Winter Break in a Winter Wonderland

The past couple of years our Utah winters have been rather mild.  Last year's in fact, was a little too mild.  We had a TON of forest fires this last summer to prove it.  So we decided it would be best to pray for snow...and boy did we receive!

Not only did it snow but the temperature has been in the teens and twenties for about a month now...so none of it is melting. :)

So most of the winter break was spent either sledding, or inside playing with Christmas toys, and working on finishing the kids' goals. 

This coloring castle was by far one of the ten Christmas gifts.  EVERYONE played with it.

Here is Claire fully enjoying eating a delicious breakfast of "bloody eggs" (that is what Jake likes to call them - I find the term revolting).

One of Jake's goals was to learn oragami.  It turned into becoming a paper airplane expert.

He also honed in his football skills...with minimal collateral damage (while throwing the football with him in the hallway we accidentally hit a picture on the wall - it fell and broke, but we were able to repair it.  No harm done).

One of Morgan's goals was to learn how to draw "Dr. Seuss-Style."  She is a natural.

To finish out the year we celebrated New Year's Eve with a few families in our ward.  It was so much fun.  The kids loved being with their friends and we loved hanging with ours. We rang in the New Year at 10 p.m. and headed home.  We are becoming so old, but that is what having young kids will do to you.  Bedtime becomes a necessity. :)

Well 2012, you were good to us.  Thank you.  

Here's to a New Year with all it will bring!  We are ready.  Welcome 2013!!!

A Boy's Trip to Seattle

I was spoiled this year for Christmas.  I got an awesome new phone and...

I GOT A NEW VAN!!!

Earlier in the year, I traded in my van for a Mercury Mountaineer.  Which I loved.  Except it continued to break down.  After about $1200 in repairs and more on the horizon...I had had enough.  So Trev and I decided it was time to get a good car, lower miles, that would last a long time.

I have ALWAYS wanted a big SUV.  My SUV of choice would probably be a Chevy Suburban.  I LOVE those cars.  They are beautiful, roomy, 4-wheel drive, and would make me feel like a million bucks driving around.

Problem is they cost a million bucks too.  Ok, slight exaggeration, but they are very expensive to purchase (especially when I like my cars fully-loaded :)) and the cost of gas just makes them sooo expensive.

So after a LOT of agonizing, and eating some humble pie, I decided to do something I swore I would never do again.  Buy and drive a mini-van.  Again. :)

THIS time however, I told my dear husband, that I needed it to be SWEET!!!  So being the great husband he is, he found me a fantastic new van.  It is a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, black, leather, 3 dvd's, auto-everything, and my favorite feature...REMOTE START AND HEATED STEERING WHEEL!!!

I ABSOLUTELY love it.  Even if it is a van. :)

I have not regretted the decision for a minute.  I am glad that I set aside my pride (because really that is what my big problem with the van always was) and went with something that suits my practical needs, and most of my wants too. :)

Perhaps one day I will have the nice SUV I want.  But today, I will embrace and enjoy my van.

So there's my soapbox.  On to how we got it.

My brother-in-law is a car dealer and bought our van at an auction in Seattle a couple weeks before Christmas.  So in order to get it we would either have to pay to ship it, or just fly up there and drive it back.  We decided it might be a good time for Trev and Jake to take their first boys' trip.  So that is what they did.

Here are the highlights of their fun weekend:

1.  Flying on an airplane.  Meeting the captain.

2. Seeing the sights in Seattle.  Pike's Market and eating out.

3.  Visiting a Gingerbread House expo.  Can you tell which houses these belong to?

Pretty amazing, huh?!

4.  Battling a major snow storm in the mountains coming back.  No pictures of this.  Just a mental picture in my mind of Trev white-knuckling the steering wheel concerned about making through the storm while Jake sits comfortably in the back, headphones and heated seat, watching movie after movie on the dvd, barely aware it is snowing.  Me talking to Trev on the phone hoping to offer comfort. :)

They had a great time together, and their already rock-solid relationship was strengthened even further.  Plus I got a great car.  What a great trip! :)