Idaho Falls Chatelain Clan: December 2024

Time to set up Christmas! Thanks to Hayden and Verity for setting up Kaleb's Christmas village in his honor!

Kaleb very thoughtfully left us some Christmas-ornament gifts before he left. We opened them on December 1st. Dad's = Mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Hayden's = A hot wheels car!

Verity = Spray can whip cream!

Mom's = a beautiful nativity ornament

Hayden all ready to go for his first Freshman team basketball game in his warm ups and sweet kicks!

Everyone is cheering - the bench...

And the family!

Ready to go in for his first high-school sports minutes.

We were a little slow to get the Christmas tree up this year. On a night when Melanie was out late at a YW meeting, Verity and dad got the tree up with just the two of them!

Verity's "Showbiz Kids" choir singing at the Idaho Falls Temple visitor's center

Big Brother Given was SO nice to come down from Rexburg to support Verity. It meant so much to her!

Many of the Harrison kids came to support Verity, too!

Hayden ready for the box out! (only one on the team who will)

Our friend Lydia Giauque found us (family there cheering on Brant)

Sunday we went to Given and Grace's Rexburg apartment to watch the First Presidency's Christmas devotionals, have some treats, and play some games.

Glad to visit!

Cabela's Santa's Workshop night!

Verity's letter to Santa

Verity's Showbiz Kids choir performing at a care center. Their Christmas music was so good and so fun!

We got to go to Rexburg to watch Given play in his intramural playoff game #2. Big comeback win!

Aselin and Dylan's wedding at the beautiful Orem temple. Unfortunately, Melanie got quite sick, so she couldn't make the trip with Alex this time.

Wedding couple with Gma and Gpa Dutson

Great picture - all the girls!

At their reception

Hanging out with the family at the reception.

The amazing family Christmas card that Melanie made for this year!

We went to a Presbyterian church downtown to listen to a fun, animated radio-style reading of Miracle on 34th Street

Stake youth activity: building temple gingerbread houses. Verity and Ella and Grace got to participate with their moms being their. As they presented their temple, they sweetly said, "Well, we've never been to the temple, so..." All the teenagers voted for the girls' temple, so they won :)

Verity's winning prize - new socks!

Nice job representing the quote from Home Alone, sis!

Alex went to Preston/Logan to support Hayden at his Preston basketball tournament for 3 days. Alex got to spend two nights with Sheldon, Abbey, and Max, sleeping on their coach and going to dinner at Big Js (made famous in the movie, Napoleon Dynamite).

The ladies making delicious Christmas creations together (Gingerbread cookies? Caramels? French-toast casserole?)

Given and Grace came and spent Saturday and Sunday with us for our Christmas celebrations together before heading to Arizona. Gift time = water bottles for Given that Melanie snagged from Jan's house (Given has a tendency to lose his)

BYU shirts for the boys from Momma! Well done!

Given and Grace's fun gift to Hayden...

Miniature Hayden-face pillows?!? Hilarious!

Cute fella!

From Given/Grace

GG opening their big gift from mom and dad (it was a cornhole set)

The Dude Perfect Game!

Merry (early) Christmas Given and Grace

Sunday we went and did our widow visits together. So fun visiting all our dear friends from before our ward split.

Amazingly beautiful Stake Christmas Light the World program - Verity's 2nd time participating, and she absolutely loved it. The production was powerful, moving, and incredible!

Hayden took these pictures for us

There's a good picture with all of us!

We played with Given and Grace. It was fun. Given lost ;)

Unfortunately, mom was sick on Christmas Eve so she sadly wasn't able to join us for our Christmas Eve activities.

First activity was to go to the Ronald McDonald house to make some treats together in their nice kitchen.

Then we went to the movie, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and got this pic with Santa afterward.

That night we went to the awesome Christmas Even program hosted by the Watersprings Church.

Then we brought home dinner for mom and relaxed eating and watching a Hallmark.

Hi Hayden!

Christmas Eve cookies for Santa

Hayden and Verity doing the Christmas Eve sleepover together.

Happy Christmas morning! Fun to have Kaleb and Elder Platter join us online for the Christmas-gift opening. Kaleb's friends very thoughtfully sent him some Spam socks!

Verity got a ukulele.

Dad got a warming rice pack for his neck!

Kaleb sent dad pomelo tang (from a Filipino member in Spanish Fork)

Sweet new Adidas shoes for Verity!

Best Christmas-morning picture!!

New outside spot lights to hopefully help lighten up his nighttime basketball court

Verity got a brand new, very nice camera

Merry Christmas, guys!! Missing everyone else for sure!

So fun to have Kaleb help Verity learn how to play cords on the ukulele.

Loved our Christmas phone call with everyone who wasn't at home this year.

Harrison's came over for dinner and super fun games Christmas night.

December 26th: Headed out of town for an Island Park cabin trip!

Island Park absolutely is a winter wonderland!

Love our "home away from home" at Eagle Ridge Ranch!

Ready to go enjoy the snow!

Two angels making snow angels!

We rigged up our sled to pull behind our van in the loop around the cabins. Fun, but snow smacking Verity and Hayden in the face as we drove (too close to the van)

Dad took the corner pretty sharp and flipped Hayden off the sled. Oops.

Checking to make sure Hayden is still alive after being tossed from the sled.

Then we borrowed some snow shoes from the office and tried hoofing it through the very very thick snow. We did indeed spend a lot of time on our faces because the snow was so thick!