Christmas 2010

I think my car is glad to sit in the driveway for awhile after all the driving it did over Christmas break.  The Girls, Rocky and I left on the 18th for Utah.  We made it to Ely that night then went the rest of the way to Mom and Dad's the next day.  I was so glad to get to Mom's.  She had dinner all ready for us and Dad took care of Rocky for me and helped me unload all the cargo from the top of the car. 

*While at Mom and Dad's we made several batches of Peanut Brittle, some Boston Cremes, and several other yummy treats.  I was able to go shopping in Richfield with Dad.....and without kids.  It was so nice to be able to leave them at Mom's and not worry about them.  It was fun spending some time with Dad too. 

The whole time we were in Koosharem it rained which is unusual for Koosharem when everywhere else was getting snow.

*Jim had flown to St. George for work on the 20th so on the 22nd Samantha and I drove down to St. George to spend the night with him and bring him back to Koosharem with us.  We did a little more shopping while in St. George and made a few surprise visits to some relatives.

*While we were in St. George, Mom took my three older girls to the elementary Christmas program where Santa would be making a visit.  When Santa came out none of my girls wanted to see him.  They told mom they had already seen him and didn't need to see him again.  So Mom took them home.  

*Christmas Eve Day went way to fast.  We ran out of time to make all of our treats so we just didn't have them.  The Sager's joined us for Christmas Eve dinner followed by Dad (Grandpa) and the girls acting out the nativity and Jim singing a Christmas carol for us.  The girls opened their jammies...helped me bake the cookies for Santa then anxiously went to their room to watch a movie.  Jim told them they couldn't leave that room until 6 am. 

*They didn't leave it until 7 am when one of them went out to find a clock to see what time it was.

The girls were spoiled by Santa and Grandma.  I loved hearing their excitement when they would open a present and say, "That's exactly what I wanted!"  I'm so glad we could spend Christmas with Mom and Dad.
*On the 26th we loaded up our Expedition and headed to Cory and Angie's.  They were incharge of the Norman Christmas party and had it at their house.  We spent two nights there.  Thanks Cory and Angie for letting us stay.  It was so fun seeing every one.  I miss you all and wish I lived closer to you. The girls had fun playing with their cousins and WE ALL had lots of yummy food.

*Our next travels took us to Logan to Jim's parents.  We played games...and more games...and more games.  Which always leads to alot of laughing...Kitty Cats are very cute!  There was once again, lots of yummy food and snacks. 

*We did find some snow in Logan so Jim hooked a tube up to the 4-wheeler and took some of the kids sledding. 

*Jim and I were able to spend a few hours with some friends from Hyrum...Thanks Julie for having us all at your house.  It was so good to visit and laugh with you all.

*New Year's Eve was spent eating yummy food from Ron, playing games and drinking Banana Party Punch.  When midnight came I led a parade of kids out through the snow banging pots and pans and honking car horns.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

*We also went up to Hardware Ranch to see the elk.  Karissa's friend Anna joined us.  Karissa and Anna were best friends before we moved to Carson City.  They are the type of friend that they can just pick up where they left off even if it has been a year.  It was so fun seeing them together again.

*We were able to see all of Jim's siblings along with all of the cousins while in Logan.  Thanks for taking the time to come hang with us while we were there.  We miss being close to family.

*We made it back to Carson City with MOST of our belongings....Even Rocky made it back.  I wish I would have taken a picture of how loaded down the Expedition was.  We had two car top carriers and had to borrow a hitch carrier/rack to fit the rest of it.

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.  They put up with alot when we are staying with them.  Thanks for letting us be there and for taking care of us.  It made our Holidays Wonderful!
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Here's A LOT of Pictures!
Grandma Opal's Peanut Brittle made by Mom!  SO YUMMY!

 Dad helping Mom make candy.

 Lexie making Santa Cookies

 Opening Christmas Jammies!

Samantha had her Jammies on before the other girls even knew what they were.

 Modeling their jammies.

 Santa Cookies and Carrots for Rudolph....on the same plate I used when I was little.  The note was written by Lexie.

 Santa made it!  Doesn't my elk look good!

 Taking it all in!

 Norman Christmas Party at Cory and Angie's.

 Samantha with her buddy..Jessica!

 The boy cousins wrestled for 2 straight hours.  They loved when I would get a picture of them holding the other one down.

Tubing in Logan

 Jace Man thought it was funner to kick the frozen slush off the vehicles than build a snow man.

 Jayden wasn't a fan of the snow, but he LOVED his new boots he got so he could play with Uncle Jim and Uncle Mike.

 Lexie had to sprawl out big so she didn't fall through the tube.

 Samantha is a very determined girl.  She was freezing but would not go inside.

Lovin' the fun!

 Cute Leah!  Lexie and Leah are inseperable.

Abby Jean

Waiting for their turn on the tube.

 Here's Brindley after her dad ran her into a for sale sign.

 Hardware Ranch...Riding the horse drawn sled.

 One of the biggest bulls there.

Brindley, Karissa and Anna

 Brindley, Karissa, Anna, Lexie, Jim and Samantha

 I thought the mountains reflecting in the water was pretty.  These were taken along the Salt Flats on the way back to Carson City.

December 17th......

Yes, I did have a birthday...and I am actually younger than I kept thinking I was.  Guess that's always good.  As I was awoken by a choir of heavenly angels singing happy birthday to me, I realized that we were finishing the Book of Mormon on this day....my Birthday.  It hit me then that the first time I finished reading the Book of Mormon by myself was exactly 15 years earlier....on my birthday.  I thought that was cool.  It got me thinking of other birthdays and things that I did that stuck out.  Here's a few things I have done on my birthday.

*Broke my arm the night before my birthday...Got the cast on My Birthday. (3rd grade)
*I was baptized on my birthday and that was the year my friend gave me a coloring book that was as tall as me.  I still have that coloring.
*Dad picked Julianne, Suzanne and I up at school and we drove to Richfield in one of the worst driving conditions I have seen just so we could go to the movie "Home Alone".
*Of course getting my driver's license is memorable...I missed school that day to go to Richfield to get it.
They gave me an adult driver's license when I was 16!
*Hiked down Koosharem Canyon with Jim, Cory and Ryan. Yes, it was in December, and yes, there was alot of snow.
*Finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time by myself when I was 18.
*Finishing the Book of Mormon for the third time with my family.

So, that's obviously only a few birthdays, but those are some of the things I remember sticking out to me.

In Memory of.....The Famous...Shoe Tree

If any of you have traveled on HWY 50 across the "Loneliest Highway in America", you couldn't have missed THE SHOE TREE.  I first learned about it a few years ago when my dad showed me pictures of it that he had taken of it while he had driven by it.  Making the trip down HWY 50 to Utah and back to our home in Carson City, we have grown quite fond of THE SHOE TREE.  We stopped by it this summer and were surprised by the snake in the pictures below.  He slithered out of the shoe pile up the hill and into a hole just underneath the top of the hill.  Seeing all the shoes and how old some of them were and the styles of shoes that were on the tree was very interesting.  Such a neat landmark.

Lastnight it came across the news that some vandals had cut the tree down!  WHAT!!  Jim and I were stunned to say the least.  Saddened also.  Why would anyone do something like that.  This tree is a landmark.  How many years had it taken the tree to get to where it was at with all those shoes... and now....it's gone.  My kids were shocked with the language I used towards those vandals...."Those Stupid Idiots"!

Anyway, we wanted to share pictures we had of the tree.  To put it in perspective of how big it was, you can see me with some of the girls.

Right in the middle of the picture is the snake.  Wish the snake wasn't hibernating when the vandals were there.  He should have been on the prowl.



Christmas Tree Hunting

I took my camera hoping to get a family picture but only ended up with a few shots of our adventure with tree hunting this year.

Lexie forgot her coat (Mom forgot to check if Lexie had her coat) so we put Lexie in my sweatshirt.  It stuffed in her snowpants just right and gave her quite the booty!  I thought she looked GREAT!  After all, it is PINK!

My littlest Snow Bunny!  Samantha didn't do much tree hunting, but did spend some time in our friends suburban with her little buddy Jack.  They locked the doors of the suburban while my friend was out with her daughter.  Samantha and Jack thought it was great that they had free roam of the car.  It was quite the sight seeing all of us adults talking to them through the windows telling them to push the button.  It all turned out well in the end.

I thought this sign was interesting.  You would never know that there was a city in this canyon.  The remains of the jail is fenced in.

After hiking and sliding and getting wet from the waiste down we found our tree.  I Loved getting out and being in the mountains.  It was a beautiful day shared with great company.  



Thanksgiving in Utah

We started our Thanksgiving vacation in Koosharem.  I drove the girls there the weekend before.  We stopped halfway in Ely and stayed the night.  The girls' love staying in hotels and I love that Jim is racking up the "reward points" with his work trips so I can use them and get free hotel stays.

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I Love when I can take my Girls to Koosharem and let them do things I grew up doing.  We loaded up the sled with wood and Brindley pulled it into the house for the fireplace.   

 It snowed after we got to Koosharem.  Of course we had to do snow angels, throw snowballs and ride the sled.

 Thanks Wyatt for taking the girls on the sled.  They had so much fun!  The Girls love playing with their cousins.

 Jessica and Samantha...They have a Love/Hate relationship...This is the shove away after the HUG.

 This is Lexie making our Thanksgiving Oreo Turkeys.  We made some for everyone that was going to be at Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving.  We forgot to make one for the dog though and apparently his feelings were hurt so he helped himself to them before dinner.

 We picked Jim up at the airport Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.  We then went and spent the night at Grandma Perry's.  It's always fun to be with Grandma.  She always makes sure we are taken care of. 

Thanksgiving dinner was held at Grandma Perry's church with Jim's family/extended family.

Our centerpiece was a cornacopia made out of balloons...very cool.

 Brindley with Hiedi.

 Fun seeing all the men preparing food.

 Camping out at the start of the line.....waiting for food!

 We Love you Grandma!  Thanks for the Good time!

After Thanksgiving we went to Logan and spent a few days with Jim's family.  Jim's mom did Gingerbread Houses with the Grandkids.  They always turn out so cute.

 We didn't have room to bring them back with us to Nevada so I took a picture with the girls and their house.

I have to share the yummy food Ron (Jim's brother) made us.  He used to work at Taco Time, and now he just makes Taco Time food for us at home!  It is sooo good.  He even made CRISP TURKEY BURRITOS out of leftover turkey.

It's been almost three weeks since Thanksgiving...I can't believe Christmas is upon us.  I am looking forward to the holiday parties and seeing family again.  I am excited to have Christmas with Mom and Dad.  I realized the other day that the girls will be sleeping in the room that I would sleep in as I anxiously waited for Chritmas morning.  Lot's of memories of NOT SLEEPING on Christmas Eve and the Giddy feelings inside.  Can't wait to be home again!

DA DA DA DA!!!

Lexie was invited to a SUPERHERO birthday party today for her friend Jossy. With a family of all girls, we don't have ANYTHING in the house resembling the closet of a superhero. Plan B: use things found in a house with all girls... leotard, tights, nylons, bandana fabric, and unders. Here is SUPER LEXIE, saving the world, POW, KABLAM, ZAP, SMACK!!! She was a natural at superhero poses, no coaching necessary... :) When I asked Lexie what her superpower was, she said it was a SUPERWALK!

As Lexie's costume was materializing, Sami wanted in on the act as well. She got her own cape, and an S on her shirt. Introducing SUPER SAMI!

Merry Christmas!

Here's a SMILE for you today!

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