Twas the night before Christmas....

I am here at work tonight, and had some spare time, so I thought that I would take a few minutes to catch up. It has been crazy around here for the past couple of weeks, as I am sure it has been for all of you too. We have had a wonderful holiday season so far, but it has been busy. Tonight Erin, Kelly, and Carter came over and we had the traditional night before Christmas dinner... junk food. It was fun to have them over and get to visit. We had some WILD kids on our hands. They are so excited for Christmas, they were being pretty energetic. Poor Reed couldn't keep his mouth closed long enough to eat. He has eating ADD. He takes SOOOO long to eat because he is talking or doing anything else that seems more interesting. Kelly's mom gave the kids Lifesaver books, a dollar, and some chocolate candy. She is so sweet. The kids loved them- I remember as a kid getting lifesaver books a few times. That was a big deal. It started snowing at dinner time, and Kelly was teasing them that Santa may not make it through the snow. He had McCray going for a little while. It was almost a relief to be able to go to work and let Kent deal with the energy. Of course, I am just kidding, I would have loved to get to be at home.

This weekend we went to Cedar City to visit. It was a quick trip, but we are so glad that we at least got to go for a little while. Gina and Brent were there from Virginia, and it was fun to get to visit with them for awhile. Poor Pam got really sick- not fun when your kids are there. Hopefully she will feel better for tomorrow morning. We really enjoyed seeing our family. On the way home, McCray said, "That was the shortest vacation I have ever had." It was short, but worth it. We had a nice time.

The week before, Pam and Roland came to visit. It was so nice to have them come. Poor things, they got put to work. I was trying to make quilts for my boys beds for Christmas. Pam ended up having to do most of it. Pam, Roland and Kent did most of the tying. They turned out really cute, and I REALLY appreciated all of their help. I think they will love not having flowered bedspreads with pink silk backing on them. They never complained- probably didn't realize their room was girly.

Well I have rambled. I am bored. 1 more hour, and I am out of here! YAHOOOOO! Merry Christmas tomorrow.

Our First Snowman

We had our first "good snow"- you know, the kind that actually sticks and is easy to make snowmen out of. Kent took the kids out and made a snowman, and then they had a snowball fight. They had so much fun! Unfortunately, mom had to take pictures and was unable to get all cold and wet in the snow. I did get some snow boots so I can participate next time. Yeah? Kent's parents have been here the last few days, and we have really enjoyed having them. I think we finished our Christmas shopping today. What a relief!

Naughty or Nice?

We had our ward Christmas party this morning. It was really fun. Santa made his appearance, and the kids were so excited. They have been thinking about what they were going to ask for for the past week. They got to sit on Santa's lap, and they all did pretty well. I was shocked that Morgan even sat there, without screaming. She wouldn't look at him. She just leaned her head back and snuggled with him. I finally had to say, "alright Foofoo, lets let the other kids have a turn." I thought there would be no way that she would sit there. She wouldn't smile, but that was ok. Santa gave out nice little gifts. He gave puzzles for the girls, little flying disc guns for the boys, and teddy bears for the babies. Reed was hilarious. All week long he has been saying that he was going to ask for a bow and arrow. So he got up on Santa's lap and told him he wanted a bow and arrow. At the end of his turn, Santa handed him a teddy bear. He promptly proceeded to throw it on the ground with a big frown. Then he gave him a disc gun, and he still wasn't very happy. He wanted a bow and arrow. I was dying of embarrassment. I couldn't believe that he did that. I asked him later why he did that, and he said, "I am NOT a baby, I am a kid. I already have a teddy bear." It cracked me up. I guess we need to have the be grateful for what you get talk. It was a fun morning. It has been snowing since last night, so it was beautiful when we left to go. I guess I know what I need to do today.... go looking for a bow and arrow.

Temple Square Adventure

While my family was here for Thanksgiving, we went to Temple Square. We really enjoyed it. The biggest highlight for the kids was that we rode TRAX downtown. They thought it was so cool to get to ride on "Daddy's train." Our boys, especially Reed, are obsessed with trains right now. It is actually pretty great because you don't have to worry about parking, or having to walk a million miles after you have parked. The lights were beautiful, and there is always a special spirit there. Seeing the Christus this time of year is also a great reminder of what this season is all about. It was so fun to get out and so something out of the ordinary. We'll have to adventure out more often!

"Morgie"

I took these pictures of Morgan the other day before church. She is getting so big and grown up. She is quite the little girl and can hold her own with the big kids.

It's the most wonderful time of the year........

We had our official welcome to Utah... SNOW! It started snowing on Friday night and snowed most of the day on Saturday. I would guess there was probably about 8" of snow. It was beautiful. This picture was what it looked like when I went out to church today. The trees in our neighborhood are so big, they were loaded with snow, and it looked like a winter wonderland. Kent had to go buy a snow shovel yesterday. This is new for us. He bought a little one for the kids, and they loved it. Kent said that they were actually pretty good help. Sad thing, I didn't get any pictures of the kids in the snow. ARRGH!

We decorated for Christmas yesterday, and had fun. We didn't out all of the decorations out, but it is good enough. Our living room is pretty small to put too much out. It is fun anyways, and the kids were happy. I love this time of year. It is so fun to watch the anticipation in the kids. They are starting to think about what they want to ask Santa for. McCray told me he wanted toy weapons today. Great. I am not sure that Santa even makes those.... We have our ward party next Saturday and Santa is going to be there, so they have to think of what they want pretty soon. :)

I survived my first week of work. I have to admit, it started out pretty rough, but it was ok by the end of the week. It was pretty shocking at first. I guess I haven't been out in the real world for quite awhile. I think I will survive, and hope that it won't last forever. The actual work part of it isn't bad at all.