A Magical Gift of Time! Ice~Skating and the Snowed Inn

 On Saturday morning (the day before Christmas Eve), the kids all sat at the table decorating a Gingerbread house together. :) We were kind of just hanging around enjoying a lazy morning while we waited for Riley's parents who were in town to stop by and say Hello. :)

 They came by to say hello, and while they were there and everyone was at the kitchen table, Santa actually delivered a Gift of Time letter down the chimney to us!!!

 This time, Santa sent us to the Oval to go ice~skating!!! We were so excited to go that we hurried and made lunch, got ready , and left for the fun!

 And that was what we had!!! FUN!!! (All except for Kesslyn that is...she was soooo adorable in her miniature skates, but HATED every minute of standing in them ;)

 Kambriella on the other hand LOVED every minute of it!!! She got faster and faster and more and more confident with every loop around the rink that she would make...

 Dallin and Gavin too...they were all having a ball out there on the ice!

 The 2 love birds were happy...

 ...the sisters were happy!!!

 Everyone loved skating at the Oval!!! Thank you Santa for the FUN Gift of Time!!!

  (But the fun didn't end there...while we were skating, a girl skated right up to us and asked us if we were the Tricketts!?!? She had a letter in her hand that she said that Santa had given to her to deliver to us!!! It was ANOTHER Gift of Time!!! :)

This time, the letter told us to drive to the mountains where we would find horses and a dinner feast!!!

It's a good thing I had heard of such a place!!! We quickly drove straight there and saw the most amazing scene...BIG, BEAUTIFUL horses pulling giant sleighs!!! They were coming down the mountain to get us and we could hardly believe it!!! :)

 We told the driver that Santa had sent us and he quickly found room for us! We all climbed in under their heavy, warm blanket and headed back up the mountain!!!

 It was snowing and magical and I felt like I was living a dream! I couldn't believe we were experiencing such a magical night THIS close to Christmas!!! THANK YOU SANTA!!!

 We took pictures next to the horses when we got to the top of the mountain...

 Kesslyn was in LOVE with the horsies! She kept talking to them as if they could understand her and kept saying, "I wanna wide it!" :) :)

 So, the cowboy let her "ride" it, and she HATED it!!! The cowboy didn't like hearing her cry much either!;)

(Even those men are tender hearted!)

 Once we entered the building we were immediately surrounded by warmth, light, music, and laughter...

 There were multiple fireplaces burning and it was soooo cozy and WARM!

  We first got to help ourselves to a mug of hot cider, and it was BY FAR the BEST cup of cider I have EVER had!!! Riley and I loved it so much I think I drank 3 cups!!!

Our first course was a hot roast soup that was divine! Warm and yummy, and EVERYONE finished theirs off, INCLUDING my picky little eaters that thought they wouldn't want to try it...

but boy were they glad they did!!!

 Then came the main course...Kierra, Riley, and Clint had prime rib...

 Dallin and Gavin had chicken off the grill...

 Kesslyn and Kambriella had chicken tenders...

 ...and I had blackened salmon. DE-LI-CIOUS!!!

 The 2 love birds...:)

 The little brothers...:)

 The building...(which Clint wanted a picture of for ideas for our property. :)

  Then after dinner we each had a bowl of ice~cream with brownies! The portions were perfect, the food was soooo yummy, the atmosphere was so happy and inviting... I loved EVERYTHING about being there with my sweet family...

 They had a live band singing some fun modern songs and Christmas carols too that everyone joined in on, they had Christmas lights hung and fires glowing in the fireplaces...The happy buzzes of people talking all around just SOUNDED like Christmas to me!!! And that cider!!! THAT was Christmas in a cup!!! ;)

If I have anything to do with it, we WILL be back here again when Carew comes home!!!

 I can't wait to take him there!!!

  We finished our dinner, bundled back up in our warm clothes, took a few more pictures, and then climbed back in the sleigh to head back down the mountain.

 This truly was one of the most magical nights of Christmas, but what made it so fun was the fact that we shared the time together as a family, my FAVORITE thing to do!

 This restaurant was called The Snowed Inn...I snapped this picture so that I could remember who to call to come back again!!! (AND who to call to see if I can get some more of that cider! ;)

 As we rode down the mountain we could hear the bells jingling on the horses reigns, we could see the view of the city lihjts below us, and we were welcomed back by beautifully lit Christmas trees...

Pure MAGIC.

 It was cold and we all hurried back into the warmth of our car and headed home for the night...

 ...singing and enjoying the sights as we drove home...

Every time I think of all of the good gifts in my life, I am constantly brought back to my Heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus Christ, and GRATITUDE. Because without them, there would be no gifts. Because EVERYTHING we have comes from Him. EVERY good gift is from God.

Merry Christmas is sincere and from my heart, but the returning of thanks will NEVER end!!!

A Trickett Christmas Carol

 Every year for the Trickett family Christmas party, all of the family takes a turn in the rotation oldest to youngest for who will be hosting the party...and this year it was our year! I was excited about this because that meant I got to choose when it was held, and what we would do! So, I chose to have it when Riley and Kierra could be there too...Friday, December 22nd, 2017. :)

 I chose the theme of a "Trickett Christmas Carol" and decided to incorporate things into the party from the Christmases past, present, and future.We started off the party in the basement with making homemade Christmas ornaments out of old photos from Christmases past...everyone really enjoyed seeing the old photographs and creating their own personal family heirloom! 

(And my basement sparkled with glitter everywhere by the time the night was over! ;) These 2 ornaments Dallin made for me...they are of Clint and his sister Tammy when they were little, and Clint's mom and dad from their wedding day! Sooo special!

 Those who weren't working on ornaments either visited or watched the real movie, "A Christmas Carol."

 Kesslyn chose to attach herself to her Aunt Tammy ALL NIGHT long!!! And I'm not sure if this was a blessing or a curse for Tammy...but probably a little bit of both! ;)

 See what I mean?? ;)

 We played games that we have played in Christmases past...

 ...and this Christmas bag game...Riley, the tallest member of the family, gave the best competition to the reigning bag champion, Dallin!!!

 Those boys can go LOW!!! You actually have to balance on one foot and NOT use your hands and bend down and pick the bag up with your teeth! Each time everyone would take a turn and complete the task, we would then cut the bag lower, and lower until we had a champion. Dallin ended up winning with what was left of the bag in his hand! But, we also let Riley be a runner up winner because he was a close second and actually had to bend down at least an extra foot lower than everyone else!!!

Way to go boys!!!

 We also enjoyed celebrating the "present" by holding a gift exchange and then playing this "unwrap the present" game. People would take turns rolling a pair of dice and as soon as they would roll doubles they would quickly jump up and run around and around the present until the next person would roll doubles...and then they would switch. Each item that would fall out of the plastic wrap as you were running around the gift would be the items that you would get to keep. It was so fun to watch everyone hurrying to scramble for the dice and then running around as fast as they could...:)

 By the time we finished up those games it was time to enjoy the "present" even more by eating a delicious dinner! We had Polynesian pork roast, funeral potatoes, yummy salads, rolls, deviled eggs, and lots of yummy treats!

 We ate and then quickly bundled everyone up in their warmest clothes and headed out to the Luminaria lights at Thanksgiving Point! This is one of my very favorite Christmas light displays and so I really wanted to treat everyone to seeing them. This went along with our gift of Christmas "future" because I really wanted people to think about what was most important to them, and in this beautiful light display towards the end is the "Light of the World" garden with life size bronze statues of Christ surrounded by a sea of lanterns. 

I didn't really get too many pictures of it because I was so taken in by the spirit in the garden that I kind of forgot about taking any...but needless to say...it is a place where I feel the true spirit of Christmas so strong. 

I love it!

 Dallin, Cohen, Gavin, and Drake...best cousins!

 Ava, foreign exchange student Ahmad from Bethlehem, Cohen, Blaze, Dallin, Riley, Kierra, Gavin, Drake, and foreign exchange student Ilyas from Nigeria.

 When we got to the Luminaria, Kesslyn quickly decided to attach herself from Aunt Tammy, to Aunt Ginger!!! But they both said they loved the snuggles!!!

 This beautiful part was where we saw Dasher and Dancer...real live reindeer!

 Kierra and Riley were in heaven as usual...;) and so was Kesslyn! She was so happy to see the reindeer! :)

 This is the part where we began to enter the beautiful garden and I wish I had more pictures, but the feeling I have from being there is definitely what's most important...

 Sweet little Gavin did say to me,

 "Mom, my favorite statue is when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. 

I want to walk by it and see it with you." 

He went up to the top of the statue and stood next to Jesus and looked into the tomb and saw what Jesus would have seen...the spirit was strong...

I always get that big lump in my throat and a few tears that trickle down my cheeks when I am there. I just love my Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has done for me. When I am in that garden I feel the spirit testify to me that He is real and that He loves me so much, and it makes me want to be better. And THAT'S what I was hoping everyone would feel by going there...something that will help each individual to commit to something positive that they can do in the future to live a life that leads to Christ. I know it's a journey that we are all making daily and one that is constantly being forged, and does not end.

I loved this part of the night...

 After we left the garden we were on our way back to the beginning where we started and continued to be amazed by all of the beautiful lights and displays...

 The deer by the river, and the giant Frosty the Snowman...It was definitely a night that I will not forget. Everyone thanked us for taking them there and I know that they were so happy to have had the opportunity.

 After we finished up at Thanksgiving Point we went back to our house for hot chocolate, desserts, and SANTA!!! If you could not tell, Kesslyn HATED it!!!

 Kambriella LOVED it! 

(But I think that's because she knew that it was Grandpa Trickett dressed up like Santa and just being one of his helpers that night. ;)

 Gavin loved it too!

 So did Dallin...

 ...and Kierra and Riley. :)

Everyone ended up with Christmas pajamas from Santa, and Kierra and Riley ended up with robes. :)

 Grandma Trickett, Kesslyn, Santa, Clint, and me...what a Merry Christmas!!!

 We had all the little ones put on their pajamas and get a picture by the tree before everyone headed back home for the night. It was a fun filled Christmas with people that we love, and minus the 5 cousins that were not present (including my sweet Carew, Anziano Trickett  ;( ...this was all of the Trickett grand kids.

A true treasure indeed!

 I would say that the "Trickett Christmas Carol" family Christmas party was a huge success and everyone was able to go home with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads...and hopefully some really good memories and maybe even some resolutions too...

I'm so happy and grateful to be a part of this amazing crazy family!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!