Countdown to Christmas

These are the only Christmas photos I got since my camera had an unfortunate accident and broke on our trip to Arizona.  So, I had to make due with my phone camera.  I didn't know what to do without my camera!  I think I'm a little photo crazy.  I had to enjoy life by just looking, and not through a lens!  There were so many fun moments that I wanted to document, though.  Get ready for a long post.  Half the fun of the holidays is the build up, right?

New PJ's 

These were sent by my brother afterwards.  Thanks, Scott!...or was it Katrina?  Here are some fun cousin shots with Anna from Florida.  

 We finally got to meet  "baby Ivan" who was so cute!

 I wasn't there for this shot when they went to the aquarium, but I liked this shot!

One of many baseball games that occurred.  

On one rainy night, the kids all went to the dollar store to choose presents for each of their cousins.  The older boys, JJ and Carter had made lists for each person of who they had to shop for with areas to check them off.  I was impressed that those lists did not include their own names.  Very smart.  I wasn't sure if the little one's (the 3 year olds) would "get it" but they had a great time.  We went home to wrap it all and put it under the tree.  They remembered every thing they had gotten and who it was for.  On Christmas morning, they paid close attention when the gift they gave was opened.  Anna chose a barbie type doll for Miles which Haleigh said was "weird" but it was one of Mile's favorite gifts and he's played with his doll, (Oh, Doug calls it a Barbie action figure) all the time.  

One day, we made gingerbread houses.  The older kids got their own and the little ones decorated gingerbread cookies and trees for Santa.  The finished product was very cute and they ate off them all week.  It was decided that Anna's was the candiest, Haleigh's was the snowiest, JJ's was the green door-iest and Carter's took the longest to make.  He took his time!

 

 

 

 

Out front watching Grandma and Grandpa's hummingbirds.

Story time with Grandma and Aunt Tiff.  Followed up by movie night with reindeer snacks made by Tiff.

Anna was my makeup buddy.

The Christmas "Show."  Carter and JJ were joint directors and made tickets for everyone that never got passed out.  We had piano solos, a song sung by Carter, a story from Michelle, a dance by Anna, a magic trick by Jake (which my kids have analyzed a lot since then) filling up our family prediction jar by the group, a guitar solo, and the Christmas story and a gift from Grandma and Grandpa.  The grande finale was a medley of songs by the cousins.  Ivan even joined in.  

 

 Grandma had a tea party with cute kid size cups, and her famous "dippy donut's" or scones.  Very yummy.  I love how in each picture, people are chowing down!

  

 Christmas Eve PJ's.  

The Road Trip

After a lot of back and forthing, we decided that it was worth the cost and effort to go to Arizona for the holidays.  My brother, Scott was flying in with his family from Florida where he works for the Air Force.  I hadn't seen him for a while and wanted to see his new baby (not so new anymore...Ivan is 7 months old!) and have our kids play with four of their seven cousins.  It is a rare and fun occasion when we can all be together.  So, I packed up the kids, our stuff and headed out on what ended up to be the worst snow storm day of the season.  

I stopped at my grandma's house to drop off gifts and planned to stop a few more places, but ended up giving her the assignment of finishing my deliveries because the blizzard was getting increasingly worse.  I am terrified to drive in snow after a college spin off and this was to be my first time.  Plus, I had the kids on my own since Doug had to stay behind to work his seasonal job as he agreed to.  So, after a quick christmas show for grandma, we were off to battle the storm driving slowly and carefully.  I was given a few tips from my uncle while there that freaked me out and I drove the first three hours with white knuckles, passing spin offed cars and a few jack-knifed semi's.  Why was I insisting on going that day?  It was supposed to snow for the next four days and it was the only time we could go or else be grounded.  So...on I went.  

When we stopped in Filmore, the talk of the gas station was the storm and everyone said that about five minutes more south would put you ahead of the blizzard into rain.  I rushed the kids back to the car skipping the treats and we made it ahead of the storm into rainy, foggy weather but out of that ice-y, slippery snow.  Carter was a great help keeping the kids occupied.  What would I have done with our DVD player in the car!  I kept telling the kids to not talk to me  because I had to focus.  I even had to put on my I-pod earphones with my dentist relaxation music at full volume to calm myself down.  Don't laugh...Barry Manilow songs are deep on so many levels.  I made it through the rain...Somewhere down the road...Let it shine, shine, shine all around the world.  I admit it with full disclosure.  I love Barry. 

Anyway, for the next few hours, we had a little snow here and there but mostly rain, which I can totally handle.  That is until we got past St. George on the way to Vegas.  For that stretch of road, we passed what looked like a chocolate river so full and high and muddy that we were reminded of Willy Wonka.  Then around 3, the rain and sky were so dark it was basically pitch black and I couldn't see past 40 feet.  With the other cars' kickback, I was ready to call it a day.  There was no way I could keep going in the middle of the desert, in the rain, with the temperature's dropping.  So we stopped in Vegas and tried to find a hotel with a last minute room.  

Can I just complain for a moment about Vegas?  It's not my favorite town and one reason is that the parking garages are a long walk to the hotel.  I had the five kids, one in my arms, one in my tummy, as many bags as I could hold and drape on the kids necks, which they weren't happy about, and trecked our way into the lobby, past the restaurants, past the casinos and gift shops for an hour wait in line.  When I got to the front, soggy from rain and snow, I told the lady that I hoped they had a spare room or I would just sit down and cry.  I was so tired from the day, the drive and the long, long, slow walk into the hotel.   When we got to the room, I laid down for a while they explored and watched even more TV. Hotel TV is so much more entertaining than other TV, though for some reason.   Then back to the car for more diapers, a pizza from the lobby and a night sleeping in our underwear because I couldn't carry a suitcase and a baby.  Why don't those places have those carts for suitcases?  

Luckily the next day's drive was a light rain with no problems.  We had beaten the blizzard for the most part and our drive took two days and a total of 17 hours.  The kids had a fun time the whole ride there and I...made it.  When you're a kid traveling is no stress and an adventure, but for the mom's and dad's it's a bit different, I suppose. 

Looking out our window at Treasure Island to the rainy view of the city.  

Temple Square

If you haven't noticed, I've been posting completely out of order.  Sorry!  Earlier in December, for Doug's birthday, we took a trip up to see the Christmas lights at the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.  Until the lights turned on, we explored the city square.  We visited the Church History Museum, the Joseph Smith Building, and Temple Square. 

Haleigh in front of the Conference Center where they hold General Conference that is broadcast on TV and Satellite twice a year.  

The view from a top the Joseph Smith Building.  Very pretty!

There was a children's choir singing in the lobby of the Joseph Smith building which we stayed to hear.  That place is so beautiful!

Touching the temple doors.  

The famous "Christus" statue in the visitors center.  When I had first met Doug and taken him there, the only comment he had was, "Look at the size of his toes!" and I thought his conversion was a lost cause.  So, everytime I see it, I think of how far Doug has come, in a spiritual sense.  For Christmas, he gave our family a small  statue of the "Christus" for our home.  

Doug and Haleigh watching the full size nativity scene in Temple Square.  At the end they shine a light like the star all the way up to heaven.  The kids thought it was awesome!  I gave Carter my camera to take photos of the scene instead of me.  

The kids thought the actual size of the Angel Moroni which is on top of the temples was huge!

There was a podium with a replica of the conference center podium.  The kids took turns bearing their testimonies in the microphone.  It was my favorite moment of the day.