The Holidays 2010

The past month has been a whirlwind! We managed to pull ourselves together for a trip to Utah to see family for Christmas. That means early prep and wrapping for our Santa visit at home. He comes the Saturday before Christmas, because he knows we usually go to Utah and it is too hard to haul our entire family's worth of presents back. We got all of the Christmas parties and school programs in, and off we went! I flew with wild Walker, and Del did it again! He drove with the three older kids all by himself. I have to admit that my nerves would not make it. He is amazing! And the kids just love it because they know they get to spend a night swimming at a "fancy hotel, eating fancy pizza with dad." to quote Wally. He even made it with a bump in the plans when Wally suddenly had an attack of horrible pain in his stomach, and they had to pull off in a small town in Iowa to see a doctor. Wally ended up being fine, but I am sure it wiped a lot of the energy out of Del.  And the next day he had a devastated Will on his hands when it was realized he left his blanket behind at the hotel. Del stopped back on the way home and rescued Blankie. They are all some good road trippers!

I only had to hold it together for a little over four hours on the plane while Walker tried incessantly to touch the kind man lucky enough to be seated next to us. It was a huge relief to score a first class seat on the way there. We were in coach on the way home, but I can't complain because Walker slept practically the entire time! What a champ!
We were only in Utah for what seemed to us the blink of an eye! It was actually a week, but that flies by when you are hitting all the family get togethers, seeing some friends, having dinner with work people, going to both the BYU and Jazz basketball games, attending a temple sealing , getting kids to cousin sleep overs,  lunches with sisters, having meetings with financial planner guys, lots of basketball playing for Del, and just running around! But we like it like that! I do however feel like I may have left my brain there, because my head still does not feel like it is on straight.

Georgia at her school Christmas program. This girl HATES to have all eyes on her. She was so nervous while all the parents were arriving, she sat and ripped her shoe apart with anxiety while everyone filed in.

I almost forgot to write down her Christmas wish. All the kids took a turn hugging a plush star toy and saying what they wished for this Christmas. As the star made it's way around the circle, all the little girls would say a doll, or a jewelry box, or something else girly, the boys would say an action figure or something along those lines. When the star got to Georgia, she said without hesitation,
"A monster truck!"
It got quit a laugh and the man behind me said, "A little tom-boy. She must have brothers."
Bingo, Mister!

I was pathetic when it came to taking pictures Christmas morning this year. This is all I got.

Wally and Chomper the dinosaur. Very exciting. However, Santa forgot to tell me and Del that Chomper makes all kinds of rude bodily function noises.

We went to the Planetarium at Gateway with my two of my sisters, Emily and Lauren and their kids.

The kids walking on the moon.

The BYU basketball game with Del's family. It was a lot of fun! we hung out in the nose bleeds with the cousins.

My best friend Christy had a baby! Sweet little baby Ivy. Too bad I met her at Arctic Circle. With them living in Colorado, and us in Illinois, sometimes you just have to be happy to see someone, even at a fast food place.

We were invited to attend a temple sealing in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. Beautiful! And so many more things that words don't do justice to. In our faith we believe that to be married in this life, and after death in the next, we must follow certain guidelines to be worthy to enter a temple and be married there by the proper authority. It is always a privilege to witness one of these ceremonies.

Del's Mom and Dad.

Whew! I finally got it all up! We headed back to Chicago on the same day a huge four day long snow storm hit the Salt Lake Valley. Del woke up and left very early, and was lucky to make it through Parley's Canyon before it closed. He was able to get ahead of the storm! Yay! We had a nice little break from the everyday, and a Merry Christmas with family!