Happy New Years to All!

Happy New Years. And I hope you haven't spent it like I did!

Christmas morning I was "sick". New Years Day I was sick.

Interestingly enough (at least for you, my lovely readers) is that we have a family tradition of someone being sick on Christmas Day. Not every Christmas, but enough to make us sick of it (sick humor) (more sick humor) (...)

But let's just hurry past that and go to the happy news: I had the blessed opportunity to spend Christmas with Nancy Drew, SWH, Sweetie and Curly. I haven't spent Christmas with my family for six years. Phew. This year Nancy Drew and her family moved to Utah which is much closer to us. Hurrah!

I flew in on Monday. It was euphoric...only a 90-minute flight. Now contrast with the flight to the East Coast: 9 hours. I was doing the happy dance down the corridor in Utah.

That night we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. It is always spectacular. The most beautiful, Christmas-y thing you've seen!

First stop: The two lovebirds posing in front of Joseph and Emma Smith statue.

Many nativities. This one Peruvian? I think. These were about 3 feet tall.

Japanese, so cute. These were between 4 and 5 feet tall!

Curly in front of the Reflecting Pool

Sweetie at other side of Reflecting Pool

Looking up at a lit-up tree!

Even a bag-piper playing Christmas Carols.

Nancy Drew and I in front of a Temple window.

Sweetie took a pic of us off guard!

We had a wonderful dinner that my daughter prepared after getting home from work. Home-made mashed potatoes! What a joy to stay up the next night, Christmas Eve, putting out presents and stockings!

SWH's family has a Christmas breakfast every year. It starts at ten, but he was doing the cooking and had to leave early. Christmas Eve ND & SWH set the wake-up time at 5:30 in order to get all the presents opened before the breakfast. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was woken up at 6:30! I think it was the first time I ever saw parents waking their children up for Christmas morning!

There is so much joy watching a three-year-old, with wonder in her eyes, walk out of her bedroom that morning! It was just as much fun with our 11-year-old Sweetie. She was ecstatic and enthusiastic about every gift! She got a bike and she was bouncing all over, eyes shining.

Sweetie with bike

Sweetie with Zebra (her fave!) bedding

Curly showing her Dad the Princess Sophia doll

Curly playing with her V Tech learning pad

New outfits

Sweetie trying out her new manicure nail dryer

For the especially observant, the Happy Birthday banner is for Nancy Drew. She was born on December 26.

I'm sharing this over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Pop over to see more fun! Badge in right sidebar.

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

I'm Home! Whoo-Hoo!

It's crazy what people will look like when they celebrate!

I'm back from a two-week vacation to the East Coast to see my dear son and dear daughter and their families. It's an annual pilgrimage after school lets out. I get to see Curly and Sweetie and how much they've grown and changed in one year. I get to see Nancy Drew and TGS and enjoy being in their homes.

Okay, okay...some explanation for the picture above. Nancy Drew and SWH participated in the wildly popular Warrior's Challenge. It's an obstacle race that has fun stuff like jumping over fire, cargo climb, storming Normandy and lots and lots of MUD! Brave contestants work through Army-like obstacles through the mud, "run" between obstacles in mud that is sometimes knee deep and at the end wade through a ... hmm...how can I describe it...ahh...mud puddle that is around 5+ feet deep. Did I mention there was mud? And more mud?

The pic above is my daughter (on the left), in the mud and yellow shirt, with two friends at the "finish line".

What a crazy way to spend a Saturday morning! I chose the better part. I stayed with darling Curly and tried to stay cool in the 90' weather with 90% humidity. I definitely knew I was the smarter one in the family when Nancy Drew said the mud smelled like cow poo. Yummy!

Sorry about the photo overflowing into the right column. The stupid thing just wanted to take up the biggest space it could...it's irritating when the pictures take control!

Above: right to left
Top Row: Before Picture--Nancy Drew in yellow, SWH far right, After Picture
Middle Row: Beginning of race after first mud "puddle." Notice the mud is above the knee!, Curly hangs out in the shade with me, SWH jumping over the fire
Bottom row:  Nancy Drew & SWH displaying medals, which were bottle openers, sporting their hats. Somehow Curly managed to sneak in the photo. Curly and Nancy Drew in hats.

It was a fantastic day.

If I was waiting for my family to finish the "Dash", and I didn't have Curly, here's how I would have spent the waiting time:

Linking up with:

Whoop! Whoop! Fridays