December Days with the People I Love

 December 2025

For the past year, I’ve helped care for my mom two days a week. As of January, I’m stepping back from that role. I’ll be shifting gears to help with Kaide instead when Erin starts nursing school. We don’t yet know what that schedule will look like, but I’m excited for her—and I know Kaide and I will have plenty of fun days ahead. 

We have had beautiful weather this month. It has been unseasonably warm with very little wind, and my mom and I have been able to get out of the house quite a bit. We've gone on walks, drives, to Hobby Lobby, and to the mall. She loved looking at all of the pretty Christmas decorations inside stores and out in the neighborhoods. I loved the outings too. It made our days go by faster and gave us some interesting things to see.

I seriously LOVE this December weather. Warm, sunny, windless days=bliss.

Brian was able to go to California to be with his parents for several days in early December. Bruce, Kyle and Sarah were there as well. They were able to enjoy visiting all together and also were able to get lots of big and small projects done around the house. 

Bruce & Kyle

Bri and Kyle

Joyce & Bri

Jerry woodworking in the garage.

We didn't plan it this way, but when Brian was out of town, our friend, Alma Merriman, came in to town for a few days. She stayed at our house, and she and I had a few fun filled days together. On Thursday, we went to the Merry Mojo Christmas concert at the Wagner Noel and were so impressed. Permian High School's orchestra, band, and choir groups put on a phenomenal show. Braddock performed with the band (euphonium) and Hudson (cello) with the orchestra, which made it even more special.

On Friday, we visited my mom. To be honest, this was the main reason Alma made the trip. She was one of my mom's sweet caregivers, and she dearly loves her. Alma says she thinks they must have been friends in the preexistence, and I believe her. They have a beautiful bond. We ran a few errands and picked up food for a yummy dinner...which Alma made for me. (insert face palm) She is one of the most giving people I know. Luckily, Tanner and family were able to come over for dinner because there was a ton. It was also really fun to all visit together. 

Alma reserved Saturday morning to care for my mom. For lunch, my dad took me, Alma, and Julie Proctor (another former caregiver) to Rosas for lunch. On Saturday afternoon, Alma went to Cathy Bonifay's choir concert while I decorated for the ward Christmas party, and Saturday night we enjoyed the ward party. Then, bright and early on Sunday morning, I took her back to the airport to head home to Pennsylvania. It was a quick trip, but I loved seeing her again. We made use of those 2 1/2 days!

I think one can tell from this picture that my mom is loved. Lft-rt: Alma, Mom, me, & Julie

The ward party was nice and especially nice when it was over! The RS activities committee was asked to be in charge of it, and I am currently the counselor in the RS presidency over activities. The committee did an outstanding job of planning and making it all happen. These events are so. much. work. There were beautiful table decorations, good food, lots of desserts, a hot chocolate bar, a small musical program, lots of visiting, and a visit from Santa. Bishop Bird agreed that organizations other than Relief Society would take care of clean up. My favorite part was not staying until the bitter end of a very long day to clean up afterwards.

It was Kaide's first time visiting Santa. He stood in line for about 10 seconds, slipped closer to observe, and then cut in front of everyone for a turn. It was so innocent and pretty cute. He did it so fast that Erin hadn't even made it to the line yet, so 15 minutes later, he had another turn. 

Tanner took a turn also.

Aubrey filled her last few weeks of the semester with friend outings, temple trips, volleyball, working out, ward activities, and finals. I think this picture is from an evening in SLC shopping and looking at the Christmas lights.

Katie, Aubrey Gwilliam, Charlotte Erickson, Macey, Hannah Turner, Hannah

Brinley and two other students from her cohort had the opportunity to present their research at a conference in HAWAII!!!! So she and Derek spent part of their December enjoying the island life. I'm so jealous. One day I hope to make it to Hawaii...my dream vacation. They loved having a week there to relax and explore. They especially loved the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

Also, a big congratulation to Derek for graduating from BYU in December. He and Brinley will both walk the stage in April.

Parker offhandedly mentioned a cool hat he received after doing a modeling job on campus. What? You are supposed to tell your mother these things. They make her feel proud that other people also think her son is handsome. He said he was very uncomfortable the whole time. Ha! When I expressed a desire to see the video, he couldn't find it anymore, but he found a thread with a few screenshots. Kind of cool.

Top left

Top left

Park is wearing the navy shirt.

Bottom right...please ignore the mustache...this mama is not a fan...it was no shave November

As far as what has been keeping me personally busy this month, I made some Santa bags. some personalized shirts and sold several of my bracelets. I've been doing lots of online shopping (bless that invention) and wrapping of gifts. I've enjoyed lunches with friends and family, my monthly book club, and working out with Britney 3x a week.

For friend/neighbor gifts, we did Christmas puzzles or cinnamon rolls. We added a cute ornament for Erin Noel's family and Derek's family.

Our college kids' turnaround from Thanksgiving to Christmas break came fast, and it was so nice having them home again. This picture was from a family lunch (aka Taco Villa Monday on Wednesday at Fuddruckers). It was especially nice that my mom was able to join. After lunch, my dad took her for a walk around the mall while the young adults visited and watched their children play on the indoor playground.

Another bonus about having this handsome boy home from college is that he is a worker. I looked out the kitchen window and noticed him finishing up the leaves that Brian had been working on. I about cried tears of joy. He also asked me several times over the break what he could do to help. He made my day everytime!

He and Brian also worked on reroofing a little storage building we have out back. 

Park got lots of playing in also though. He was a good buddy to Kaide.

Tanner and Parker also went golfing or to the range a few times over the break. Brian hooked them up with an early Christmas present: golf lesson's w/ Mike Winfrey. Mike is probably Brian's best friend, and he was an All-American golfer at Texas Tech back in the day. Brian and the boys enjoyed the afternoon.

Aubrey came home a few days after Parker and had her wisdom teeth taken out right away. So, she has her very own blog post, which you can see here. After recovering from oral surgery, she hung out with Charlotte, (girl) Parker, and Maci quite a bit. She also left her wallet at the Odessa College gym one day and had to replace her driver's license, BYU ID, and dorm key. 

My dad snapped this picture of us at church. The original was not very flattering of me or Britney (humped back, bellies out-trust me!)  Luckily, he went with a Christmas AI trend and came up with this cute photo. 

Brit, Mom, me

We were able to have FHE as a family a couple of times. (We missed Bryn and Derek who spent Christmas with the Atkinsons in Delta, Utah.) Duck, Duck, Goose is still reigning as the current FHE activity of choice.

A few days before Christmas, we enjoyed bowling with the Bird cousins. We invited the extended family, but they were the only ones who made it. We took advantage of the "spend $10 at the snack bar and get two free games" special. It was fun to snack on pizza and drinks, visit with cousins, and enjoy bowling. 

Grandpa stopped, by after his lunch with Kerry and Nathan, to say hello to the group.

Parker, Kaide, Erin, Braddock, Hud, Ella, Char, Aubrey, Tanner & me

As we head into Christmas week, I’m realizing how much I appreciate this slower season of life. There’s still plenty going on—family coming and going, church activities, visits with friends—but it feels calmer than the years filled with sports, concerts, and packed calendars. I’ve loved the extra time for walks, simple outings, and being together without rushing to the next thing. The first few weeks of December were full in all the right ways, and I’m grateful for it.

Operation: Gift Exchange (A Christmas Prank Success)

December 23, 2025

Our sibling gift exchange was happening this year. We were able to pull off a pretty funny prank on Britney and Adam. They fell for it to the bitter end and were great sports once they found out too. But before I get into the prank and share the video, let me share some of the fun food and games Britney had in store for us.

First, we enjoyed a nacho bar with homemade salsa, guacamole, and tons of toppings. Brit also had a yummy spread of desserts: decorated sugar cookies, cherry cordial mice, and homemade caramel. We gathered around their large table and had a great time visiting. 

We had a lot of fun with the games this year. Brit always does a good job putting together a few that she thinks our group will enjoy or tolerate. (Some of us are more grumpy-cough-Kerry-cough cough, than others.) It was funny to witness the teasing and competitiveness of the nine of us emerge as well.

We paired up against an opponent for a fierce game of tic-tac-toe. You had to slide the Hershey Kisses, one at time, into the correct squares.  

my dad and Brian

We got in groups of three to try to slide a full cup of water on a piece of toilet paper across a finish line first. It was tricky because if you made your cup jerk a tiny bit, then the water would spill and the t.p. would tear. I have to mention that I dominated my group. Woot woot. (No need to bring up the winners of tic tac toe though.)

The overfill the water cup game we played was pretty entertaining. The cup was filled to the brim with water, and we had to take turns adding some water without it overflowing. We were pretty sure that the first or second person would try and the game would be over. However, we all had multiple turns, and the water just bulged into a dome above the cup. We were shocked. I guess we had a throwback science experiment about water tension.

The last game was great. We got in teams with our partners while my dad took the pictures. The goal was to lean out and place this little object as far as you could without your feet crossing a line. Each couple gave it their all. There were a few crashes. My dad was especially concerned with Beth's safety. She is coming out of a full year of cancer treatments. He was like, "There is no point in breaking her now!" Nate and Beth were not holding back though. 

I am proud to say that Brian and I were the grand champions, with Brit and Adam a close second. 

Brit and Adam

Kerry & Quetta

Nate & Beth

me and Brian

Okay....on to the joke we played on Britney and Adam. I had seen a video of a family pranking their grandma on Christmas morning. Every present they opened from each other was actually just something from the grandma's house. I forwarded it to Beth and said, "We should do this to the Birds!" She was all in, so we forwarded it to the group to see if they thought. We didn't get the roaring support I was hoping for, but we got the okay, so operation steal some items from Brit and Adam began. Nate and Beth live out of town, so I knew I had to do the dirty work. It was harder than I expected!

First, I tried to gather the supplies on Sunday night during our family gathering. I enlisted Hudson, who is 15, to help. We had to gather items that looked new and fell into the $50 range. I also needed to steal items that they wouldn't need or miss for two days. We found a few tools out in Adam's shop and set them on the outside porch by the street. The shop totally has cameras that video everything, but Hud assured me they would have no need to review the video feed.

However, at one point, he realized we were cooked because the back door to the shop had a Ring doorbell that his dad would immediately check if it went off. I also knew Bri and Adam were both casually visiting while looking at their phones. I was dying. The last thing I needed was for Adam, my brother-in-law and/or Adam, my bishop, to wonder why I was stealing from him! So I headed into the house to distract Adam while Hudson put everything back. 

On to plan B...try again the next day when neither Brit nor Adam would be home. Hudson sent me the text that the coast was clear, and I dropped my errands and headed straight over. Charlotte joined in the secrecy, and they helped me figure out the best seven items to steal. I took Britney's Hydrojug (her favorite water bottle), a Kendra Scott necklace from her bathroom drawer, some diamond earings, pearls packaged in a brown velvet envelope, a large, plush Minky Couture blanket, a back massager and a sleeping bag. 

I then swung by Kerry's to drop off four of the "gifts" for Kerry, Quetta, Beth, and Nate to wrap. Beth wasn't there, and the other three were nice, but I could tell they were somewhat reluctant participants. Kerry said something like, "I think this prank only works on grandmas with dementia. Why are we trying this on Britney and Adam? Why didn't we do it on Dad?" To be fair...my dad asked the same question. Also, Kerry is so sweet. He called me the next morning to apologize--which was not needed at all. He wanted to be sure he didn't hurt my feelings.

Anyway, I stole the items on Monday afternoon, and the party was on Tuesday night. We needed to give my daughter-in-law, Erin, her birthday gift two days early so I could use the Minky Couture packaging to fake wrap Britney's blanket. Operation white elephant prank was rolling.

I received a text from Hudson late Monday night: "My mom just offered a cash reward to whoever finds her Hydrojug." I was crying.🤣🤣🤣 I was also hoping sweet Charlotte, 12, could keep the secret. 

I received this text from Erin on Tuesday morning: Britney just said, "I am mourning the loss of my Hydrojug."  At least we know at the moment she has no idea.

We met for "family lunch" that afternoon. Britney told me all about her missing water bottle and that she just could not figure out where she had left it. I kindly offered to lend her mine until hers turned up, and she was very grateful. When I gave it to her later that day, she told me I was a lifesaver. She was just not drinking enough water without it. I was thinking, "She is going to KILL me!"

I knew I needed to be tricky with the Hydrojug wrapping, or the whole prank might go wrong. I took the plastic wrapping off one of our Amazon gifts and put it around her water bottle. I also paired the Hydrojug with an Owala water bottle that still had its packaging. I was hoping Brit wouldn't think twice about it being her actual water bottle when she saw two fancy water bottles at the same time.

Moving on, I wanted to be tricky with her necklace as well so, I unwrapped a Kendra Scott gift I had under the tree for myself, and swapped it with  Britney's necklace so it would look authentic.

Let the Games Begin...

Britney drew the first spot, and of course, she picked the one gift we were most worried about, her Hydrojug. However, as excited as she was, she did not realize that it was her long lost (26 hours) baby. Phew!

It was hysterical. We would ooh and ahh over each present. Britney would state, "I have a necklace very similar, but not exactly the same," or Adam would say, "We have one of those." We all opened and stole gift after gift without the Birds realizing they all belonged to them. 

Nate videoed the whole thing. The prank worked perfectly, and Britney and Adam were great sports once they found out. Between the games, the food, and the missing-then-miraculously-found Hydrojug, this sibling Christmas party was one for the books—and exactly the kind of memory that makes me grateful for family traditions.

🠞🠞🠞 Gift Exchange Prank🠈🠈🠈

Kerry, my dad, Quetta, Beth, Nate, Adam, Britney, me, & Brian
(missing Chris & Ang in West Africa and Becky & Brian in Lucas, Tx.)