Wonderful Month of December!

We had an awesome month of December. I started the month with a wonderful sinus infection, sick and misarble, but we still went to Granny and Grandpa's in New Mexico on December 5. The kids love going to Granny's and Grandpa's because there is more room outside to run and play and ride bikes, except this time it was cold there. But that didn't stop my kids. The just bundled up in heavy coats, gloves and hats and went and played. We got some fun pictures of the kids playing with their cousin Reese's Jeep. We also got a cute video of Belle riding a rocking horse wearing her Santa hat. Hopefully, I can figure out how to put that video on this site. While the kids played, Granny and I enjoyed making microwave peanut brittle. It was so easy and sooooooo yummy, we made 30 batches. Although we enjoyed most of our week in New Mexico, Cordale, Belle, and Grandpa did spend some time sick with the stomach flu. Dennis didn't get it until we got to Utah on 12/13. We actually had planned on leaving New Mexico on 12/12 but had 2 kids throwing up and knew there would be no way we could travel with that going on. But it was a good thing that we did go on the 13th because Dennis was sick in bed on the 14th and 15th. Even though everyone was sick on the trip we still had a lot of fun in Utah. It snowed almost every day we were there. The kids loved playing in the snow and we got some cute pictures of them. They also enjoyed going to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. But I think their favorite part of Utah is staying with Aunt Sharon and driving her crazy. Dennis and I finished up our Christmas shopping while we were there and we tried to get the kids to go with us but they all they wanted to do was stay with Sharon even if she wasn't feeling well. I think they really loved going to church with Sharon as well. Oh and we can't forget the great time we had at the Children's Musuem with Margaret, Zachary, and Ryan. The kids loved it so much they didn't want to leave. Before we left Utah, we got to open gifts from Grandpa Roy and Grandma Carol, Uncle Don, then we got to open gifts from Margaret and then gifts from Sharon. By then, I thought the kids have had a really nice christmas, they didn't need any more presents. they had plenty. Then on our way back from Utah we stayed one night with Aunt Linda on 12/21 and we got to open even more presents. It was a lot of fun. Then, on 12/22(boy that was a very loooooooong busy day), we got up early and drove from St. George to Las Vegas and stopped at my sister, Stacy's, house. Granny and grandpa was spending Christmas with them this year and we picked up more presents form them and then drove on home that same day. We got home about 4pm. We had no groceries in the house so I sent Dennis to the grocery store while I unpacked our suite cases and got everything ready for our Christmas Eve at home. (we had to celebrate Christmas a day early because Dennis had to be back to work on Christmas day.) So when Dennis got home from grocery shopping, we had some dinner and then sat around the Christmas tree and read 3 stories, Polar Express, the Night Before christmas, and then we read the Christmas story in the scriptures. Then we opened a Christmas Eve gift and sent the kids to bed. Oh ya, we had to make cookies for Santa also while we were fixing dinner. We finally got all the kids to bed by 11pm. Then I had to start wrapping presents because I hadn't wrapped anything yet and Dennis did the Santa thing. We got to bed about 2:30 and the kids got up the next morning at 7am. We took a lot of nice pictures on Christmas that I hope to get posted. So, overall the month of December was one I think we all will remember for several years.