Feliz Navidad

This Christmas we were both lucky and unlucky. We were unlucky because Grant was on call Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning, thus keeping us home bound in Salt Lake City for the holiday. And we were lucky because we had visitors! My mom, Grant's sister Jennifer, and her hubby Michael all came out to Utah for a visit! Michael also has family out in Utah, so they split up their trip between visiting us and his family.

According to the Morshedi code for guests, section 2.01 states that all visits must start with a few rounds of Rock Band. We don't make up the rules, we just follow them. As you can see from the awesome photo below, Grant has been hard at work practicing his guitar moves. My fingers are crossed that he doesn't start smashing his guitar at the end of each song. Now that we have the Beatles Rock Band, Mom was able to join in and put us all to shame with singing. I think she knows the words to every Beatles song that exists, even "I am the walrus." Pretty impressive.



The trip included a good dose of Mom and daughter time. You can tell we really had a hard time with that : )



We weathered temperatures in the teens to go down to Temple Square and see the fantastic Christmas lights. The frostbite was minimal; no body parts were permanently lost.





What else do you have to do when visiting Utah in the winter...ski! While my Mom read by the fire at the lodge, we hit the slopes. It was a trying day for some...cough...Jennifer. Let's just say she mastered the art of falling gracefully. She was a trooper.







Then began the three-day Christmas tamale making extravaganza. We decided to make a big batch of tamales this year (100+) with three types of fillings: chile pork, chicken verde, and black bean and cheese. There is something about cooking with your Mom at Christmas time that just feels right. And the tamales were fabulous if I do say so myself. Santa arrived early with a new tamale cookbook that we used. Definitely going to try some new fillings each year.





Jennifer and Michael joined back up with us on Christmas Eve and we went to a beautiful candle light service. It put us right in the Christmas spirit!









Then Christmas morning arrived along with blueberry cake, sausage, and eggs.



We were so blessed to have family with us this holiday. Traveling more than 500 miles is no easy feat. And we got everything we wanted from family and friends across the country. Ho, ho, ho.