Sibling gift exchange

After our gingerbread houses were completed and the baby candy race had concluded, it was time for delicious pulled pork sandwiches courtesy of my amazing husband and also some gifts, hooray!

For our sibling/family gift exchange this year, I decided we should go in a different direction, so I sent out the following email:

SO for Christmas this year since we're all poor and hard to buy for anyways, we will be giving gifts from the heart instead. Each sibling/family will create an original interpretive art piece for each of the other families/siblings.

WHAT is an original interpretive art piece? Good question. It can be a poem, song, dance, sculpture, painting, etc that pays tribute to that sibling/family.

And it turned out awesome!

Quinn and Eden faked us out by initially by starting with an interpretive dance before revealing their actual gifts :).

They gave us all a super cute framed family picture - complete with autographs, Sam and Terri made us cool tiles commemorating our temple sealings, and I wrote song parodies and (to the dismay of many, primarily myself) sang them. I think Sam got them on video, but let's all hope they never see the light of day.

BUT I am pretty proud of the songs themselves, so here are the lyrics.

                             Parody of 'Call Me Maybe' for Quinn and Eden:


She had him under her spell

Without her he could not dwell

A date with Quinn’s a hard sell

But then she said okay

New Year’s Eve scones at Merritts

At midnight he scored a kiss

Right then it got serious

But they both moved away

Her phone was ringing

They did lots of texting

Also some road tripping

When you think you’ll get here baby?

Then he surprised her, and got on one knee

He hoped his prospect was not that scary

He said ‘I can’t live without you baby

So here’s a diamond, now let’s get married!’

Yeah, he surprised her and got on one knee

His sweet proposal made her so giddy

She said ‘Maybe other boys won’t try to chase me

I got a diamond, so let’s get married!’

The wedding date was their call

They saw no reason to stall

June gave us no time at all, but still they picked Wednesday

In the temple their love was sealed

When at the altar they kneeled

They didn’t know they could feel this, they looked so happy!

Then came honeymoonin’

At the Y for schoolin’

They both did some prunin’

Married life is awesome baby!

Hey, they just got hitched, and this is crazy

But they’re expecting a little baby

It’s hard to get through school when you’re queasy

But Eden made that 9 months look easy

Isaac, they just had you, and it got crazy

But you’re their favorite sweet newborn baby

And all the nurses said you look like mommy

And nothing else could make Quinn so happy!

It’s hard to look away from your face, laddie
Found red in his hair, so call him Daddy


Now school has started, and life gets crazy
But they’ll get through it, no ifs or maybes
No test or paper is even fazing,
‘Cuz they’re a family, and he’s their baby!

                             Parody of 'Brady Bunch' for Sam and Terri:

Here’s the story, of a girl named Terri

Who was studying poli sci at BYU
She missed the warmth of Southern California
Her youngest sister too!

Here’s the story of boy named Samuel Braden

Who was busy with some studyin’ of his own
He had friends, with whom he lived together,
Yet he was all alone

Til the one day when this duo started dating

He took her bowling, and shooting, and to lunch
He made sure they became neighbors and co-pruners
That’s the way they all began the Braden Bunch
The Braden Bunch
 
That’s the way they all began the Braden Bunch
The Braden Bunch

Here’s the story of a girl named Bailey

Who is busy being cute and smart and two

She loves iPads and phones and little Hazel
And don’t forget the zoo!

 
Here’s the story of a girl named Hazel
Who is busy trying to walk before she runs
A mellow babe, she’s her parents’ med school blessing
Also, she just turned one!

Now that fellow studies hard to be a doctor
And the lady makes good food on which to munch
But most of all they love their girls and each other
That’s the way that they all stay the Braden Bunch!