My Girl

On Friday I spent the evening at my sister's house. I got to hang out with Emily, my niece, because the boys wouldn't let her play with them. Since I don't have a little girl I get to spoil Em. I just adore and love her. I'm not the only one. Grandpa Morgan just loves his only grand girl. He gets pretty protective of her and loves to hold her. Him and Vicky fight over her at times. He even held her all the time when she was a baby. He didn't do that with his grandson's because he said he would rather play with them when they got older.

New Year's Eve

For New Year's Eve we didn't venture very far. We went down the road to Jay's parents. When we walked in the door we saw enough food to feed at least 20 people. There was anything from veggies, chocolate, popcorn and cheese ball. We didn't get to stay long because Jay got really sick. I really hated to leave all that food. But before we left Jayden had to have sparkling cider and make a toast (a tradition we do every year) with grandma, grandpa and Karen. When we got home we hung out while Jay just laid on the couch. Jayden stayed up with me to watch " the ball drop". It was so cool to see Times Square on T.V. Jayden thought it was awesome that we got to go there this summer. Jayden and I started the count down and was waiting for the ball to drop and Jayden missed it. He was so disappointed. To cheer him up I let him pour everyone cider. We had three different flavors and Jayden had to try all of them. It was fun to see Jayden enjoy New Year's Eve this year. Hopefully next year Jay won't get sick and ruin the party.

Big Jud's

While Dane was here we went out to Big Jud's in Archer. It is our families favorite place to eat a burger and have homemade french fries. They also have the best milk shakes. The hamburgers are a whole whopping 1 pound!! The buns are specially made for the burgers. The burgers even come in doubles and triples. We have never braved trying those. There is a wall there that has pictures of people who have ate the whole thing. They have a separate spot for the single, double and triple. Jay almost got his picture on the wall for the single back when we where first married. He hasn't tried since then because he got so sick. He would rather enjoy his meal.

Joy

In church the Sunday after Christmas one of my favorite teachers, Sister Murray, taught a lesson on "Joy". She talked about how we can have joy for Christmas without spending any money. I totally agreed with her. I thought back to how much fun I had on Christmas just playing games with family and it didn't cost a dime. I am so grateful for wonderful teachers at church. It was a lesson that hit home and one that I needed to hear. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father giving me such a wonderful family that loves and cares about me and family that I love and care about also.

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day the kids didn't want to get up. What kid doesn't get up early on Christmas Day? So we were fortunate enough to sleep in until 9 or 10. We let the kids sleep in the living room so they would see their presents just as they woke up. However, when they did get up they didn't realize Santa left them presents. Jay and I had to point it out to them! They got saucer chairs, a Nerf Wii game, hot wheels and new lunch boxes.
After we showered and dressed we loaded up all of our presents and went down the road to Grandma and Grandpa Durrant's house. The kids really enjoyed opening presents there.
This year Uncle Dane got to spend Christmas with us. He came all the way from Alaska. He hasn't been home for a couple of years. The boys really enjoyed playing and hanging out with Uncle Dane. So to make him feel at home we got him a box of Idaho Spuds (they happen to be his favorite).
One of the highlights of opening presents is when Karen opened her present from us. We splurged and got her a new digital camera. The photo I took of her is priceless!! Her present went along with the present that grandma and grandpa got, a digital photo frame. That was a hit as they just love having pictures of the boys. I included pictures from the last couple of years. I also put a lot of pictures from our summer in New Jersey. This year Jay went over board and bought the boys a bunch of Nerf toys. He also just had to buy himself a huge Nerf gun (bigger than the kids). I have never seen so many guns in my life. The boys were in 7th heaven. They were way excited to get to shoot the whole family and have gun wars with their dad. They were a little jealous that dad got the biggest gun. Jay installed a security system for a lady in UT. She makes blankets that turn into pillows. She put handles on them so they could be carried. When Colton opened his blanket the first thing he said was "I can carry guns in this". We all died laughing at his comment.
I didn't want Missy to feel left out so I bought her a shirt that said " # 1 on Santa's naughty list!". It was quite a chore trying to get it on her as Wal-Mart didn't have her size. I was amazed that she kept it on. We have never bought her a shirt to wear. She looked so cute in it and grandma just loved it (as Missy is also "grandma's dog").
After we were done opening presents we went home so I could get food ready for Christmas Dinner. While I was cooking Jay, Dane and Grandpa were snow blowing a path from our house to theirs. Thank heavens we own a Jeep or we would have been stuck. The guys ended up pulling out a few people that thought they could make it through the drifts. One of them happened to be Uncle Dan'L and Aunt Brandelyne!!!!
Christmas Dinner was so yummy. We had ham, crowd pleasers (my favorite), veggies, deviled eggs and jello salad. We munched on food all day. And of course I pigged out because the Prednisone increased my cravings and appetite.
Later in the day we played games. The boys got Operation and Perfection for Christmas. We enjoyed playing those games with them. Jayden was the best at getting the rubber band on Operation. We also played Uno Flash and Mormon Mouth. I have never laughed or had so much in one evening. We played for hours. The boys loved the new Uno game.
I really enjoyed Christmas this year. It is one I will remember for many years to come.

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve we went to my dad's house. My sister and her family were there. My Grandma and Grandpa Wells also came and they brought my cousin Kyson with them. We had a lot of fun. We snacked on food (my favorite part of the evening), chatted and then opened presents. The boys and Emily loved all of their presents. Jayden got a Nerf gun that shoots darts super fast. That was sure a hit. Colton got army guys that came with a helicopter and boat. He also got a gun/sling shot that shoots airplanes. The boys loved playing with that.
This year Kris and I gave dad and Vicky a digital photo frame. We went through our pictures and put pictures of our kids and families from the last couple of years. They really liked the photo frame. They love to have pictures of their grand kids.
That day I also broke out in itchy hives. I was so miserable as I was constantly itching! Luckily my doctor prescribed me Prednisone so I didn't have to suffer through the holidays. It cleared up the hives, but I don't think I will ever go on that stuff again! I just don't think the side effects are worth it.
That night after we got home we let the boys open one present. Guess what it was? PJ's of course as that was a tradition when I grew up (except my mom sewed ours) and now I am passing the tradition onto my children. However, I buy the PJ's because I don't have enough time or patience to make them.

He's the Man

Jay has been working in Washington along the Columbia River for about a month now. My dad got him the job so he could earn some extra cash this winter. Jay is working about 10 hour days 7 days a week assembling windmills. Here are some pictures that he took from his cell phone. It is amazing how big they are. Jay said the windmills are 300 feet tall when completely assembled. He also mentioned that the screws they use are as big as his arm! He hasn't been able to go to the top but said he would rather be safe on the ground and risk not falling and hurting himself. I don't blame him.
Luckily he will get to come home for Christmas. After Christmas he will go back and probably work till the end of January. Then he when he gets home he will be focusing on getting his crew together for this summer. I am excited to see where we will end up spending our summer this coming year.
I am grateful to Jay for making this sacrifice for our family. The boys and I can't wait to have him home!