MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas in Utah and we are so grateful for our families and all they do for us.

.

Waking Sienna up Christmas morning.

Sadie ready to get out of bed too.

The girls had to wait in the kitchen for Cole, Max & Gracie to come over before they were allowed to look under the Christmas tree.

The first thing that my girls saw under the tree was their new kitty cat. My mom got one for Cole and Sienna but it was quickly realized that the kitty preferred Gracie. It was hilarious watching the girls as the cats meowed, purred, and rolled over. Gracie was especially fun to watch, she loved her cat.

.

Sienna was quite pleased too.

.

Sienna asks us several times a day for a puppy or a kitty. She really thinks that she is getting a puppy for her birthday but maybe this will hold her off a little longer.

.

Gracie found Max's motorcycle.

Yummy

Matt showing off some of his favorite surprises.

Between Santa and Mrs. Claus, the girls sure did get spoiled. I don't know what they're going to think next year when Christmas is at our house. I'm sure they'll be begging to go back to grandma's.

Sadie eating some dinner.

Max showing Sienna how to shoot his gun.

Max and Sienna had fun playing kitchen together while everyone else played Mario Bros Wii. Cole even played the Wii with us and was better than some of us too.

We Love Our Cousins

One of the best things about our recent trip to Utah was the amount of time we got to spend with my brother Jake and his family. We always see them but this time we got to spend a lot of time hanging out with them. The girls had so much fun playing with their cousins and spending Christmas morning with them too. I wish Brit and her family could have been there with us but we are very happy for them and their upcoming events.

.

Cole and Sadie playing marbles. Cole is my little buddy and I loved hanging out with him. He was very sweet to the girls as usual too.

Dance party in the dining room.

Sienna dancing with her blanket.

Sadie showing everyone how she grooves.

All of the grand kids' stockings. I can't believe there are 8 grand kids now. It blows me away that Ella is going to be 6 in February and today is Cole's 5th birthday. The girls sure have fun with their cousins. Maybe we'll all be able to get together more often now that Brit will be heading West soon.

Mommy's Friends

The first night we got down to Orem, I didn't really even see my family. Matt took the girls and watched the BYU bowl game with my family but Jamie picked me up right as we pulled into the driveway. She was nice enough to shuttle me around town. We went to my cousin's wedding reception and then to an OHS friend reunion at Lisa's house.

.

Best friends.

These are my cousins Lynn and Mia. I haven't seen them in at least five years and they are so grown up and beautiful. I was very excited to see Russ but if I'm being honest, I mostly went to the wedding to see these girls!! If Matt had any extra vacation time this upcoming year, we would try to go to Norway and visit them before they move back.

The next morning Jamie was nice enough to wake up early and teach me how to make Egg Rolls. Catie joined us for the fun and helped us roll them up. After all, it is her mom's recipe that we were making. These egg rolls are my favorite but after making them myself and eating about a dozen or so, I think I am done with them for quite awhile.

KELSEY! I just love this girl and was so surprised when she stopped by to drop off some treats. Kelsey and her family are such great friends to me and my parents. I just love them and am so glad they live near my mom and dad so I can see them whenever I go home.

Sienna trying to sneak one of Kelsey's fabulous cupcakes downstairs.

Rockin' Out

We got to spend an afternoon with Emily and her family. I loved seeing her new house and the girls had fun playing with the boys and all of their fun toys.

.

Sadie singing.

Sienna did a great job on vocals, she didn't get kicked off the stage like her mama.

She also had fun rocking out on the drums.

Taking a break to look at the camera.

Me pretending to sing and Emily jammin' on the guitar.

Sledding With Papa

We recently got home from our trip to Utah and it was nothing short of wonderful. We had so much fun with everyone and enjoyed every minute of being there. The first couple days we spent with Matt's family and we were busy doing so many different things. Matt was able to go skiing with his brother Kyle while the girls and I took care of some fun wedding planning and went shopping with Nana, Adri and Dana. We also spent a lot of time playing games and getting to know Uncle Mike.

Daddy and Papa took the girls sledding as soon as we got there.

.

The girls loved the snow.

.

Sledding with Papa.

.

We were lucky enough to be there for Dana's Christmas dance too. She looked stunning in her gown.

.

Sienna and Dana are such good buddies.

.

Adri and her fiance Mike making gingerbread cookies. Yep, Adri is getting married in February. It is so fun to watch Adri in love, we only wish we were closer so we could spend more time with her. Mike is a great guy and we are very happy for the two of them. It is fun because they are getting married the same weekend that we did, just 5 years later.

Happiness!

I don't want to write anything other than I am so grateful for my husband and all he does for me and my girls. He genuinely loves us and I know that now more than ever. Note to self for future reference: Don't talk about your husband or dad and all they have done for you to your beehives unless you want to cry like a baby. I cried three separate times today during my lesson and that is a lot, even for me. Anyway, thanks for making last night special for me babe. I'll never forget our conversations or how you made me feel so special.

.

I am so glad that we have good friends at TWG that entertain us through dinner. Matt has the best team at work, I love them!!

Breakfast with Santa

Our friends have an annual breakfast with Santa that they were so nice to invite us to again. It was a lot of fun spending time with friends and having the kids sit with both Mrs. Claus and Santa. Sienna did a lot better with it than Sadie. Sadie preferred sitting with mama.

Another Snow Storm

We woke up this morning to another snow storm in Texas. It is always such a surprise when we wake up to snow. There has only been one other time that it snowed this much since we moved here three years ago, and the state pretty much shut down. I am waiting for a phone call from Matt letting me know that he is on his way home but this storm isn't as heavy so I better not get my hopes up yet.

Good thing we put up the Christmas Lights before we went to Mexico. It just makes the whole look complete. Maybe I should turn them on to add more to the mood. Maybe I'll decorate for Christmas today!

.

Sienna chilling on the couch enjoying the snow and a morning show.

We're probably going to be taking another lazy day today. Darn!! (not) The past couple of days have been so nice just to relax and not worry about anything.

Most Beautiful Beach

Here is our last post from Mexico. We spent Saturday at the flea market and one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Sunday morning Bryan, Allie, and I got deep tissue massages and then we all went to the airport to catch our flight home.
.

Sienna at one of the many places we ate.

.

Sadie eating some fresh fruit.

.

Sadie sleeping at our last dinner together.

.

I wish we would have spent every day at this beach. We rented boogie boards and played in the waves and beautiful sandy beaches.

.

Daddy and our girls in the Ocean.

.

Adri and Sadie waiting for the waves.

.

Watch out!

.

Adri and Nana with the girls watching everyone boogie board.

.

Don't we look relaxed? It was the perfect end to a perfect vacation.