Lava Hot Springs

Two days after Christmas we were able to take a short trip to Lava Hot Springs.  We stayed at the Lava Spa Motel where we have stayed each time we go.  It is a very old motel but it is right across the street from hot pools.  Rick and I got the King room with a big hot tub.  That was nice.

Skylar and Sarah were the first ones to get there and took their kids right over to the swimming pool.  We enjoyed a nice dinner with them that evening at 78 Main restaurant.  

We all enjoyed our meals and conversation.  

This was a cute picture at dinner of Charlie telling Eric "a secret".  Eric is liking "secrets" at this stage:)  Really it's just a whispering in his ear but he thinks it's something special!😁

The next morning before going to the hot pools we had breakfast at the Chuckwagon Restaurant.  The kids all got to order something special from he menu.  It filled us up for the rest of the morning!

After breakfast we went to the hot pools for about an hour and a half.  The kids had a lot of fun going to the different pools.  I was happy to just stay in the coolest pool (which was still nice and toasty) and just keep my foot elevated out of the water.

That afternoon Rick and I took a drive around the area.  We saw between thirty five and forty wild turkeys, five pheasants, and two bald eagles.  It was a beautiful drive with all of the snow on the ground.

That evening Brach and Kendra made it to Lava.  They got there in time to meet us and the Phelpses at the big pool.  The kids had a great time jumping off of the diving board, climbing the "rock wall" and spending time in the hot pool.  The little kids loved the children's area.  Eric was so cute as he kept climbing the stairs to the slide over and over again.

The next morning Skylar and Sarah went right over to the hot pools first thing.  We took the Bomans out to breakfast first.  By the time we got over to the hot pools the Phelpses had left.  That was a disappointment for the Boman kids.  Rafe had said earlier at breakfast how much he loved playing with Henry.  We were sad that they had left before we got there.  We enjoyed a little over an hour in the pools and then Rick and I took off for home.  I think Brach and Kendra stayed another twenty minutes or so.  

All in all it was a great trip to Lave Hot Springs.  We made a fun memory and enjoyed time with both families!

Christmas Day 2022

Christmas was a nice day!  We had Gary, Kaitlyn, Haivyn and Merik stay overnight with us after our family Christmas Eve festivities.  We got up a little before 8 am and watched the kids open up their gifts.  

Haivyn and Merik got a lot of fidgets.  That was the first thing on their list. We then took time to open our gifts for each other.  Kaitlyn got a new coat, and a sweater, and some new leggings.  Gary got some new vans, t-shirts, henleys, and drumsticks.  Rick and I got each other a bidet!  We had to laugh about that!  Now we have two.  One in the master bath and one on the main level bath.

These are the only pictures of the day....mostly of the kids.

I was able to get an egg and sausage casserole put together before we went to bed on Christmas Eve so that morning I got it right into the oven.  It worked out perfectly for the kids to eat after presents.  Rick and I went to our Sunday meetings a little early to get there for Choir practice.  We sang 'When Joseph Went to Bethlehem/Mary's Lulluby', 'O Come, O come Emmanuel', and 'Guard Him, Joseph'.  It was a beautiful meeting with two wonderful speakers talking of the importance of the Savior's life and the availability of repentance.  The bishop finished up with a beautiful Christmas message and his love for the ward members.  There were a lot of members that had family attend with them.

We headed home to some brunch that we didn't get earlier and then enjoyed a nap:)   That evening we had a nice Christmas meal with the six of us.  Ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, pomegranate salad, and bread.  Gary left just after dinner and Kaitlyn stayed until about 8:00.  It was a nice full day.

Christmas Eve Party

Christmas Eve was our second family party of the season.  We trimmed down the events for the evening so that everyone could get back home to have their own family time and preparation for the night.

It worked out pretty well.  We got started a little late so everyone got left a little later than expected.

We started out with our traditional dinner of chicken and dumplings and tamales.  We added bacon wrapped smokies, chips and salsa, guacamole, relish tray and pineapple.  It was a really delicious meal!

After dinner we started in on Christmas presents.  The kids were soooo excited!  We started out with our Christmas Eve pajamas and then took our annual family pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

Next, we opened one present at a time so that we could see who got what from whom....

It turned out really fun and the kids were so thankful to each of their cousins for their thoughtful presents.

It was sweet to see them give each other hugs and be thankful:)

Here are a few pictures of the night (taken from grandpa's videos:)

 It was a Merry Christmas Eve!

The First of Two Family Christmas Parties

This year we decided to try something new.

Our Christmas Eve get togethers in the past have been jam packed with traditions and just a lot of chaos with all of the littles so as a family we decided to make these changes....

Instead of one family Christmas party we had two.  The Monday before Christmas we met all met at our home.  We did not have dinner together so everyone was to eat before they came.  The first event of the evening was to have our spiritual gathering.  Everyone was invited to share a special thought or experience or testimony of the Savior.  

Grandpa was able to go first and told the story given by President Hinckley a number of years ago about Big Tom taking a licking for the scrawny boy who stole toms lunch.  

Next was Kaitlyn's turn.  She spoke of the many different names of the Savior and what they mean to her.  She also shared a song called Speak the Name by the Asidors.

Next, was Skylar and Sarah's family.  

Charles started out with "Joy to the World" that he has been practicing on the piano.

Next the Phelps kids sang "This is the Season Beloved of the Year"

Next Skylar and Sarah taught about the greatest gift that we could receive, eternal life.

Next was Kendra's turn.  (Brach was sick and couldn't make it.)

She also spoke of the different names of the Savior and how at different times in our life we need that different name (or character) of the Savior to strengthen us.  She bore her testimony of His goodness and strength in her life.

Next was my turn and I shared the fact coined by President Hinckley that there would be no Christmas without Easter.  I spoke of how the savior had been with me during the difficult nights just after my surgery and sung the hymn "We'll Sing all Hail to Jesus' Name."

For the end of the program Scout got up to sing the first verse of Silent Night with the sign language.

We joined in on the last two verses and then had a closing prayer.

It got a little crazy toward the end because for some reason our littles have a really hard time being reverent.  The hour program got a little long for them....

After the program we got our food boxes ready to deliver and left in separate cars.

Before dropping off the boxes we went to four homes to do some Christmas caroling.   I love it when we do this.  I want this tradition to live on as the kids grow.

Afterwards two of the cars went to deliver the boxes while grandpa and I came home to get the treats set out.  We provided donuts and hot chocolate for treats but I had also made a pot of Uncle Johnny's Chili beforehand for whoever was hungry.  A lot of people had chili which warmed my heart.  I had two helpings because neither Rick or I had dinner.  It was super good!

We were able to have our evening done by 9:00 which was good because it was a school night.

It was a good night!  

 

Christmas Date 2022

On Thursday the 15th of December Rick and I had our annual Christmas date.  After getting checked into our room overlooking the Gallivan Center we had a nice dinner at The Five Alls.  Then after parking our car at the hotel we walked toward the Eccles Center.  We briefly stopped to watch all of the ice skaters who were out for the evening.  The Gallivan Center was beautifully decorated with lots of lights and music.  We then walked (I rode my scooter which was not easy) the block and a half over to the Eccles Theat for the Kurt Bestor concert.  It was a beautiful concert.  I love listening to all of the different instruments in the band.   It was a wonderful date spent with the one I love the most!

Festival of Trees

On December 1st Kendra, Sarah, and their kids and I drove to Sandy to go to The Festival of Trees.  We all enjoyed the fun atmosphere and beautiful trees!  We started off at the gingerbread houses and they were so magnificent.  I love seeing the talent that people display in these gingerbread creations.  

There were lots and lots of trees, as well.  

We didn't even get through them all because of time but we did enjoy spending time together.

                                                           What a fun crew!

Family Christmas Date

On November 30th we had this year's family Christmas date.  We went to Carvers Restaurant and then to Hale Theatre to see the play A Christmas Carol.  We had all of the adults in the family minus Alyssia.  

We enjoyed good food at the restaurant.  We got the Brie appetizers to share as well as  the Calamari.  We had a great waiter and everyone enjoyed their meal. 

The play was very well done.  The actor who played Scrooge really played his part well.  I have never cared for the story of A Christmas Carol but for some reason I love watching the play unfold in real time.  I love how there were Christmas Carols sung throughout but I especially loved seeing Scrooge's hard heart changed into something beautiful.  I believe all had a good time on this Christmas date!😀 

Thanksgiving

 This year's Thanksgiving was small in numbers but we had really nice day!  AND I forgot to take pictures!😒

The day before the holiday Kendra came over to get some pre-baking done.  She made three pies and I made two pies and a jello salad.  We had a wonderful time together while the kids played.  It sure helped with the fact that it was an off year for Thanksgiving and the married kids were going to be with their in-laws for the holiday.  Kendra made a cream cheese pie, a pumpkin pie, and a German chocolate pie.  I made a cream cheese pie, a pumpkin pie, and raspberry jello.  I loved spending  the day with her.  Sarah was planning to join us but Daisy got sick that morning.  We missed having her there.

Thanksgiving day was great!  We got up early and started getting food ready for cooking.  Rick got the turkey in, and prepared the yams.  He was also in charge of the potatoes and gravy.  I prepared the pomegranate salad and rolls and whipping cream for the jello and pies.  We started our dinner at two o'clock and had a wonderful meal!  We had six at at this year's table; Gary, Kaitlyn, Haivyn, Merik, Rick and myself.  We enjoyed the food and conversation:)  

Before we sat down to dinner I had the kids write up what they were thankful for to put on this year's Thankful Tree.  I had been collecting everyone's cards for the week previous to Thanksgiving.  

Here is what each of the family members said:

Brady drew a picture of a horse, grass, tree, flower, and sun.

Chloe drew a picture of a puppy.

Merik drew a picture of his mom.

Kendra said she was thankful for prayer.

Kaitlyn said she was thankful for her children, her family for being there for her, and for living in a free country.

Haivyn said, "I'm thankful for my family."

Charles said, "I am thankful for my family."

Henry said, " I am thankful for Jesus."  He drew a picture of Jesus surrounded by angels.

Gary said, "I am thankful for the Constitution."

Rick said, "I am thankful for my best friend Janell."  He then listed each member of his family and he is thankful for them.

Scout said, "I am thankful for my family."

Rafe said, "I am thankful for my home, food, friends, family, and Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Daisy said she was thankful for pumpkins, decorations, presents, and Allegra her best friend.

Janell said, "This year I am particularly thankful for the Savior's resurrection as our family has lost two member this year, Darrell and Robin.  Death is not the end.  We can and will live again.

 

Back to Thanksgiving day..... 

After cleaning up dinner, Rick took a nap while I played a couple of games with Haivyn. (Guess Who and Trouble) Gary and Kaitlyn were doing stuff together.  Later in the evening Gary, Kaitlyn and I played a couple of rounds of Clue and then Skylar and Sarah and family came over for a visit.  They enjoyed some pie and we enjoyed the visiting with them.  Of course, Haivyn loved playing with Henry and Charles, Daisy and Eric.  Skylar and Sarah stayed about an hour and then took the kids home to get ready for bed.  After they left Gary and I played Settlers of Cataan and he beat me soundly!  It was a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

Costa Rica Part II

On Wednesday we had planned a four wheel trip with Vista Los Suenos Adventure Group.  We were very excited about the trip but then learned that we would not be going into any water (like last year) that had been so fun for us.  We ended up driving on the highway down to Jaco (about four miles) and then Eastward up the mountain on the back road toward Bijagual.  It was just a dirt road that we rode up and was super disappointing for Rick and me.  The kids didn't know any different but when we got to the top Rick let our guide (Christopher) know that we were expecting something different from just riding on a road.  We rode down into the jungle on some private property and hiked down to a place called Jaco Falls.  A couple of us (Rick, Brach and myself) enjoyed getting in the water and cooling off.  The falls were strong which made the current very strong but it was fun to get in.

After the falls, we hiked back up. Rick and Kendra and I were bringing up the rear when we saw Skylar running back down the trail to us yelling, "Christopher fell!"  We all took off to get to the top of the hike and saw that one of the 4 wheelers had fallen into a ravine.  It belonged to our second guide who had been driving in the rear.  He had forgotten to put the parking brake on, and when Christopher went to turn them all around, the one without the brake on slid down into the ravine.  When Skylar had come up to the top of the hike he couldn't see Christopher and then saw the downed 4 wheeler, he assumed that Christoper had crashed.  Thankfully, that wasn't the case.  He had taken his 4 wheeler to the top of the hill so he could get reception on his phone to call for help to get that downed 4 wheeler out.

After we left the area, Christopher wanted to make our trip better and told us he was going to take us through a river.  He got down to the Jaco River and we got to go through a lot of water!  It was the best part of our adventure for the day.  After that he took us back to the highway and up into the mountains on the west side of the highway.  We got up high and took a picture at a beautiful vista of the ocean.  We drove through some farms and may or may not have gotten cow poop on us. 😆 It was very muddy and wet from the rains.  At one point as we were heading back we were missing Rick.  He was in the back of the group so we stopped and waited for him.... but he didn't come.  Christopher went back looking for him, and I was worried that he might have crashed somewhere but before long they came roaring up.  Rick's machine had just completely died, and he couldn't get it started back up.  Christopher got it started and they switched ATV's and away we went. 

Here are a few pictures from our ride.

After our ride we went to a little cafe that Skylar had found called El Barco Del Sabor in Playa Herradura for a light snack.  The food was really good!  The owner had a funny looking dog that had his bottom teeth sticking out of his mouth.

That night we had scheduled a personal chef to come to our house and make us dinner.  While Carlos and his girlfriend, Pamela, prepared dinner,  Rick got in the pool to relax while the rest of us read our books in the living room.  There were some great smells coming from the kitchen!

Dinner was served at 6:00.  They had prepared, chicken, pork, and beef tacos, guacamole, pico, and beans.  The best thing on the menu in my opinion was the fresh shrimp ceviche that he made.  The food was not hot when we sat down to eat, so that was a little disappointing, as well as the fact that we did not have any rice with our meal.  Everyone loved the Tres Leches cake that was served afterwards!

After Carlos and Pamela cleaned up and left we played a couple more rounds of Code Names.  It was a nice relaxing night at the house.

Thursday was our last full day on the coast

.  

After breakfast we drove to Manuel Antonio and went through the park with our rented guide.  We saw sloths, 2 chameleons, capuchin monkeys, Howler monkeys, 2 For de Lance snakes, and more stuff.  After our tour through the park, we decided to have another beach day at Manuel Antonio beaches.  It was another great day!  These are the only pictures of the beach day that I got.  Skylar and Kendra are so cute!!

Fun in the ocean.

That night Skylar and Sarah and Rick and I stopped in Quepos at a restaurant to grab some casado.  I hadn't had any and wanted to get some before the trip ended.  Our meals were very inexpensive and we enjoyed them very much.  Brach and Kendra went off on their own that night and had a great dinner, too.
 

On Friday morning Carlos the Chef came back to the house and made up a nice breakfast for us.  He provided eggs, tortillas, rice and beans, fresh fruit, bacon, and juice.  We ate on the back patio next to the pool and really enjoyed ourselves.  Brach was not feeling well so he stayed in bed and got some leftovers later.  

We enjoyed spending some time in the pool for a couple of hours.  We all got a little sunburned, but it was so fun being in the pool for all of that time just talking and enjoying the water.  I didn't want to get out but I could feel myself getting burned so I got out to get ready and pack up to go.  Rick stayed in longer and got pretty red.  He was uncomfortable for a few days because of it.

We left the house by 2:00 because we were trying to get back to San Jose for a Sealing appointment at the San Jose Temple.  We got checked back in to the Fairfield Inn and saw that we had just a short time to get dinner.  We went to an Argentine Restaurant across from the hotel which caused us to be late.  We ate as fast as we could and luckily the temple workers waited for us.  We had brought family names, and the spirit was beautiful during the session.  Our Sealer did not speak any English but he put the words of the sealing on the altar so the girls could read it as he spoke.  It was really a nice session.  

After the session we headed back to the hotel and then the guys returned the cars.  We then hopped into bed for a short night's rest.  We had to be at the airport by 4:00 to be ready for our 6 AM flight.  The flights were uneventful and we arrived home by 1 PM.  Unfortunately our bags got left behind in Dallas....again.  That was ok.  We were glad to be back in Utah and knew that we had plenty of clothes at our homes.  Our bags actually were delivered to our home by 8 PM so it turned out ok after all.  

It was a great trip, and Rick and I loved being with our married kids enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of Costa Rica.  

PURA VIDA, BABY!