Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Hola Hermana Nielsen,
 
We are excited to talk to you in 3 days through skype.  That will be lots of fun.  We already love Hermana Bott and we have never met her.  I feel we love and know her just as we loved Sister Wright with Amber.  We can feel how much you care for Hermana Bott and it instantly makes us love her even though we have never met before.
 
We had a good busy week. I finished up my class and grading and had to turn grades in on Tuesday.  On thursday we had a GBC pot luck with an ugly sweater contest.  Thursday morning, I asked Cody to find me an ugly sweater and he found one of my mom's.  I wore it and won the ugly sweater contest.  I did not know it was mom's until Connie told me, so that even made it the more special.  I won a mug with chocalate kisses in it.
 
Cody left Thursday morning for San Luis Obispo for a bball tournament.  I guess there are 24 NBA players who have played in this tournament.  Elko played Taft, a prep school out of L.A. and we were leading the entire game and tied with 1 minute to go and ended up losing by 4 points.  I don't think Cody had any points.  The score was 38-34. Taft was ranked nationally.
 
Saturday we played another school from CA and beat them by 12 points.  Cody had 5 points and would have had 8, but had 3-pointer called off due to 3 seconds by one of his teammates.
 
They play again today at 1 pm. and tomorrow.  BYU plays in its bowl game today in Miami.
 
We had our adult 3rd ward white elephant exchange on Sat. and that was fun.  I drew number 1, which is the best number as at the end, I get my pick of all the items.  We went through 39 people and I had not seen any thing I really wanted, and a recent convert as of a couple months had this hand made afghan which someone made and really liked it and Jason Harris had stolen it from her.  So I stole the afghan from Bro. Harris and gave it to Amber Gibson, the new convert.  One guy in our ward on Sunday, so that made his whole night when I did that.  Mom said, perhaps I have started a tradition of giving in that game.
 
Amber got home from BYUI on Sat. so it will be good to have her around for a couple of days.  We had a really good Sacratmeeting yesterday.  The primary kids sang and Addelaide was standing next to Payten Myers who was singing really loud at the top of her lungs.  And I guess, Addie kept looking at her and making a funny face, like, what in the world are you doing.  I could not see her face, but mom said it was great.  Brother Madsen sang Let Him In, and the new sister missionary sang and the Skollingsbergs spoke.  It was a great meeting.
 
Well we love you and are happy to talk to you.  Did you ever get your debit card yet?  Have a super week and a great Christmas.  This will be one that you will remember forever.  I will look for Sister Bott's skype account.  Mande mis saludos a la misionera de Argentina por favor.
 
Love,
 
DAD

My Dearest Hermanita Nielsen,
Have you received your letter and debit card yet?  For your Christmas, I am going to put $100.00 in your account and you can use that to get yourself some Peruvian stuff for Christmas.  If there is anything "American"  you would like, let me know and I will send you a package a little later.  How often do you go to the temple and endure the 10hr bus ride?  It seems like you go quite often.  Hey, you know my friend Paula Johnson that we stayed with when we  went to Ed Week?  Well, her daughter Keisha is going on a mission to.....Peru, Lima Central!  Maybe you will see her in the temple?

The Choralier Christmas Concert was Monday night.  It was really good as usual.  It was packed, people had to stand in the aisles (after the Carol of the Bells of course)  I love the that song, "Ring Christmas Bells", I remember when you sang it with them.  Carly said she wished they sang more fun songs, she got bored with the more serious songs.  Adelaide was disappointed they didn't sing "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".  They had planned to, but there was a problem with the audio and it wouldn't play.  Cody is so much more comfortable out there now.  I remember when he was a freshman he seemed so self conscience.  He seems to have a lot of fun out there.  I asked him if he was glad he didn't have to sing any more of those Christmas songs.  He said he hadn't really minded it, only the hecticness getting to all the performances in between basketball stuff.  Rogers and Klekas had a little tuggle  between them battling for Cody and Creighton.  She's still mad about it.

I am almost ready for Christmas.  Sadie watched Addie from the time she got done with preschool until 10pm at night.  The other girls joined her over there after school and they ended up having a "late night".  I watched Hartman one day last week and she was able to finish all her stuff.  I feel so relaxed.  I got everything wrapped too.  I won't having to stay up on 
Christmas Eve with my annual date with "Its a Wonderful Life" on TV while I do marathon wrapping.  Cody left Thursday morning for the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in San Luis Obisbo, California.  I really wanted to go, but we figured out it would cost about 1000. with hotels, gas, meals, etc., so we didn't.  but, we found out it is being broadcast live on the internet, so we have been able to watch it.  They were up against Taft a prep school, which everyone thought would trounce us. but we showed we could have beat them, if we just would have made a few more shots or freethrows.  We lost by 4 pts after leading going into the fourth.  We won the next day pretty easily against the other school that lost their opening game.

Cody played well, I wish he would shoot more. 

Amber got home Saturday night, she brought Romney home with her.  Romney is off track now, and will look for a job and put her mission papers in.

Saturday was the ward Adult White Elephant game.  It was a fun time as usual.  Dad got the #1 paper, which ment at the very end he could steal (exchange) any present he wanted to.  There was a new convert gal that came and she had stolen this homemade afghan blanket, then it had gotten stolen from her and that ment that it was "dead" and couldn't be stolen anymore.  So, I had this thought that Dad should exchange his gift for the blanket and then give it to her.  He said he had the same thought.  So, that is what he did, and it was the perfect way to end the night, everyone thought that was such a kind thing to do.

Sunday, we had a really good Sacrament Mtg.  Dad was conducting, so he had to plan it and I think he was a little worried on how it would turn out, and it went really well.  There was a really wonderful spirit there.  The Primary sang a couple of songs and Adelaide actually went up and sang, previous times she started to go up and got to the stairs and then reevaluated the situation and then decided, 'Naw, I'm not doing this'.  Well, she was up there standing next to Payton (little Myers girl) and Payton was just singing her little heart out, she knew all the words and and was opening her mouth really big, and Adelaide didn't seem like she knew the words at least she wasn't really moving her mouth.  She kept making these funny faces and looking at Payton with sideways glances, like "your weird". Romney and Raegan were sitting in front of me and they were laughing and I thought they were laughing at Payton, but they would kind of turn and look at me and laugh and I realized they were laughing at Adelaide.  She really was funny.   

I am soooooo looking forward to your Skype on Christmas.  I love you and am so happy with the kind of missionary you are.  Love, Mom

PS Cody's postcard arrived.  what time will you be calling in?