Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! It is always so wonderful to start a new year and have the opportunity to set new goals. There is something refreshing about this time of year. If I thought I could stay on top of a zillion New Year's resolutions.....then I would add "be a better blogger" to the list. But, although I continue to try......that doesn't always hit the top of the priority list. So.....again, here is a re-cap of our holidays. I did a lot of my Christmas shopping early.....so this was a very calm Christmas season for us. It made it really enjoyable! Since the shopping was out of the way, all we had left to do was EAT. And EAT we did! Luckily "exercise" is up top on the New Year's resolution list. (= (pictures are in order from recent......back) I still get mixed up on how to keep my uploaded pictures in the right order.

Audrey's 1st Christmas!!! She wasn't awake yet when all the boys woke up to see if Santa had come. (6am) We let her have her beauty rest. But, don't worry, she didn't miss out. She got her turn at opening her presents, and crawling around with a bow stuck on her bum. (No.....I did not plant that one!)

Christmas Eve is here, and I had to dress her in red!! Oh how I love to dress my little girl!
We had a Christmas Eve Turkey dinner at my parent's house. My mom and I divided up the cooking. After dinner we looked up Santa's location online, and the kids tracked him until bedtime. In between time, we set out cookies and a note for Santa, sprinkled reindeer food on the grass for the reindeer, and read about baby Jesus. The kids would keep running back and forth into the computer room, to see if Santa had switched locations yet. There was so much excitement in their eyes. Kids make Christmas!!! The best part was the letter the kids wrote for Santa. It included a "P.S.- We hope your reindeer don't get gas." ??? Don't ask me where that one came from. But, we got a kick out of that!

If you turn your head to the right.....you'll see that our 6" snow storm here in Henderson Nevada ended up breaking half our tree off in the front year. Our measly little Nevada trees....can't even handle a little snow. The news said we haven't seen this much snow in like 30 years or something.

The Snow and the Fun have just begun. The day after we got snow, school was cancelled and it was time to PLAY! I spent my day listening to Christmas music, baking homemade rolls, keeping Hot Chocolate on the stove, and helping kids go through millions of clothes changes. (When you don't have much snow.....you don't have good snow clothes.)

Backing up to December 4th, Dallin turned 5. He is maturing into such a sweet boy. He's so snuggly and takes good care of his little sister. I can't believe he is already 5. He'll be in Kindergarten next year (crazy!!)

Did I mention he's physical too? This is the way Dallin says "Thank You" for a birthday gift. I don't know that his cousin Hayley really knew what to do with this.

December wouldn't be complete without Dallin's Christmas Preschool program. He was a shephard. He was a natural actor......must take after his Aunt Heather! (wink wink Heather)

With the new year, also comes an important birthday. And no, I'm not shy about proclaiming my 30th Birthday. I am proud of it.....and ready to celebrate!!! I turn 30 this Friday January 9th. I look forward to a decade of new wisdom. Some day, I will be wise.....that is my goal!! (=

Emmet is taking the day off.....and we are spending the whole day together. I get to drag him wherever I want to go. Thanks to my mom for watching the kiddos. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my birthday!