Sausers are the coolest

I have to add this story here so that I won't forget and you all can have a laugh too. When we went sledding the day after Christmas it was the youngest first time. I didn't know if he would like it or see how it worked and just walk away. Well, the big kids and dad went up the big hill and I stayed with him on the little hill. We watched a few kids go down and we decided to go for it. So, I put him on the saucer and gave him a little shove. He zipped down the hill and across the flat area and right into the parking lot and had to put his hand up to stop from going under a truck. I meanwhile am at the top of the hill laughing and trying to yell stop at the same time. I finally composed myself and got to him thinking that he will be upset. I asked him if he was ok and he looked up at me with his big eyes and said "that was SO AWESOME!". He had a great time and we all decided that the saucer is the coolest way down the hill.(visions of Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation enter my mind)

Well, we survived the holiday! I was so unprepared with my shopping this year, but it helped me focus on the other things, not just the gifts and shopping. We read a scripture each night about Jesus and got to know him a little better. We also focused on our traditions. Santa found us and left plenty of stuff. We seem to have been media and nerf focused this year. Everyone got a game and movie and the boys all got huge nerf guns.....there are darts all over and you just have to yell "don't shoot" each time you go into another room. On Christmas Eve we did the usual dinner with my family including the nativity re-enactment. Then we went with the Blanch's and had our dinner and gift exchange. It is so fun to see family and see the excitement shared with the kids and adults. On Christmas Day we went to the in-laws' home to eat and recount our morning. A blizzard blew in while we were there, so we didn't stay long and went straight home. We enjoyed hot cocoa and a movie and thought about getting things cleaned up. The next day we met with some family members at the local park for some sledding. We had a great time and added more hot cocoa and mom's homemade doughnuts to our menu. We did a little clean up and then went to Morgan to be with my extended family. That is always fun to see everyone and eat more food. We were told that my cousin is expecting and we couldn't be more excited for them. We brought my 14 yr old cousin home to hang with the kids and he stayed until today. I love that someone other than me likes my kids and wants to spend time with them! Buy the way, I left my camera home for most of the above events, so you just get a few with us on Christmas morning. Now onto some serious cleaning and welcoming a New Year!

The Nutcracker

The girls in my family have been attending Ballet West production of The Nutcracker for many many years. My sweet, wonderful, perfect grandmother started this tradition years ago and although she is not with us now my mother and my aunt have continued this tradition. As I looked down the isles to see the smiling happy faces, I think for a minute I saw my grandmother smiling right along with us. At times like this I feel her close. I am grateful my daughters get to have this experience with me and their grandmother and aunts and cousins, and this year my mother-in-law was able to come too which made it perfect.

Thanksgiving Fun

We had a good time in St. George and are on the way to recovery. We stayed in a really nice house with 21 of us. The other families were spread all over. It was crazy but fun to have someone to visit with or play with all the time. The husband didn't feel well most of the time, but he was a good sport and did all the manditory activities and was even QB for the football game. The kids had a wonderful time catching up with cousins, avoiding sleep, and playing games. We first cousins put all the "originals" in charge of all the kids (23 vs 8) and went to dinner and watched a movie. It was nice to have adult time and I think the grandparents were very happy to see us return. I had a good time catching up with cousins and being around wonderful people all weekend. We visited In and Out Burger many times,I think they put some addictive substance in the food that makes you crave it. Good food cheap, yeah!
Now we are into real life and getting ready for the holiday season!