Papa and Maman were here for 10 whole days, but these days flew by very quickly, making us miss them even more than we did before. Maybe it's because we were so busy...
Sunday: We hung out and played some games in the morning, then we went to church at 1 PM. After we came home, we baked a ton of cookies, ate dinner, and went around the neighborhood giving out cookies and Christmas cards to our closest neighbors (the ones directly around us and the 3 families of church members that live in our neighborhood). It was fun to see the Christmas lights, and the weather was amazing.
Monday: The kids went to school, and the rest of us hung out and played with Alexis. After school, we went to gymnastics for Kendall's performance. Then we came home and the kids had their piano lesson with Ethan. Then for FHE we decorated gingerbread houses. I'm not a master builder at gingerbread houses, but I thought the kids did pretty good.
Tuesday: Papa and Maman spent the majority of the day with Debbi, their missionary. But at night, we decided to go see Illuminations, in Tempe. It's a drive-thru light show. It was our first year going, even though I had seen the lights from the highway in years past. I was amazed at the amount of lights. And it was synchronized to a radio station, making it even cooler. We were going so slow that Alexis got to sit on Daddy and "drive" the car.
Wednesday, Papa, Maman, and I went to the temple to do a session, using our own family names. It was a really cool experience, especially since I hadn't been to the temple with my parents since my wedding. That afternoon, Papa and Maman went to Taylor's class party. He was very surprised to see them and was excited to show them off to this teacher and friends.
Thursday was a busy day! Kendall and Taylor had a jungle jog, and Kendall and Logan had their class parties. Fortunately, we were able to go to all of it. And we did it all before Alexis' nap (she went down a little later than usual, but oh, well). First off, Kendall's jingle jog and party. Then Taylor's jingle jog. And to top it off, Logan's class party. We didn't stay for all of it, because at the speed they were moving through the stations, we would have been there until the end of the school day... and Alexis needed to take a nap. He was a little disappointed, but mostly happy to show off his girlfriend to us. Hello, Lilian! That evening, we went to Feed My Starving Children with a lot of the families from our ward. Kendall ditched us to be in a group with her friends. And so did Logan. But Taylor stayed with Bon-Papa, Bonne-Maman, and I. And William stayed home with Alexis (and let her sleep in our bed). I like doing things that matter. And I like teaching the children to serve others. This season isn't about receiving, it's about giving. And I hope they remember that always.
Friday the kids didn't have school, so we hung out at home most of the day. Then at night we went to see Lights of the World. It was like a Carnival with a ton of Christmas lights. It was cool because I thought it was just a lights show, but they had Carnival food, shows, and rides, too. The skillet cookie was to die for. And I thought William and I were going to die on this crazy ride that spins you super fast and puts you upside down and in every possible direction. My world was literally upside down. It was super scary, and William almost chickened out before we got on, but we did it, and we will probably never do it again. Unless the kids convince us to. I didn't make my parents do it because I don't want to be the reason for a heart attack. But they did all the spinny rides that make William and I sick but that the kids love. Thanks, guys!
Saturday morning we went to the Gilbert Farmers Market. It's a tradition because there is a Belgian Waffle truck that has delicious waffles that are pretty darn close to the real thing. I also wanted to go because the Light the World vending machine was there. It is one of only 5 in the whole world, and it was there, in Gilbert, over the holidays. We could have donated uniforms, chickens, vaccines, school supplies, etc. but we decided to feed a family for a year. That was important to us. And once again, it was a good opportunity to teach the kids to help others during this Christmas season. The line to the machine was super long, but it made me happy. Those are the lines I don't mind waiting in - everyone doing their part to serve and help others. That night we went to the Fairmont Princess Hotel. This is our 3rd year going. We wrote letters to Santa, ate dinner, visited Santa, rode some rides, roasted marshmallows, and rode more rides. It was laaaate when we finally went to bed.
Sundays are always chill in the Beeston household. We hung out and went to church (only for an hour because of the holiday). That night, we got into the hot tub and let the kids sleep under the Christmas tree (which made it tricky to move Crystal - see Crystal post).
Paul wasn't working for Christmas Eve, so he and his family came for lunch. We incorporated some culture and had cheese and bread. Paul and Leilani made sushi. And the kids went wild on the trampoline they got for Christmas. They received it early because it's not exactly something you can easily hide. That evening, we played some Minute-to-win-it games and had our big dinner outside, since Papa and Maman were leaving the next day. We made steaks, lobster, mashed potatoes, Brussels spouts, and rolls. Then for dessert we had sticky toffee pudding that I had picked up from a specialty bakery. And at 9 PM Kendall reminded me that we needed to give Santa cookies and his reindeers carrots, so I made cookies until 11 PM. Then Santa came and brought the kids their gifts.
Christmas morning! The kids were up at the normal time, super excited to open up their presents. Alexis got a Belle doll, a crying doll, some Mickey Mouse cars, and a Minnie dress. Kendall got an American doll, some LOL dolls stuff, and a whole lot of Shopkins. Taylor got a car race track, a microscope, and Legos. And Logan got Pokémon cards, Nerf guns, and a puzzle ball. William, as always, bought himself a bunch of stuff, mostly clothes, and I wrapped them. That's alright, though, because I pretty much did the same thing. We had a raclette for lunch, since Papa and Maman got me one for Christmas. The kids loved it so much we used it again for the following 2 dinners. Then we took Papa and Maman to the airport and Alexis cried and cried and cried for them. It broke my heart. But I am happy that we will see them again soon, in May, for Kendall's baptism. Thanks for coming and celebrating Christmas and all of our fun traditions with us, Papa and Maman. We miiiiiiiiiiiiiiss you!!!
