Christmas '08, St. George, New Year's and Vegas

I love Christmas! We had so much fun following our different traditions and just hanging out together as a family! Christmas Eve celebrations start first thing in the morning when we all open our new pajamas that we wear all day long. These were the kids pjs this year...unfortunately Hunter's red Handy Manny jammies don't exactly coordinate with the girls:)

Ashley decided to help Rob wrap the "pass-around" gifts this year. He of course wrapped the first layer, and then Ashley helped with the rest.
Hunter and I got out first...I love this picture with the present flying through the air as Alyssa threw it to Rob.
For our pass-around gifts, we give everyone a new game and then we play it as a family on Christmas Eve. Hunter got a new puzzle...
Ashley got a Pet Shop game, Alyssa got Apples to Apples, Jr. and Brooklyn got Mystery Date (my 9 year old thinks she is a teenager) I got Clue Jr. and Rob got In a Pickle...we played every one's except for Rob's...we didn't notice the 10+ age suggestion when we bought it:(
We watch a Christmas movie every night the week before Christmas...the Christmas Eve movie of choice was Polar Express and It's a Wonderful Life (that is such a good movie!)
We eat appetizers as our dinner...this year's favorite was Rob's bacon wrapped water chestnuts...YUMMY!!! We always end up throwing away half the food because we make too much, but who wants to only choose between 3 or 4 appetizers?!!!
My favorite tradition would have to be watching my kids do the Nativity. Hunter will most likely always be Joseph (except for the year he was born...he made a great 6 day old baby Jesus). Ashley was the lucky one to be Mary this year, Brooklyn was the angel and Alyssa was a Shepard.
On second thought...maybe Hunter won't be Joseph next year:)...he wouldn't keep his clothes on, and he kept picking up and throwing our baby Jesus...maybe next year he will not be so naughty:)
We also had a talent show this year. Since the older girls take piano lessons, they each played a Christmas song for us. Alyssa played Jingle Bells...

Brooklyn played Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Ashley sang Frosty the Snowman. Hunter sang and did the actions to Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree...So cute!!!

We also made our Christmas sugar cookies for Santa...Can you guess which plate I decorated? Now guess which plate we gave to Santa? That's right, answer 1: right...answer 2:left...Lucky Santa!!!

For breakfast Christmas morning, everyone gets to choose a box of sugar cereal. I hardly ever buy sugar cereal, so this a quite the treat for my kids...and me...no mess to clean up:)

Hunter liked this cereal so much he hijacked one of the girl's bowls and ate his cereal with 2 spoons:)
Hunter's favorite present this year was his "choo-choo". He played with this all day!

Ashley's favorite present was her own DS

Brooklyn & Alyssa's favorite present was their electric powered razors...these are sooo much fun! I even love driving them. They go 10 mph. When I first saw that Santa had brought them, I was worried that my girls would kill themselves on them. I can't believe how much control they have...they drive it better than I do!

Hunter thinks he is quite the stud in the girl's pink Barbie jeep...Ryan, this may make Hunter fail the "man test".

I don't have a picture of this, but what would Christmas break be at our house without a ride in an ambulance...no, nobody got hurt on the scooters, Alyssa was sick again. Last year you may remember she was hospitalized the day after Christmas for pneumonia...we then spent 3 days in the hospital. She had a hard time getting over that pneumonia and so every time she gets a cough, I worry that she is sick again. On Christmas night the cough she had had for a few days suddenly got worse and she told me she couldn't breathe. We immediately called 911 and the paramedics came and took her to the hospital. They told us she had croup and luckily she came home a few hours later. Next year's goal...no trips to the hospital for ALL of Christmas break!!!

Friday we were sitting at Gecko's eating lunch and said, "What are we doing here in Arizona when our kids don't have school?!!!" So, we packed up the next day and went to St. George to stay in my Grandpa's condo. It was very cold there, but we had a great time. The first day we drove up to Enterprise and played in the snow.

Hunter didn't move much...he just stood still in the snow.

The girls found these icicles hanging from a tree.

Can you guess what my girls want for Christmas next year??? SNOW!

We also went to see the lights at the St. George temple and went to the visitor's center.

Check out this patch of snow at the temple! Crazy!!!

We also went to the Wildlife Museum...Notice the empty parking lot?!!!

Rob put Hunter up next to some stuffed bears...he didn't like that very much...one more lost point for the "man-test".

These are the binoculars that the kids get to use to get a better look at the animals...I think Rob liked the Swarovski scope that he got to use better:)

Apparently, my family couldn't get back to the car fast enough. They all had a race, and as you can see Hunter came in last. But everyone was there cheering for him when he finally made it!

Back at the condo we spent an hour watching an old Nascar race with Hunter's favorite "Memomem" car. He seriously stood next to the tv cheering for an hour.

Then we were off to Vegas to spend New Year's Eve with Rob's family. The adults spent a lot of time playing Mario Cart. The kids spent a lot of time swimming. Kris was nice enough to heat up his pool and hot tub.

The kids did sparklers

Oops...one more lost point for the "man-test". Who put a pink lei on my son?!!!

Our Martinelli's toast to the New Year

The kids went sledding both days that we were there.

My mother-in-law went sledding too. She also made snow angels with the kids.

More sledding...

Doesn't Hunter look like the boy on Christmas Story?!!! At least he never got cold!

More sledding...

Hunter loved sledding, and he loved watching everyone else sled...unless it was me. The second I would even say that I was going to go, he would start crying hysterically. He was worried because the first time I went down with Ashley I was screaming...who doesn't scream when the sled down a hill?!!!

My in-laws had so much snow at their house! This is the kids sitting on a snow bank in front of their cabin.

Ashley making a snow angel

Look at these giant snowmen that Rob and his dad made. Rob's on the right and Bob's on the left. They were the biggest snowmen I have ever seen!

It was very sad for all of us to leave the snow, but...I sure love the 70 degree temperatures back here in Phoenix!!!