THE BINGHAM FAMILY CHRISTMAS

"Los Posades" (The Inn Keepers)

The Bingham Family Christmas Party is an annual tradition and as our family grows, so does all the fun. I was excited to have it at my house this year. There are 72 of us with three new babies on the way! 60 came to my house this Sunday. Everyone helped with the food. The Christmas Custard was a hit, there were many delicious appetizers, turkey, tender beef, Shelly's divine potatoes, many yummy salads, hot rolls, English Trifle, Christmas cakes, deserts, and candies.The siblings sat upstairs where it was calm and we could talk. All the kids and grandkids were in the big room downstairs and had a more lively time.
Santa came and brought a fun spirit with him!


After it was all over, I felt so good....it had been so great to be with my family! Thanks for all your help.

Tis The Season...

My favorite daughter, Mia, (P.S. Mia has access to my site!), came to visit for Thanksgiving and life is a whirlwind while she is in town. We had fun and she helped me so much, too. At 10 PM she would say, "Let's decorate a tree!" Gradually we got out almost every decoration. It was fun to do it with her and I wanted it to be special this year because over 60 Binghams are coming to my house for the Bingham Family Christmas this Sunday. These pictures don't capture how pretty everything looks. This red tree is my favorite and is located downstairs in our big family room. I have to go down and look at it every day and drink in the RED! There is just something special about red. This is a huge real poinsettia that one of my teachers gave me and when I come through the front door, it just grabs me. This is the first year that it will just be Michael and I hanging our stockings. Because everyone knows that when you get married, you become each other's Santa.
Michael only put up half of our great room tree (the top two sections), put it on an end table and we doubled-loaded it with ornaments! Thanks to Carly's wedding, we were able to add some beautiful reminders of her reception one year ago on December 26th.
This front room tree shows out the front window and has some of the ornaments on it that Michael and I handmade 36 years ago for our first tree.

Micah gave us the idea for our house lights. Each corner, gable, and angle along the roof has two greens, a red, two greens=a holly berry!!

Coming soon...."The Bingham Family Christmas"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAD!

Brad came into our lives a few years ago. When I heard that Maeve was dating a very cute, incredible guy and that he was pretty perfect, but he was just not Mormon, I was excited for Maeve but worried, too. The first time I met Brad, my worries melted away and truly, when I looked into his eyes, I saw my future grandchildren. It startled and assured me. Brad is a great example to all of us, he joined the church and received the Priesthood before they were married. Brad and Maeve were sealed a year later.
Brad loves his birthday and has been celebrating all week. He asked me to fix Hawaiian Haystacks for his Birthday Dinner. I spent hours chopping all the vegies and setting out many other ingredients which were spread out on the buffet. He took: rice, chicken, cheese, sauce, and crunchy noodles and loved it!!!!
Brad is a talented graphic designer/web designer who works for Franklin Covey. He is also a great photographer, blogger, collector of Vans (the sneaker), bike-rider (like everyday to work!), lover of Maeve and anything modern, father-to-be, craftsman (has restored furniture and parts of their avenue home), and a devoted family man (who has an amazing father, Rich, a wonderful mother, Shirley, and darling sister, Jessica). Thanks for joining our big, raucous family. We all love Brad.


Happy Birthday Brad!

TAGGED BY NICOLE!

I am a sucker for: Old Movies...I could watch them all day and all night, "Dancing With the Stars!" (honestly, this is the only TV I watch besides the news and old movies), the Bee Gees, Cummings chocolates, Friday Night Dates with Michael, babies, running in the mountains, biking around Farmington Bay, reading good books, my grandkids, my kids, my school, the sun and water!


My Worldly Desires: To be able to travel whenever and wherever I want and take whoever I want with me, to build one more perfect home, to go with my girls for a spa week, to be thinner, to get more pedicures and massages.


My Prize Possessions: Michael, my children and grandchildren, my grandmother's journal, my mother's journals, and my journals, the original art we have bought since 1971, the pottery my boys created, family portraits, my college degrees.


I will never wear big hair, white lipstick or high heeled shoes again, but then I am not sure I ever wore any of these! ( And besides that I hate to say, never.)


Things I Love: Going to BYU or Jazz games with Michael, eating out, family events, family vacations, going to movies with Michael, reading a good book, playing with my grandkids, Christmas, Summer, and running with my friends (we have done this for 30 years!)



Things I Hate: Working all day at school, coming home working some more, working at home all weekend, never having a lazy day.



Randomness: I have dreams that come true. I saw all my children before they were born. Mia spoke to me. Micah appeared at the foot of my bed holding the hand of someone older. I was told or impressed clearly what each of their names should be. I felt my mother come to me after she died and I was in Green Valley. I still dream about her.



I now tag Maeve, Carly, Mia, Holly J., Kelsee, Lisa (If you haven't done this already!)

THANKSGIVING!!!!

We have many things to be thankful for this year.

1. Mia, Bruce, Easton, Brighton, & Brooklyn came to be with us. We all got together for a big Sunday Dinner. We now number 21 and 1/2 (including Glo and baby Miles Jay on the way)!

Food makes Ian happy!
It also makes him concentrate!

2. We are thankful that it has been such a beautiful fall and we were able to enjoy the Castle Park with our Nebraska grandkids. The grandkids also went to the new Solomon Center, saw "Enchanted," had many sleepovers, visited the horses, shopped, rock climbed with Oliver and Carly, and went to the BYU/Utah game.

3. We are thankful for "BEAR BUMS!"4. We are thankful for grandchildren that love each other and love being together.

5. We are thankful that we could all get together for another big Thanksgiving Dinner. I began to feel like I needed to start a blog called, "The Farmington Woman Cooks"!.

6. And ..... We are MOST thankful that Ian and Kelsee were sealed for time and all eternity in the Jordan River Temple!

We decided to celebrate by, you guessed it, eating again!......this time at the Lion House with all our loved ones who joined us at the temple.