Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Here's a few pictures of our Christmas holidays.  Christmas kind of snuck up on us this year, as we didn't even start thinking about Christmas plans until the week of!  Nonetheless, we had a great time not having to work for a whole week and spending time with our families.  

Kicked off the Christmas celebration with an annual tradition - dinner at

Champions Golf Club.  Thank you Grandma Dernick for inviting us!

Our fourth year taking a portrait at the entrance to dinner. 

Christmas Eve at the Kongs:
Dan and Joy spent Christmas Eve with Joy's family and had the usual Kong Christmas Eve dinner - Hot Pots.  Christmas week was super cold and gloomy this year, so the hot pots were the perfect way to warm us up.  We had too much food, as usual, and had a fun time seeing everyone.

A fun service activity - baking and decorating sugar cookies

for the Chinese Branch missionaries.  Thank you Mark Hill for 

teaching Lilian and Mama Kong how to make sugar cookies. ;) 

Dan and Mark concentrating on their cookie decorating

Giselle and Ricky showing off one of their decorated cookies

Everyone was in a cookie decorating mode

What started off as a service activity somehow evolved into a 

decorating contest.  These were the contestants:

Papa Kong was the judge, and he took his role VERY seriously, pointing out the reasons why each cookie did or did not deserve to win.  It took him over 10 minutes to declare the winners.   Can you see how nervous Ricky was?

And the winners were:  Mr and Mrs Claus in bathing suits - definitely not 

appropriate to give the missionaries.  The 2nd and 3rd runners up were:
The German (Mark) and Balding Man (Dan).  

The winners claiming their prize, right before their winning cookies

fell off their winner's plate.  

Christmas Day at the Dernicks:
After our evening with the Kongs, we drove up to the Dernicks to spend Christmas morning there.  Dan's sister and her family from Utah came down for Christmas this year, so the entire family was together.  Christmas with children is definitely a lot more exciting.  Santa did stop by, and everyone got lots of fun gifts.

First stop on Christmas morning, our stockings!

We all had fun hats to wear while opening presents.

A present for a 'Cotton Headed Ninny Mugging' from Mama and Papa Elf.

Thanks for the cool Go Pro Camera!

Grandma Dernick came over later that day for Christmas dinner - her first time meeting baby Elle.  

Preparing for Christmas dinner

The best picture we could get of everyone.

Only those who finish their dinner get a treat... looks like 'Chief' ate all his dinner!

After Christmas:

We had another family dinner (with everyone this time) at Champions.

Taking a Dernick Family picture before playing golf.  Here's Rex

getting the shot ready, and Camden watching a movie.  He wasn't 

as interested in the photography session. ;)

Off to the golf course after the photo session.  Rawson and Rex were VERY excited!  

Rawson got the hang of driving a golf cart very quickly.

Chief giving Rawson a few tips to improve his putting

Rawson showing Uncle Dan and Aunt Wiz his putting skills.