This year was my family's turn for Christmas. My mom said she wanted everyone home this year because it had been 4 years since we had all been together for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went bowling with Melissa and Lynn and then we out to lunch. This is a tradition in Kevin's family - to go bowling on Christmas Eve. It is a really fun thing to do as a family and the girl's loved it. Of course I forgot the camera so no bowling pictures, whoops!
After bowling and then home to pack we were ready to make the trek to Bountiful. On the way there in Pleasant View Isabelle puked in the car, poor thing. I know it is a right of passage as a parent to clean up your kids throw up but that doesn't mean it isn't absolutely disgusting. I had to clean her up in the Maverick bathroom. I really did feel so bad for her. I was ready to call it quits and go back home but Kevin had called my mom to tell her we would be a little late and she told us we still had to come. She threw up again in Centerville; it was a great trip down.
Lillian and I went over to my Grandma's house for Christmas Eve and left Kevin and Isabelle home so as not to spread the germs. We had fun at Grandma's house but we missed them. It is a tradition in my family to act out the nativity. Lillian was the only child there and my brothers and other cousins didn't really want to do it because they are my age, but I convinced them. Well I think Lillian helped to convince them because she brought one of her dolls and told everyone it was baby Jesus. She and I were angels and Steven and
Yu Ling were Mary and Joseph. It was pretty funny seeing a bunch of 20 year
olds dressing up but we all admitted it was pretty fun and it brought us back to our childhood.
We did the nativity last year with just our family and Lillian talked about it all year long so we had to do it right? Thanks again to all those who swallowed their pride and dressed up, you're the best! I love doing the nativity because it makes us stop and think about the birth of our Savior. What a good way to teach our kids about his birth and celebrate his birth, before all the toys and materialism of the next day.
Lillian kept telling everyone it was Jesus' birthday. I was glad she was able to understand a little of what Christmas was about before Santa came.
After my grandma's house we went home to my parents house to get ready for Santa.
When I was a kid we would wake up so early but most years we had to wait until 7 or 8 for my parents to get up. Then we had to wait for my Dad to take a shower and get dressed. This year Lillian came down and woke up Kevin and I and Isabelle (who ended up sleeping with us the entire week) around 6 AM. Then she went up stairs and woke my parents up. I thought for sure we would have to wait for my dad, nope. He was up and ready to go, I think he was as excited as she was.
In our family Santa leaves a banana on your pillow to tell you he came. Lillian was a little too excited to look for a banana. We had to take her back to her bed and show her. Then we opened our stockings. Again, a little hard when she could see the big presents just standing right in front of her.
Here is Isabelle with her shopping cart. She is holding on tight because she knows Lillian wants a turn at it too.
Lillian and Isabelle got a doll house but Isabelle didn't really care a whole lot about it. Lillian on the other hand couldn't be torn away from the doll house. She would recruit everyone she could to come and play doll house with her. She got a lot of little princess dolls, who also became residents of the doll house. Along with all of Isabelle Little People and the two horses my parents gave them. The doll house was the highlight of her Christmas. My dad even played doll house. At one point the doll Dad was sitting out on the ledge. I asked him why and he said because the Dad needed a break, there are only a bunch a women in the doll house who think they are a bunch of princesses (notably Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, the whole gang was there). It was pretty funny. I wonder if Kevin ever feels like that with his house full of women?
Here is Lillian trying out her princess scooter. She would get up from her doll house to go "scoottering."
Kevin gave me a stereo to play my iPod on; I love it thank you Kevin! Kevin was most excited about the game Blokus. It is a game with Tetris like pieces where you try to block the other players from putting down their pieces and who ever puts down the most pieces wins. Kevin had never lost before that day. He was so excited to play my Mom because she is super competitive when it comes to games and he wanted to get her all riled up when he beat her. How ironic is it that the person he first losses to is none other than my mom. I was dying of laughter. We spent the day eating and playing games and eating some more. It was a great day and so fun to spend it with family.
The next day we took Lillian to her first movie in the theater. We went and saw Bolt. Honestly she was more interested in her popcorn than in the movie, but it was still fun. That night Kevin and I went to dinner with some of our good friends: Emmy and Micah, Matt and Kristin, and Tara and Rick. It was so fun to spend time with them; it was a wonderful evening.
The next day we headed south to the Mullen family Christmas party in Delta. Todd and Mick planned on blessing Briggs that Sunday and were kind enough to host the Christmas party on Saturday at their house.
After the mandatory trip to Cabela's we drove to Delta. Mick and I planned the Amazing Race for all the family to race around Delta. It was so fun to plan and I think they had a fun time racing. Thanks again to Chanelle for all the help! Mick and I were a little bummed we didn't get to race so we decided to follow them on their race and it was a good thing because Lillian threw up while they were racing at the park! It was so sad. After dinner we decided to drive home because she was so sick. She threw up the entire way home! We found out later my 3 brothers were also throwing up; sorry guys! I felt so bad to have missed Brigg's blessing but it was very good that we went home when we did.
Despite the sickness and the throwing up it was a wonderful Christmas. We are so blessed to have all we do. We have a great family, we have our health, we have a nice home, and most of all we have the savior who's birth we are able to celebrate this season. It was wonderful.
Winter in Cache Valley isn't complete without a trip to Hardware Ranch, at least it isn't in our family. This year Grandma Sherri, Papa Dave, and Michael came up to see the elk with us. My Dad had never been to see the Ranch and I think Michael was too young to remember the last time he went as a kid. So we bundled up, and if you know me well you know how much I love the cold (not so much), and headed up to the Ranch. 
Here is my cute brother Michael with Lillian and I. She was interested in the elk, but she was more interested in the horses pulling the sleigh.
Seeing all of the big bull elk got Kevin really excited for an elk hunt in the future, whenever that my be... It will be interesting when he does get an elk or a deer with Lillian and Isabelle. Lillian asked me after the deer hunt why Daddy and Uncle Todd needed guns when they went deer hunting. I said, "Do you really want to know? It is kind of sad." She said she wanted to know so I told her why and she said, "Oh! That is very sad!" 
This is our attempt at a family picture with the horses that pulled our sleigh. The girls were enamoured by them but by the end of the ride I think they just wanted to be done. We had a great time though! If you haven't gone or if it has been awhile, Hardware Ranch is a great winter activity. 
We had a great ward party, a piano recital (good job to all my piano students!), a delicious work party (thanks to the 
Here is a copy of our Christmas card that I designed with a little help from Kevin. 
