TRADITION! Tradition!

Last Saturday evening we did one of our family's favorite Christmas traditions.  We don't do it every year, because it's rather a distance to get to, but we have a most wonderful time when we do.
The Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork.

It's a drive-through display of lights that is added to and expanded year after year, so we enjoy looking for the new things and  pointing out the old.  We've done this quite regularly since Clark,  Bethany, and Elinor were little, so we like reminiscing what their reactions were to different displays.

Perhaps the real treat for the kids is getting a turn to "drive" slowly through the park.

When it's not too busy we can drive around it several times before exiting, but it was a very crowded evening so we just went through once-- to everyone's disappointment.

Faith's driving on dad's lap days may be numbered.

It was a truly magical Christmas evening for our family.   As you may have experienced, or can imagine, there are a lot of personalities and moods bumping up against each other in a large family.  Frustrations must be dealt with.  Moods happen.  Apologies and forgiveness frequently abound.  But sometimes, miraculously, all those personalities gel just right and it is a really good time.  Those times are so good and I like to believe that is the "real Fox family".

Oh, there was one other little thing that helped make it such a perfect evening.

Merry Christmas--- we got a kitty.
What?  Why would you get a cat?  You don't have the best track record with furry pets.  Aren't you busy enough taking care of all those kids?

Why, yes.  And how considerate of you to notice.
Listen, the horrid, nasty, disgusting truth is... we've had a little mouse problem lately.  Gross.
I do not take responsibility for this infestation, since we've had major road construction near our neighborhood and I hear that other neighbors may be experiencing similar trauma.  But still, I believe a cat will help.

And she's so pretty!  She really is a beautiful cat, and you know we're so vain, we wouldn't want a cat unless it was pretty.
Not really true.  The cat could be hideous as long as it kept mice out of my house.
But we do have some (many) exceedingly happy children.  Our trip to Spanish Fork was multi-purpose because we got the kitten from a house just south of Spanish Fork.  I'd found it on KSL Classifieds for a reasonable price and the kitty was already spayed.  We were going to look at it and pay for it and then Abe was going to drive down on Christmas Eve day to get it so we could surprise the kids for Christmas.  It was so far out of the way and we were having such a nice time together that we just decided to surprise them a week early.
A funny thing about the cat-- it has a serious case of gas.  Stinky cat gas.  I was not aware this was a common problem among felines.  Anyone have any recommendations?

The kitty's name is "Holly Berry".  Get it, like Halle Berry, but "Holly Berry" since it's Christmas.  Ha, ha, so clever.  Actually it's full name is "Holly Berry Ninny Muggins Fox, Even Though She is a Cat".  We just call her Holly for short.
She's been quite a good little kitty so far-- very playful and quite cuddly with the kids.
She and I haven't really made friends yet.  She did this to me as I carried her to the car when we first got her.

OUCH!  It was quite painful, but it's healing.  She got scared and was trying to run away, but it was outside and I didn't want her to run away.  Afterall, I'd just paid $20 for her.   I'm still a little afraid of her and I think she smells my fear.  But seriously, in this house, I never need hold her.  There are plenty of people happy to snuggle with her.