We all survived!

I think I left off just before the Christmas Eve festivities.  We all go to my mom's house and have dinner, visit with Santa and then the adults do a white elephant type gift exchange but the gifts are good.  It was a lot of fun.  The kids enjoyed the Santa visit.  I don't think any of them cried but the younger ones were hesitant.  It was almost like they recognized something familiar but couldn't quite put a finger on it.  Santa was grandpa, you see.  So there really should have been lots familiar.  My kids started to figure it out.  It didn't help that my dad left the Santa suit outside on the bench.  Christmas day while we were over there, Sayer spotted it and wasn't sure why Santa's stuff was there.  He still isn't sure why but he knows he saw Santa's stuff and Grandpa's.  Renner referred to my dad as Grandpa Ho Ho.  I am guessing he knows something too.

Christmas morning is always exciting.  Corey had to leave for work at 6:20 in the morning so we woke the kids up at five thirty.  It was terribly early but they ddin't care.  Ho Ho brought their bikes!  It was a good day for all of them. 

The weekend was slow and uneventful...which was definitely welcome.  Sunday after church Corey's mom and stepdad came to visit.  We met them for dinner and then stayed in the hotel with them.  The kids were going stir crazy in the hotel Monday morning so we went and hiked A mountain around 8!  They are good climbers and wanted to do it again. 

Chris (Corey's stepdad)  called while we were up there and he could actually see us from the hotel.  He was able to take pictures of us and you would never know we were so far away from him!  Of course, I don't have those pictures to posts. I will work on it.  After our hike, we went to lunch and then back to the hotel to open presents.  They spoil us and our kids every year.

 This year we all got gifts from Europe since they were recently on vacation there.  The boys got soccer uniforms from Barcelona and we all got something from France.  Cora thought it was cool that she was wearing her French clothes when she saw her friends. Cora also got her first American Girl doll, Kit, and can't wait to get Kit a friend.  I think that will be grandma's job;) That night my sister and her friend babysat at the hotel so we could go to Monti's for a grown up dinner. I love eating out without my kids.  My mother in law said something about the other kids in the restaurant crying and I didn't even hear them!  I am really good at tuning out kid sounds when I know they are not mine!  We stayed one more night at the hotel, got up and climbed A mountain one more time, had lunch and then Grandma and Grandpa headed back to Vegas. We always miss them so much.

On Wednesday afternoon I decided that Cora and I would fly to Minnesota for New Year's Eve.  We left Wednesday night stayed and hung out for Thursday and Friday and flew home super early Saturday morning.  It was so good to see our friends.  They really are like family and there is always something missing when we leave.  I am very glad that we are able to fly like we do so we can visit them often. 

We made it back and this week have gotten caught up on laundry, packed up all the decorations, and life has moved forward, quickly.  I guess that is the way it goes.

Until next time...