We took advantage of the boys having two weeks off from school and spent our entire break in Idaho with my family. It was a crazy couple of weeks. Some dear friends generously loaned us their condo one block from my parents house for one of the weeks so we didn't have to have the kids staying at my parents house full time while my mom was going through chemo. It was really hard to be separated so much but it was a huge blessing that made it possible for us to be there so long and for all of us to go. The kids were very excited for Christmas and for all of the snow! We hadn't had any snow in Utah before we left (we do now) and Van had been waiting and waiting to play in it. He is a snow boy:) He loves sledding and spent hours outside playing in the snow every day that we let him. I love the snow and cold temperatures in the winter and it makes me happy to see my boy appreciating it too:)
This girl was enthused about the idea of the snow but didn't have the endurance Van had when it came to the snow. She ended up inside or in the car long before Van was ready to call it quits:)
Grandpa got to go sledding with Brian and the kids one day and showed them all of the best places to go.
Trying to stay busy at the condo, Brian was super dad and was alone with the kids most of the time at the condo. I married a good one folks!
I absolutely love a good snow storm that flocks everything with white fluffy snow. This is the view down my parents street. Heaven!
Both my kids loved Uncle Kyle as usual. Van wrestled with him a lot and Brielle snuggled:)
On Christmas eve Brian and the kids came and spent the night at my parents house with me. Tyler and Brandee also came up just for the night and Kyle, Lindsey and Skyler came over on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think it was a little too crazy for my mom who had just had a Chemo treatment on Dec 23rd but it was so nice to be all together even if it was for less than 24 hours. We really missed my sister Amy and her family though!
Making cookies for Santa. Kids seriously make all holidays so much more fun. Brielle has just about the same understanding of Christmas as Van (is she really only 2?) so we had two very excited kids:)
I made a nice homemade meal for Christmas Eve dinner and this little weirdo just had a salad:)
The nativity story. Van was a shepherd, Brian was Joseph, Brielle was Mary, Kyle was the donkey, Skyler was baby Jesus and Grandpa was the narrator.
We all got to open our matching jammies on Christmas Eve.
Spreading food for the reindeer.
Brian, working hard for favorite uncle status:)
Santa came!
A notable job on present wrapping by Brian. It's not often you see the tootsie roll technique WITH duct tape. Quite the combo.
This girl! She slipper and insisted on taking off her jammies so she could wear them.
This was my biggest project this year. I used tracings of everyone's hands to make a "family tree" quilt for my parents. These pictures are a little fuzzy so you can't see the names stitched on the leaves and other details but you get the idea.
We got the chess set out and Van was captivated. He sat next to whomever was playing and kept asking all the rules.
No surprise, he picked it right up and now want to play all the time. He is very proud of the fact that at this point in the game he was beating his Dad:)
Brian and the kids spent a few nights out at Kyle and Lindsey's house and these two boys were so funny to watch! They wore their matching jammies and had their very first sleep over. They were up an hour or so after we put them to bed whispering and giggling:)
The adults pulled out Kyle's 1984 Nintendo system and laughed until our cheeks hurt after the kids were in bed.
Kyle & Lindsey had us for Christmas this year and they gave us a date! It was perfect timing. They watched our kids and paid for our dinner and we got to go out to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. We went to dinner and then walked around Shore Lodge where we had our wedding reception. It was romantic and perfect. I love this man!
Around the house....
New year's Eve mom felt up to playing pinochle!
They randomly matched more than once during this visit. They both also decided they were too cool for smiling for pictures.
The long drive home required ice cream and movies:)
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