Christmas in HB

For FHE one night we went over to our friends, the Evan's, house to make gingerbread houses and play "Dirty Santa" or what people out here call "White Elephant." There were kids, babies and adults everywhere. I think maybe 23 of us in total. It was loud and fun and full of sweets. It doesn't get much better than that. Anyway, you get all those people in one little apartment during flu season and you end up with an epidemic. Literally within 24 hours people started dropping like flies. Everyone but 1 person ended up puking. Logan and I were the sickest in our family and I have to say it was the sickest I've been since I brushed my teeth with water from Mexico 6 years ago (oops!). Anyway, we survived and believe me I wasn't sure we would. There's nothing worse than a toddler and a baby puking everywhere without any warning while you are pretty much feel like death yourself. Luckily Scott didn't get it until about a week later so he could at least help while the rest of us were sick.  Here we are before we were 15 lbs lighter 

The next Saturday we had planned to make lunches to take to some homeless people.  We woke up, everything normal and finally over our sicknesses.  I started making the sandwiches and packing the lunch bags.  We loaded them and a bunch of water in the car and then it hit Scott.  The nasty stomach virus had hit!  I decided I'd just feed the homeless myself so I left Logan home with Scott to take a nap and headed to a park I was told homeless people hang out.  I was a little nervous since I had no idea what I was getting myself into but it was the middle of the day and the park is very public so I wasn't too worried.  As soon as I pulled up I went to unload my big box of lunches and one of the men came running over asking if he could help me.  He asked if I'd brought clothes and I said "No, maybe I should have thought of that.  I brought lunch instead.  You hungry?"  Oh he was so excited. He helped me unload everything and called over all his friends.  I had made 20 lunches and all but 1 were gone in about 2 minutes.  They were all so nice and so thankful.  I felt kind of stupid with my sandwiches, chips, fruit and water and wished I had brought them steak or something but you'd have never known it wasn't steak.  Many of them looked just like you or me.  Not dirty, hairy, or talking crazy.  Just homeless and hungry.  It made me wonder how they got in that situation and I wished I could have done more.  On my way home, I saw another man and called him over to the car and gave him my last lunch bag.  I'm so glad I did it and I'm sad Scott didn't get to come with me.  I prayed and prayed I didn't make them sick with the food we gave them.  We've decided to make it a regular thing.  We don't have much but we are very blessed and even though sack lunches aren't much, at least it's something. 
That night was our Ward Christmas pajama party.  It was quite the event.  They had all kinds of performances, good food, Santa, family picture station, a live nativity, and a picture station.  It was super chaotic being just me and the boys but we made it and I even got a couple pictures. The primary did a nativity with songs and reading of the Christmas story.  I signed Logan up to be in it and he was a cow.  The cutest cow I've ever seen if you ask me. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and once again, I was sad Scott missed it.