What a Weekend!

I just wanted to share what a wonderful weekend we had, before it is a foggy memory. Saturday, Dec. 6, was Saint Nicholas day. This day usually comes and goes in the Kapeleris household without a great deal of fanfare. This year, for the first time in 3 or 4 years, we are traveling at Christmas. We found some good deals on airplane tickets, but when John and I were discussing the logistics of gifts for family and three children, we realized that we didn't want to bring all of our Christmas gifts to California. So, with two birthdays and Christmas coming, we thought St. Nicholas day would be a very appropriate day for gift giving. It was a lovely day- I was exhausted due to a long night- I'll spare you the details ) : John went on a brief hunting foray in the early hours, and when he returned, we had a big, yummy breakfast of my homemade cinnamon rolls, maple bacon, and eggs with cheese and mushrooms. Yum-o as Rachel Ray says! Then we opened family presents, and Christopher opened his small birthday presents. It was a lot of fun, although the boys weren't super excited about what John and I got them. We made them matching comforters, because when we move we'd like to decorate their room in a castle theme. They do like them, but they're not as fun as, say, legos. Sophia loved her Little People Palace, and the boys contented themselves playing with her and her toy all day. John loved his books, and he got me an awesome cast iron skillet. I am trying to get the hang of using it ( : All in all, it was just a very pleasant morning. We were able to sneak a nap in, which I was in desperate need of- I just don't function on 4 hours of sleep. Cleaning the house occupied most of the afternoon, as all my fellow parents know, housecleaning is the never ending task. In the evening John and I had the opportunity to go out! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even though the date was pretty simple. We went out for dinner and then ended up at Walmart to pick up some last minute items for our Sunday get together. We are officially an old, boring married couple living in the middle of nowhere ( : And we loved it. Sunday, was, well, Sunday. Nothing super inspiring or annoying, just some grumpy kids at church. So, all in all, it was just ok. But we had a refreshing Christmas soiree in the evening, and had such a great time! We love to watch the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional and since we have BYUTV, we thought it would be nice to have our friends over for dessert and the devotional. We had three families show up, with the attendant menagerie of children, and everybody just had a great time noshing, gabbing and enjoying some Christmas inspiration and music. Thanks so much Batchelors, Monsons, and Robertsons for coming! We enjoyed everybody's company and the sugar cookies, cobbler, and rice crispy treats were pretty nice too! What a lovely way to end the weekend. Aah- You have to enjoy weekends like that when they come, sometimes they seem few and far between ( : We hope everybody has at least one weekend as lovely in December.