Fiesta de la Navidad

Friday night was a Christmas Party in El Golf ward here in Santiago. I heard it mentioned briefly in Relief Society but then I got called out to take a toddler to the bathroom and so I didn't catch the time. A different Relief Society activity was on Wednesday at 7 (had a paper invitation for that one) so I thought maybe 7 is the standard starting time. So we asked around to check, those we spoke to thought 7 too, so we went at 7 for the party. But it was at 8. So we played soccer.



Had a good game, our kids are learning to say "Aqui! Aqui!" (here) and "A mi! A mi!" (to me).

Then at 8:00 we went in to the chapel - the people who told us it started at 8 were the people who arrived there at 7 like us and they were the people who were setting up for the party, and they were still setting up. The internet guy who Corey had been waiting for all day called to say he was on his way and so Corey ran home to open the apartment for him. The kids ran around the halls, we danced to Christmas music, and didn't help set up at all. My kids did come and ask me many times "When is it going to start?" "I don't know." Then we found out we were supposed to bring our own plates. I called Corey to ask him to bring plates and forks for us. Around 8:45 people were still arriving, setting up, and visiting. 9:00 we sat down as our plates had arrived via Kurt, Corey was still at home with the internet guy.


It was now starting. Or so we thought. My kids were relieved. After a welcome by the bishopric there was a prayer, then each of the counselors said a few words for a few minutes, then the bishop, all the while my kids were struggling to be patient. Hyrum, who wins top complainer for the evening, was saying too loud (luckily he doesn't speak Spanish so hopefully no one understood) "I can't stand listening to Spanish anymore!! I wish I never came here! Why can't we eat yet? Why do we always have to do what the adults want?!?!" Then a missionary who served in the ward for 8 months said a few words and received a gift from the ward - his parent's were there with him to pick him up. Then, my kids thought the torture was over, but no! There's more!! We adults just LOVE tormenting our young! HAHAHAHA!! (evil laugh) So next, they played the Christmas Devotional message from President Monson, which I must say was excellent, but my kids were dying - it was 9:15, the food was waiting for them to come get it, and they had to sit and listen to Spanish again, AND to top it off, for some reason they had it on slow speed, so the message which should have been 9 minutes and 45 seconds was 15 minutes. At 9:30, an hour and a half later than they had expected, my kids were finally given some food. They asked for people to remain seated and they'd come serve the tables. A brother came and gave my kids a serving of corn and ranch salad, and they ate it and licked the ranch dressing off of their plates, which was a little embarrassing...

Ethan and Hyrum there with their hands on their plates, bringing them up to their mouths for another lick.

More food came around - turkey, rice, more salads, it was delicious and worth the wait. We made the kids wait until 10 people were eating cake before they could go attack the desserts. Corey fatherly advice: "You just don't want to be the first one to the dessert table..."

There were two other parts to the activity, which I didn't think they'd do cause it was getting so late, but they did - the young women sang the Nativity Song as the primary kids came out dressed in their parts - this part was my favorite and it had Corey and I almost crying with laughter...

Can you see Hyrum?

He's the one in yellow...

We're not sure what he was - I thought he was a wasp, Joe and Ethan say he was a bee, Mel says he was a firefly, Corey thinks it was a grasshopper costume, it had a huge abdomen sticking to his bottom, it was hilarious.

Ethan, Wesley, and Kurt and Ashley's daugther playing their parts -
Ethan was a reindeer? Don't know about Wes and Mckinley...

Joseph and Mary - I was still trying to get a photo of Hyrum that did his cuteness justice. His little resigned smile was just priceless. I love it, Corey was visiting with someone at the other end of the hall when they started, so I was trying to take pictures but also trying to call to him to come see. He made it in time to capture the moment and we were both in tears from laughing so hard. LOVE YOU HYRUM!! You're the cutest, and are hereby pardoned of your top complainer award for the evening.

The other part of the social was wrapping presents to send south to areas affected by the earthquake. 11:12 and the party's still going!

11:40 - we decide to head out. Hyrum's done, that's my watch there that is on my arm that Lily's bottom is resting on - she's asleep on my shoulder.

We all slept in on Saturday until 10. Chile has cured us of living the good schedule that we were on in Costa Rica. We're all back to normal. :) Feliz Navidad in one week! We've gotta get a tree or stockings or something. We've been postponing it, slackers. but we're going to try and do something special each day to try and get some of that Christmas spirit.