For Christmas, Jeff and I got to go back to the good ole south.
VIRGINIA.
We have had SO SO much fun and are even staying a few extra unexpected days.
We got here on the 19th after being in AZ for the Mcneil wedding!
Sunday we had a fun family dinner and started getting used to being back home. We all decorated the Christmas tree the usual way...with every home made ornament we have ever brought home and the ones we got as presents every year. When the tree wouldn't stand up just right we thought the branches were too low...so we trimmed them up...well they weren't and we were left with an UGLY tree...We decided that we would have to go buy another tree in the morning.
Monday we went to go find a new tree...first time that it was just the kids... we drove around forever just to find a lot (since everywhere was closed since there was only a few days til christmas). We ended up picking the first tree we saw and even had to use the chainsaw ourselves to made it perfect before we left. Then we visited my dad's parents.
Tuesday we went shopping ALL day for Christmas presents...and redecorated tree number 2
Wednesday we went to visit my mom's mom.
Thursday was Sterling's 19th birthday
jeff trying to impersonate the infamous sterling's picture face
Friday was Christmas eve and we were so excited....I had to take some pictures of the tree with my AMAZING new camera my handsome husband bought for me...i had fun remembering how to use all the fun parts of a DSLR from high school
Saturday was finally Christmas! The busiest day of the year! First we all wake up and have to wait till 730 when grandma, aunt anne, and the missionaries all come over (this year there were 5 missionaries over). We all open presents (this year the missionaries presents were HILARIOUS thanks to sterling...for example they would say wrapped with love by ____ then from ____ ...some of the highlights were love by Gorbachev from "the wall"....wrapped with love by abe lincoln from john wilkes booth... and on and on). This year, as we were opening presents we noticed something that I had NEVER seen before...SNOW on CHRISTMAS... too bad it was only a little flurrying. After we're done opening all our loot we eat a delish breakfast courtesy of the mom. After breakfast we play games all morning with the missionaries until about noon we we have to start getting ready for the rest of the day. We leave our house and go to my dad's parents where we have lunch and christmas round two with that side of the family. After a few hours of fun with those cousins we head over to grandmas for traditional christmas dinner with that side of the family and christmas part 3. This is when the snow started coming down SUPER hard. By the time we got home there was already an inch (in virginia that is a huge deal) and all the boys wanted to play football since jeff and I had to leave sunday evening.
long story short we did NOT leave on sunday...all the airports all over were closed and we got to stay here til the next open flight out...wednesday :)
Sunday we went sledding! sadly I was more afraid of wrecking the new camera than wanted to get pictures of the action
today was full of returning ill-fitting gifts and relaxing. We even went and had family bowling night and had a blast. needless to say... although we hadn't planned to stay so long it has already been SO fun to stay out with the family :)
We have had SO SO much fun and are even staying a few extra unexpected days.
We got here on the 19th after being in AZ for the Mcneil wedding!
Sunday we had a fun family dinner and started getting used to being back home. We all decorated the Christmas tree the usual way...with every home made ornament we have ever brought home and the ones we got as presents every year. When the tree wouldn't stand up just right we thought the branches were too low...so we trimmed them up...well they weren't and we were left with an UGLY tree...We decided that we would have to go buy another tree in the morning.
Monday we went to go find a new tree...first time that it was just the kids... we drove around forever just to find a lot (since everywhere was closed since there was only a few days til christmas). We ended up picking the first tree we saw and even had to use the chainsaw ourselves to made it perfect before we left. Then we visited my dad's parents.
Tuesday we went shopping ALL day for Christmas presents...and redecorated tree number 2
Wednesday we went to visit my mom's mom.
Thursday was Sterling's 19th birthday
jeff trying to impersonate the infamous sterling's picture faceFriday was Christmas eve and we were so excited....I had to take some pictures of the tree with my AMAZING new camera my handsome husband bought for me...i had fun remembering how to use all the fun parts of a DSLR from high school
Saturday was finally Christmas! The busiest day of the year! First we all wake up and have to wait till 730 when grandma, aunt anne, and the missionaries all come over (this year there were 5 missionaries over). We all open presents (this year the missionaries presents were HILARIOUS thanks to sterling...for example they would say wrapped with love by ____ then from ____ ...some of the highlights were love by Gorbachev from "the wall"....wrapped with love by abe lincoln from john wilkes booth... and on and on). This year, as we were opening presents we noticed something that I had NEVER seen before...SNOW on CHRISTMAS... too bad it was only a little flurrying. After we're done opening all our loot we eat a delish breakfast courtesy of the mom. After breakfast we play games all morning with the missionaries until about noon we we have to start getting ready for the rest of the day. We leave our house and go to my dad's parents where we have lunch and christmas round two with that side of the family. After a few hours of fun with those cousins we head over to grandmas for traditional christmas dinner with that side of the family and christmas part 3. This is when the snow started coming down SUPER hard. By the time we got home there was already an inch (in virginia that is a huge deal) and all the boys wanted to play football since jeff and I had to leave sunday evening.
long story short we did NOT leave on sunday...all the airports all over were closed and we got to stay here til the next open flight out...wednesday :)Sunday we went sledding! sadly I was more afraid of wrecking the new camera than wanted to get pictures of the action
today was full of returning ill-fitting gifts and relaxing. We even went and had family bowling night and had a blast. needless to say... although we hadn't planned to stay so long it has already been SO fun to stay out with the family :)
