Christmas in Idaho

The day after Christmas we headed to Idaho.  Nearly all of Jared's family was going to be there for the week so we knew we wanted to visit, even if I was due to have Trent in just two weeks.  The trip was a lot of fun.  This was the first time we stayed in a hotel while visiting Idaho, and it was wonderful.  The boys were able to do a lot of swimming, which they absolutely love.  And sleeping in hotel is always fun. :)

 Brandon, Cooper, Lexi, Grant and Ali all cuddled up in bed at the hotel after an exhausting day of playing and swimming. :)

 It was also nice to be able to visit with Grandma Donna.  Brandon and Grant always look forward to visiting, then they get really shy when we get there, until they start playing with the wheel chair and walker. :)  funny boys.

 Jared was a good sport to let all the children tackle him.

 The kids enjoying more time together eating dinner at Carl's Jr.:)

 Cute Ali, she and Jared get along so well, she fell asleep cuddled up to him. ;)

It was a very fun trip, I was very pregnant which meant I was tired and uncomfortable all the time, but the trip was so worth it to see our family and have so much fun with them.

Christmas

Christmas was wonderful!  It always is, this year however was the very first year we spent the whole day with just our immediate family at home.  There were pros and cons to this arrangement, but overall I think the boys enjoyed being able to play with their toys and stay in the jammies all day.

The weekend before Christmas Wyn and Dee Ann were in town and we were able to spend a night in City Creek with them, they were also able to give their gifts to the boys.

Brandon got a dinosaur and Grant got a Spider Man action figure, and they both got pj's.  They enjoyed their gifts a lot. :)

The Sunday before Christmas we had a Christmas party with my side of the family.  Brandon, Chandler and Grant got a LOT of presents and the traditional books, we love getting more books, they are such a treasure. :)

The following Monday Natalie and Chandler came to our house for a play date.  We had an impromptu dance party, well everyone but me danced, it was so cute, our little boys are pretty awesome little dancers. :)

Christmas Eve is quickly becoming my favorite part of Christmas I love our traditions.  One of the highlights of the night was when the boys opened our Yellowstone vacation scrapbook from Shutterfly - they loved it, and they were so grateful for it.  There is such a great peace when it is just our little family, enjoying each others company and the spirit of the season.  One of those special moments when there actually is "beauty all around, when there's love at home". :)

Christmas morning was magical, the boys loved their gifts.

Christmas breakfast, Yummy!!

Maybe it was because I was so tired being so very pregnant, or maybe I really am tired of the commercialism of the holiday, each year we strive to make the holiday more meaningful, more focused on Christ, but each year I feel like we came short of our goal and were still more focused getting presents.  Hopefully in time we will learn to simplify and focus fully on the meaning of the season.