🎶🎄There's No Place Like Home... for the Holidays 🎄🎶

So Miranda came home from her mission a couple weeks early to have some surgery, but I have this great excuse to still write our family history down, since her novio is still on his mission in Paris, France for the next year.  So until May 9, 2019, I'll still write a missionary letter for our blog posts.  =)

SORRY about the subject title!!!  But Carlie & I went to the Wizard of Oz this week, so it totally fit. 

So yikes.  This was a week of finishing up finals and starting Christmas vacation.  Here's a pic of one of us who studied for finals:

And celebrated Emily's birthday with JCW's, and a movie in a "nest" they made for themselves.

Monday, the kids dressed up for Christmas:

Ugh.  This came for only Miranda:

Tuesday, the kids went to see Into the Spider Verse. They have been fanning out and anticipating this for so many weeks... they were beside themselves.

Kate is doing remarkably well... they are assessing her brain health as they work with her each day on her breathing exercises and mobility on her right side.

Wednesday, the kids had their school performances.  Connor was so cute!!!

Meanwhile, Miranda was standing in line at this very moment, taking a picture of herself in line... haha!!!

And the twins took their turn... I CANNOT BELIEVE how old they look.

When Kierste got her beard on for 11 Lords a Leaping, she revealed how much sleep she got the night before.

This is the day that Stacey Harkey exited a closet... since he's a family friend, he makes the family news.  We feel for him.

Here's my response to represent the fam.

This is also the day that Carlie ran to get our toes done for HAWAII.  Miranda would have been with us, but it still hurts for anyone to touch or massage her feet, so we hurried and did it before she came home for Christmas.  =)

That night was my first Mutual in YW for my calling.  We did a giant gift exchange with all the YW that went off swimmingly.  When January hits, we will have SEVENTY-TWO young women.  Heaven help us; literally.

See Carlie in her amazing onesie pj's?  I was wearing my equally amazing Chewbacca pj's.

Here's some more happy pictures of Kate:

She loves the pink bear we brought her.  They said she has to sleep with it... I love that.

Um, apparently my cousin Eric wears beardaments at Christmas... ya learn something new every day...

So Thursday, I took Miranda to Primary's (her favorite place on the earth), to have her port removed.  . They couldn't get her IV site, so they warmed her up with heating pads and warmed blankets for a while.  We were there forever waiting for them because they were behind.

Then, when they took my baby away, I went upstairs to visit Kate & brought her a little unicorn named Diamond with a mermaid balloon.  She was such a good sport about me coming, and she showed me all her little toys she's received.  Oh please pray that she'll be able to go home asap.  It is not fun to sit in a hospital and stare at the walls, get prodded and fed stuff in a tube.

Then they called me down to see my waking up daughter, who looked SO MUCH BETTER than last time I came to wake her up from surgery... oh she just looks so much more healthy.  We talked to her nurse about Miranda's mission, her summer (!), and the nurse's son, who didn't get to serve a mission because of his severe Tourrette's... but he made it into next season's Studio C cast!!!!  Which is a total secret, so don't tell anyone!!

Then we had to have some Slapfish.

That night, Jeff tried to ruin people's Christmas:

And we went to Carol & Winn's for a Christmas party.  The kids brought their gingerbread houses and shared with their cousins:

Miranda & Morgan's was a little morbid, but super clever... The anti-Batcave.  Yes, that is another poor gingerbread man who met the Dracula fate, then fell off the roof... does it ruin your opinion of me that I'm the one who orchestrated that part? eh...

Then Carol broke out the KAZOOS for Christmas carols... HUGE HIT.

Friday, Jeff, Connor & the boys started the AT-AT Connor gave Jeff for Christmas last year.  He worked on it pretty much all day.  Coming along!!!

I was texting my friend about her son's Christmas album we had purchased and we were listening to... it's kind of hilarious because it's teens rapping/ grunge-band singing... super catchy, too.  So when she asked how Miranda was doing, this is the insta-pic I took to show her how Miranda's doing.

That evening, we divided up.  Carlie & I went to Wizard of Oz at Hale Center Theater.  It was the movie on stage.  Here's where Glinda comes to make it snow on the poppies (spoiler sorry).

Meanwhile, Jeff took the rest of the kids to his parents' to watch the bowl game.  Apparently there was some height comparisons going on while they were there... Morgan & Mark.

The wizard accidentally took off without Dorothy.  =(  She was left to find another way home... I won't spoil that part, in case you're going to see it later.

Saturday, we went to Pat's gym.  So Winn's sister Pat and her daughters own a gym in West Jordan, and for 16 years, they've been hosting the extended family Christmas party there... guess if everyone loves it.  Playing, playing and food.

Then we ran home and prepared to host the Levie family party.  We let everyone eat & talk, then we gathered for a giant picture for Kate. This is us waving to her, obviously.  =)

Aaron climbed his way up to Favorite Uncle by bringing Left, Right & Center, a game of dice with dollars.  They start with 5, and one person ends up with all.  Which we justified this by saying that if they had all brought their own money, it would be gambling, but if it's just a gift from Uncle Aaron... Abby (next to Carlie) took home the $45!!!

Then the youngers got to play with quarters, and Halle took home the $9.25, and the olders played again and Derek won... we have lucky kids!!

We did a white elephant with the adults, and then sang the 12 days of Christmas with some Levie touches:

I left my phone in the car today during church, and it's a really good thing, because I was itching to take pics of Clint Severson, full on playing the saxophone, only after one of the YW did a harp solo.  It was quite the dynamic presentation, with every hymn being played with both piano & organ in concert mode; super powerful & dramatic.

MEMES!!!!

Tonight we're preparing a meal together, reading this letter, and reading Christmas stories & singing songs.  Time to hunker down, reverence Christmas, and hope & cross our fingers that it snows tomorrow, because it is BARREN outside.  =)

xoxoooxxxoxoxoxoxoxxoxooooxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxox and Merry Christmas this week!!!!!

  Jeff, Melanie, 

Miranda , Carlie, Morgan, Derek, Halle, Kierste & Connor