Next Time I'll Just Throw A Party.

I interrupt the intended {Syddall Family Extravaganza Part 2} post for a special announcement.

Today is Mauri's Birthday.

Happy Birthday, girlfriend!

14 years ago today we were here:

Cray-zee.

Oh, I remember that day clearly.
I didn't know at the time that Mar would be the last. The baby of the family.
I had an inkling, but was mentally, spiritually, and physically leaving my options open.
After a rough couple of years with Mar's somewhat challenging disposition and a heavy bout of post-baby hormonal craziness, I knew she was it. The end. At least here in my earthly experience.


Back to the present.

Because I didn't want to throw a party last year, I bribed Mar with a new 'do.

(Reminder here.)

Oh my, did I ever work for that simple idea. All. Year. Long.

The hair year in review:

I think 8th grade is the perfect year for hair experimentation (I did some pretty crazy self-cut-1-inch-spikey-on-top-long-curly-mullet-like-thing-in-the-back when I was in 8th), so I guess if she wanted to do it, she had good timing.

She told me the other day that she kinda wished she had long red hair again.
That will take a good long time.
But now she knows, and she can cross some things off of someone else's bucket list
(a girl from her school had posted a bucket list a while back with these items listed):

• Get a pixie cut
• Dye my hair red

Check, and check.

She's decided to grow it out.
Even though she's probably had more compliments on her hair from complete strangers this year than the rest of her life combined. Just the other day, while we were at the PretzelMaker at the mall waiting in line behind three teenage girls, one of them turned around and said, "You are so pretty." That has to feel good... even better than the random church lady at the Methodist's performance of Handel's Messiah last month... or all those high school girls on Shilo's swim team... or the countless other times strangers have approached her to say that her hair was adorbs.

Happy Birthday, my bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, fun-loving, talented, beautiful baby!

(Circa 2002)

I love you!

Syddall Family Extravaganza Part 1

Everyone came in on the 20th.

Yee-haw!

First things first - a rousing game of Golf.

I think Taylor won that round.

On the 21st Mar received her YW Recognition Award.

Hallelujah!

(Britt was taking care of Wonderful Sweet Scarlett post-church, and I could keep these chicas in their church clothes for only so long... sorry, Britt!)

Grandpa and Scarlett ate some crackers.

Yum-o!

We danced... some better than others.

These peeps rocked it.

{Christmas Eve}

Some family pics (photo creds to Austin)

I'm related (by blood and by marriage) to some of the most beautiful people I know!

A festive dinner.

Give that girl some measuring cups and spoons, along with her fave Mickey Mouse episode, and she's good to go.

The Christmas Eve Candy Game (a tradition we've decided to continue post-Billats.

We forgot, however, to include some cash. Maybe next year!),

followed by writing down and wrapping our gifts to the Savior.

Bill gave a great spiritual message that enthralled Wonderful Sweet Scarlett.

Wish I could have captured her precious sigh at the mention of her name during it.

Then we opened our Christmas Eve gifts, starting with the youngest, Sweet Scarlett.

You got it... Broncos jammies!

Funniest quote of the night: "Since when are we a big football family?"

Since right now.

(The following Sunday, upon arriving home from his busy church schedule, Bill asked if anyone knew who had won the Broncos game that day. Oh.... they played? We totally got a kick out of it.)

Go Broncos!

Christmas morning was lovely.

 Santa came.

 Since we had a few extra peeps in the house, I found the treasured stockings that my Grandma G. made for me and my family years ago. I think my mom gave me the small pink one we used for Scarlett because Grandma G. had made it for Jana when she was a baby, but later made her a full-sized stocking, and baby Lexee didn't have one because Grandma had passed away before she was born.
(Lucky me to end up with it.)

I think everyone was happy.

Bill and I got a new knife set from the kids... I can't tell you how excited we are. We've been using the set we received for our wedding nearly 27 years ago. Yep, out with the old, in with the new.

Should I mention that I cut my finger with the first use? Yes, indeedy, those knives are nice and sharp!

Bill gave me a ukulele... now to learn how to play it. That's one of my bucket-list items so I'm supa excited.

We started a new tradition, thanks to a fellow Laurel Adviser who gave me a pickle ornament this year.

The first one to find the pickle Christmas morning gets an extra gift.

Santa kinda forgot to hide it, so when I spotted it Christmas morning, I quickly grabbed it to hang it in the far recesses of the tree, missed the branch I was going for, and randomly dropped it somewhere... in the back. Only Tay and Austin gave the tree a good thorough look.

Tay was the big winner... of a Broncos blanket!

One of our favorite gifts was from Grandpa and Grandma Goldsberry.

My dad handmade everyone a pen... each one different... each one spectacular.

We all opened them at the same time and I wish I would have captured it on video.

My favorite gifts to give:

glass-etched casserole dishes for the married/near married girls,

and missionary tags shadow-box-framed for the boys.

Scarlett made quite the haul. We loved, loved, loved having that baby girl here!

I was going to try and get the whole two weeks in one post, but I'm going to have to two-part it.

There's still so, so much to share.