CHRISTMAS

We had a great Christmas! We were a little homesick for Utah and all the family, but it was such a relaxing day. It was fun starting our own family traditions. It was nice to not be rushed, and have to hurry to get someplace. The kids woke up about 7:30. They came and jumped into bed with us. We read the Christmas Story out of Luke and than had to wait while Dad took care of his dog. Finally we got to go downstairs. The boys had so much fun opening presents. Santa spoiled the kids and was way to generous. After presents, we ate a yummy breakfast, monkey bread and breakfast casserole. We lounged all day long. The boys played inside and out. I played around with my camera (which I am still trying to master), and Jared help dig out all the neighbors who are out of town (what a great guy!) For dinner, we went to the Stingham's for the traditional ham dinner. It tasted SO good. It is amazing how long we look forward to Christmas and how quickly it comes and goes. Now it is time to take down decorations, go back to work, and start eating healthy.

Christmas Eve

We had a great time on Christmas Eve. We took the boys to see the new National Treasure movie. We highly recommend it. It was great! While there, we managed to down popcorn, candy, and drinks (we splurged since it was a holiday). That night we had some friends over for a party. We ate lots of yummy appetizers, and drank hot wassail. (Yes, I gained about 10 pounds today, but it is the holiday's, right.) We ended the evening with the kids all dressing up for the Christmas story. We read the story and sang Christmas songs. It was a lot of fun. Before our kids went to bed, we opened up our Christmas Jammie's and decorated sugar cookies for Santa. What a day!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!!!

We got dumped on here in Iowa! It wasn't that we got a lot of snow, but it was the wind... the famous "Iowa wind". We had snow drifts everywhere. We had to put our vehicle into 4wheel drive to get down our street. The driveways were buried in snow. We have some friends who are out of town, so Jared not only tackled our driveway, but two others. What a great workout! The boys had a great time playing in the snow, making snow forts, and sledding. Snow is fun, but the cold wind isn't. Hopefully we will be living in a tropical paradise next year!!!!

School Christmas Parties

It is hard to juggle two parties at school. I am running back and forth between Kindergarten and 3rd grade, but it is worth it. The boys had so much fun. Nathan had a sing-along concert and then went to his room and decorated Christmas trees, played games, and ate lots of treats. Joshua made beaded candy canes, colored, and ate lots of treats. The key word here is TREATS! We have so many treats sitting around our house, I think I am going to pop. All I can say is "Weight Watchers, here I come" (in January!) Merry Christmas!

NOT OUR PUPPY

Jared's brother Anthony flew to Iowa to pick up a puppy he bought. The boys were SO excited to see Uncle Anthony and the new puppy. I must say he really is a cute puppy, if only they could stay that way.

NO CAMERA!!!!!

Okay, I know it has been a long time since I posted anything. No, we didn't skip Thanksgiving, or all the "lead up to" Christmas activities. My camera broke and I have been frantically researching cameras. The good news is we purchased a new camera. The bad news is I have no clue how to work it (I am not a very gadgety, electronically talented person). My goal this week is to sit down and practice. So don't worry, pictures will follow!

I did however find time to steal some pictures of our recent ice storm from my friends blog. (Thanks, Jenn!) It is amazing how beautiful everything is after an ice storm. It is like living in a world made of glass.