Happy New Year!

I haven't posted for awhile and I still don't have pictures from all our fun activites we've had. They're coming, I promise! Check out some of the great things our family has been doing the last two weeks!

December 17: You'd have thought Broadway got lost and ended up at the Salt Lake City Airport. To welcome Randy home we all dressed up as characters from the musicals he has been in. We had Jeff starring as Lumiere and Addie as the Feather Duster from Beauty and the Beast. Aunt Lori and Rose (a family friend) paraded around as a couple of Lovely Ladies, and Grandma strutted her stuff as Madame Trenardier from Les Miserables. Aunt Jenny made her debut as Dolly from Hello Dolly while Frieda (aka Alisa W.) and Uncle Brady were a little orphan and Daddy Warbucks, respecively, from Annie. Grandpa sauntered around as a farmer/rancher from Oklahoma. (His belt buckle indicates he was probably a rancher.) And last but not least we had Dorothy, the Wizard, and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz represented by Aunt Crystal, Uncle Greg, and Mason respectively. As for me...well I was just a playbill and put Randy's name up in lights. I think it is safe to say that I had TSA just a little bit nervous. There were a lot of wires on the back of my poster. But I didn't end up in a jail cell so I guess they decided that I was harmless.

December 19: Yea!!! My last day of school for this year and the beginning of my Christmas Break! This was Aunt Lori's birthday and our Bodily Christmas Eve. We played games, ate good food, sang Christmas carols around the piano, and had fun before crashing on the floor downstairs to wait for Santa to come.

December 20: Merry Christmas! Christmas morning was great. We were definately spoiled, although CS was more spoiled than anyone else. I tell you that child of mine...we've got to do something quick before she's not cute anymore and just plain spoiled rotten.

This was busy day. Not only was it Christmas morning but we also had family pictures! Poor Mason had just gone down for a nap when it was time to leave so he had his pictures taken first. Then we all took turns filing in for the individual and family photos. We finally ended with trying to get pictures of the grandkids together. What a riot! The photographers had endless tricks up their sleeves but Mason wasn't buying. Addie decided that she was just going to crawl around and giggle. They finally pulled out a little red chair and you'd have thought they gave Mason the world! He sat perfectly still and the pictures are great!

Again...you thought we were done for today! Not even close. A quick trip back home for some Chinese take-out and then off to the catch the Frontrunner Train to Salt Lake. We made it to Temple Square just in time for Addie to decide it was time to go to sleep. She wandered Temple Square all comfortably wrapped up in blankets tucked away in her stroller. It was so cold Jeff and I hopped off Trax at Gateway to try to find some hot chocolate while everyone else continued on to the train. Addie decided it was a good time to wake up as soon as Grandma got her on the train. She missed all the lights. Oh well...maybe next year.


Well with all the time off and having already done Christmas once it was no wonder my time was all confused. It never ceases to amaze me how you can have extra time and it seems to go faster than when you don't have extra time. Christmas sneaked up on me again this year. Poor Jeff...he didn't even get his Christmas PJs. This is the first year I've missed. He got them last year but couldn't wear them because I hadn't finished hemming the bottoms or getting the drawstring put in. I guaranteed him they'd be ready this year...didn't happen.

Santa brought Addie a HUGE teddy bear for Christmas and she was so cute with it on Christmas morning. I have video and I'm going to try and upload it when I have a good fast connection speed. And again, we were spoiled. My brothers got Addie and Jeff a Wii for Christmas. (I only get to play when I have their permission.) We've had a ball with it. In fact the other night my mom and I were playing and didn't watch the time. Next thing we knew it was 1:00am. And I thought Jeff was the one I was going to have to watch!

And as a mother I have to brag about my smart little girl. Aunt Lori has signed to Addison since she was born and we watch the Signing Time DVDs and I've been having Lori teach me some signs as well. We learned "bear" when she went to the zoo this last summer and we were talking about all the animals she had seen. Well, the other day we told her to go get her bear and we did the sign for bear and she turned and attacked her teddy! It was so cute. At first I thought it was just coincidence but she's done it repeatedly. She's a smart little thing.


Happy New Year to you all! We love you and wish each and everyone of you the very best in 2009!