Quality Family Time

Bryan had this whole weekend off, so on Saturday we got to spend some quality Christmas time together as a family! First, we hit the Mentor Mall to visit Santa (yes, I know there are closer places to visit Santa Claus, but this way I also got to go to the Disney Store! :) We had to wait in line 25 minutes to see The Big Guy, but it was worth it! I wondered if Logan would be shy or scared, but he was thrilled to walk right up to him and was fascinated by his suit and beard. Andrew asked for a Shake 'N Go Crash Speedway, a Power Wheels Jeep Hurricane (yes, the $400 one! - a guy's gotta dream, I guess), and a remote control car. Logan didn't know that he was supposed to ask for anything, so Andrew took the liberty of requesting Elmo and Little People toys for him! (Gosh, Andrew sounds like a walking Fisher-Price ad!)

When we'd had enough of the mall and the crowds, we headed out to the Nativity Display at the Kirtland Visitors Center. Each Christmastime, members in the area are asked to share their personal nativity sets for the display. The result is a fantastic collection of over 600 sets together in one place to enjoy! Wow! I am so glad we went! You can't imagine the huge variety of sizes and styles and materials used! They were all so beautiful! My very favorite part was the international display of nativities from all over the world! It was fascinating to see the unique ways each country portrayed the birth of our Savior! There was also a children's room with more kid-friendly nativities and costumes to dress up in! Andrew and Logan really enjoyed this part of the visit!

Our little "Angel"...


...and "Wise Guy."

Logan's favorite nativity by far was the Little People set!

What was most remarkable to me, was the incredible feeling of peace and reverence that prevailed throughout the display. It was such a huge contrast from the noise, bustle, stress, and commercialism of the mall we had just left. I would have loved to stay at least another hour and just soak it in (if only our Angel and Wise Guy would have allowed it!) I am so grateful to have had this sweet reminder of the gift and miracle of Jesus' birth.

No visit to Kirtland is complete without eating at RJ's, so we stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner - YUM! I highly recommend the Famous BBQ Pork Sandwich with a big basket of fries...and fry sauce of course! (Obviously many Utahans have eaten there! The Deseret News even featured an article about RJ's last year.) I was introduced to RJ's last summer by some friends (thanks, Miriam and Carissa!) and have craved it ever since!

Later that night, Bryan and I attendended the Holiday Party for the Anesthesia Deptartment (made possible by the Noorlanders, who so graciously agreed to watch our kiddos) which was held at the Museum of Natural History. Last year, the party was very formal, held at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was very nice. But this was a really fun and unique setting for a party! It was kind of a progressive-style dinner, beginning with drinks and appetizers, then moving to another part of the museum for the salad, and ending in the Hall of Prehistoric Life for the main course and dessert (chocolate fountains - the highlight of the night!). I'll tell you, there's nothing like fine dining and dancing under the skeleton of a 72-foot-long Haplocanthosaurus delfsi!

This is about where the dance floor was. They even had the dinos decked out in their Santa hats! Now I wish I would have taken some pictures! It was so nice just to have a night out with Bryan! We need to get out more! --Summer