Christmas Time 2009

For Christmas this year, we decided to just stay home here and have a family Christmas. We have always gone to Idaho right after Christmas but since my dad has moved to Utah now, this was the first year we didn't go! We thought about traveling down to Mona Utah to visit my dad still, but considering I'd just had surgery and I really didn't feel like traveling with 3 whiny kiddos that LONG way down there and in the icky weather, we stayed put. Sometime this spring or summer dad! We did go to the Bighorns (about 2 hours away)the weekend before for our annual Beardall party. That was a lot of fun. We stayed at The Passage up there, and the kiddos got to spend time with cousins and grandma and go swimming and sledding. It was a fun weekend. On Tuesday the 22nd, we had our RS Christmas dinner. I think it turned out fabulous! I was so nervous. I hate having to speak, just because I get so nervous, and I had put together a video for it as well. But it turned out so good! it was awesome. We did soups in bread bowls with cherry cheescake and a chocolate pie dessert, and we did the Secret of the STAR. We had 5 people (including myself) do a point each for S.T.A.R.S. Seek, Tesify, Act, Respect, and Strengthen. It is our new focus for the year. We're excited. It turned out so nice! I think everyone enjoyed it and we did some caroling on a hayride after. The kiddos got out of school half day on the 23rd, and Santa spend the 23rd and 24th getting all ready for Christmas. For Christmas Eve we had a roast dinner, drove around town and looked at all the lights, had the kids act out the nativity while we read the Christmas story and hung up stockings. The kiddos also got to open their presents from each other and relatives. Christmas morning was mayhem. Wrapping paper everywhere! The kiddos all got new bikes from mom and dad. We got a family gift of a karoake machine, and the kiddos also got a little laptop computer to share. Blake got his much wished for shake 'n go extreme track, Emmalee got her Chixos and snuggie she wanted (yes- a snuggie--she wanted it!) and Jarom got a Leapfrog table and a car ramp toy. And of course a ton of other toys and goodies! Santa spoiled them as usual! Heather got a new backdrop to toy around with her photography skills, and Ryan got a year of Sirius sattelite radio in his truck.
The kiddos have break until Tuesday the 5th, and Ryan goes back on the 4th for inservice. It has been nice having everyone home. We've done some fun things like sledding and going to the Alvin and the Chipmunks Sqwequel and we've gone swimming and watched movies and played and took a Billings trip. Emmalee and mommy got to take a girls day and get their hair done and have lunch together, and the boys went to McDonald's and played. It has been a fun break, but mom is ready for the kiddos to go back to school. It is a hard thing to keep the house from being destroyed with everyone home for 2 weeks straight during 2 holidays! Our schedule has been torn to shreds and needs to come back down to a somewhat normal state! No more late nights and sleeping in! We had a great Christmas break. Hope yours was fun too! Sorry, we didn't get Christmas cards out, but we may get out a yearly newsletter sometime this month! We'll see. Have fun!