we just had ten...8 girls and 2 boys...which reflects the girl/boy ratio of our ward membership.

On December 1st I started a new decade. That really makes me feel old. I received lots of birthday wishes. Jill and Brandon treated us to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Jill bought me some requested and much needed dish cloths. Reed gave me Pollard's chocolates...Victoria Rum...yummy. Candace and Jodi sent almond creme Idle Isle chocolates...heavenly. So much for joining our family's 'Biggest Loser' competition which started on my birthday. Some gifts will arrive later.

Candace and Jodi composed a list: "60 Memories of Mom! HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!!!" Maybe they can give it as an eulogy at my funeral. Here are some of their memories:

1- Always having a secret stash of candy or candy bars.

2- Saying her bedroom wasn't Grand Central Station.

3- She would give us some candy and say "This is to sweeten your disposition."

4- Listened to 61 KVNU and would win things all the time. The coolest. A hot tub for a week.

5- Tapping her thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

6- Always came up with creative things for our valentine boxes or science fair projects.

7- We would always do major projects when dad went on the train.

8- When Mom didn't feel well she would ask for a diet coke over ice with 4 nuprin.

9- Read a book all day long then about 3:30 she would have us all hurry and clean so Dad wouldn't think that she sat around all day.

10- She would say an address and we would have to figure out whose house it was.

11- She said she wanted to be cremated and mixed with wild flower seeds and spread on the mountain.

12- Showing us how to make paper beads or doing other little art projects.

13- Laying in bed with her some mornings and making up progressive stories.

14- Making volcanoes in the sand box.

15- Having every window and door in the house open when we would wake up in the summertime (even though we were freezing) to cool off the house before it got too hot.

16- Unwrapping Christmas presents and rewrapping them just to see what they were.

17- The big Cabbage Patch Birthday Party she threw for us.

18- Going on walks with Mom, Julie and Cathy out to the south fields.

19- Feeling so special that Mom would volunteer to be the Home room mom, the Art/Music teacher or reading helper.

20- rat rat rat rat rat...then combover...this is the way she would do her hair.

21- Always going in and hurrying to put on powder and lipstick or vaseline before she could go to the door, even if it was just the home teachers.

22- She would whip up some good chocolate 'concoctions' after dinner.

23- Would sing the lady bug picnic song while doing our hair.

24- Making headstones for our Halloween graveyard.

25- Making slush in the summertime.

26- Hired 'spies' to watch us while she and Dad went out of town. We were rewarded with going Bungee Jumping.

27- The way she says certain words (sandwich, creek, treasure..etc)

28- Words she uses like bounders, doodads...etc.

29- Putting fake legs sticking out of the snow bank.

30- Always vacuuming and washing the mirrors. Always had a spotless house.

31- Going to the Bookmobile and getting book recommendations from Sherid.

32- Calling Shanna when she needs the latest 'information.'

33- Having her clean out our ears or pick our zits.

34- Singing "Love at Home" when we would fight.

We went to my Temple group's Christmas Dinner/Party at Hamilton's. We sat at a table with people I didn't know well, yet we found out we knew people in common. Reed used to work with one guy's brother. That guy said he had sold an insurance policy to Reed's dad years ago. Reed had also known the deceased husband of one of the ladies...and I knew her father who used to teach shop classes. One person graduated from Preston High the same year as one of Reed's brothers. One couple lives in the same ward as some of our friends. Another couple said they lived in Lodi, California for many years. I looked at Reed and said, "That is where Bogrens are from." They said, "Did you say Bogrens? Judy and Bryant are our good friends. How do you know them?" I said, "I don't know them, but their son Ryan married my niece." They said, "You are Natalie's aunt!? We have her high chair in our garage from Thanksgiving. Hey, then it is your sister who just got back from a mission." We'd tell stories, discussed some of our travels and laughed at our interconnectedness. There was also a temple worker who served in the same mission as Reed, another who was in many classes with him at Utah State, one who taught school in Preston, and another from Preston he knew. Several have said that Dad was their dentist. The next day at the temple we were talking about the party and I recapped the conversations we had around our table. Another sister said, "Your husband is from Preston? So am I! Where did he live?" When I told her, she said that they grew up in the same ward, actually just around the corner. Small world.

Our frigid temperatures have moderated a little so we have been having 'designer' storms...rain in the valleys and snow in the mountains. Our huge snowbanks have been melting. Yeah! I'd like to skip the rest of the winter and go right into spring. Utah ski resorts have opened earlier than normal this year.