The Big Day!

So, here's Christmas Day 2009. We thought we were keeping it simple this year, but Grandma and Grandpa Gordon came and made it our biggest Christmas ever. Not only did they shower the kids with presents, but they spent they day with us and made it much more magical. We had a big crepe breakfast with all the works and a fancy Christmas dinner. Laura and Phillip also made a cameo and provided our kids with a little cousin time, which was wonderful. Before everyone left, we played a good round of the candy bar game.

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Shining Moments

The happiest thing about Christmas this year is that no one was missing. Even in our large numbers and with all the in-law events going on, and including the fact that some of us live out of state, every single one of us (and both sets of grandparents) were together on Christmas Eve (and for most of the week before and after). This is my sister Lisa who came down from Utah and made our Christmas very merry. I think we found a lot more excuses to get together over the holidays than we would have if she and her family hadn't come. The boys went out for a movie night. The girls got together for a game night. We did a group family home evening...and so forth...and so fun!

And here are the highlights from our trip north for a day in the snow with some very worthy play-mates (Eric, Laura, Chrysta, Jocie & Kate). We had to do a little borrowing to make sure everyone was dressed warm enough. My boys ended up in some pretty girly snow clothes! But they forgot all about it once they hit the slopes :)

Ward Christmas Party

Here are our annual cliché pictures with Santa that need no introduction or explanation. They're all blurry and no one looked at the camera, but how could I not post our joyful revelry in pagan traditions? Look at my chubby little Liam - he's so cute!

These girls are our (wonderful) babysitters. Our kids ADORE them. We brought them along thinking they might enjoy the ward Christmas party, but their being there turned out being wholly to our benefit after Hanna fell backwards off her chair onto her head, gave herself a deep cut and then bled all over. Interesting sidenote to the story and one of the few positives to being married to an almost-doctor: Scott did the stitching himself!

Crunch Time!

It's happening. That extra stress I didn't want in my life but knew would come if I started a blog and then got too busy to update it. So here I go back to the beginning of December, before the guilt comes crashing in on me...

Nolan's class took a field trip to the Wildlife Preserve, which is funny because where we're from, the wildest form of wildlife is a coyote. Still, I was impressed with the extent of education they were able to provide about the non-extensive list of plants and animals around here. Nolan ate it up and spent several days thereafter spouting out facts about skulls and pelts and birds of prey and desert habitats.

I left my littlest for his first full day away from mom to volunteer as a parent chaperone. That means I have now gone on every field trip Nolan has ever had (which is two). To date, the best part has been riding the bus. The kid gets so excited he can't stop smiling!