ski day

The kids had a day off of school, so we decided we'd head up to Sundance for a day of skiing. Matthew was sad to be left behind, but he did get to spend the day with G&G Vawdrey, so you know he got spoiled rotten the whole day anyway! We went up bright and early so we could get the kids signed up for a lesson. Each one ended up with a personal instructor and 2 1/2 hours of lesson time -- awesome! Jared chose to ski and said he improved a lot.
After morning skiing, we found a bench around a firepit (although there wasn't any fire in it) and ate the sack lunch we brought.
This is Ryan taking a break. He had an awesome day boarding!
Jacob & Mark taking one last run.
Jacob spent the afternoon skiing without the edgie-wedgies! Sweet! The temperature was fabulous -- warm! I think this was like the first time EVER that my toes didn't get cold and I skiied in a jacket and not a parka. The snow left a little to be desired, unfortunately. It just wasn't a powder day. There had been rain the day before, so the slopes were icy for much of the day, and then a bit slushy near the end of the day. Didn't matter though, we all had a great time and made it home in one piece!

student of the month

Jacob is student of the month! He was SO excited!
In our school, each grade chooses 5 or 6 students for the honor each month. He got a bag of gift certificates, candy, and little prizes to go with his certificate.

Way to go Jacob! We're proud of you for working hard to do your best!

put your money where your mouth is

Anyone remember that line from those old Close-Up toothpaste commercials? I think that's where it came from anyway. At any rate, it is quite a literal phrase. Jared & Ryan went to the orthodontist and Jared got full braces on and Ryan got his removed. Jared's teeth are hurting -- poor kid. I KNOW how it feels! What I didn't know is that a wallet can hurt too! Hmm, I must be the parent now. Therefore, I can say that it is totally worth it when its all over.

sunbeam

My baby is growing up (which makes me happy and sad at the same time!) Matthew is now officially a Sunbeam!

sledding

We managed to get some new snow during the Christmas break, so the kids took advantage of it by going sledding at the school. It was good to get out and get some fresh air, even though it was very COLD air.

how much stuff do you need to be happy? i don't know, how much stuff is there?

I LOVE that line! Anyone know what it's from? If you said VeggieTales, you'd be right! Anyway, I think that describes Christmas...somewhat. The kids didn't get a lot of stuff this year -- as planned-- but they got plenty, and when each child gets a few things and then you times it by 4, it can get to be a lot of stuff. It did make for some happy kids though! We had a wonderful Christmas, a loooong Christmas even. We decided to head to Idaho for Christmas Eve, so we opened a few gifts from each other on Christmas Eve morning. The boys drew names. Jacob gave Matthew the above Yoda green lightsaber. Matthew had Jacob, and got him a nice little Lego racer.
Jared gave Ryan Sprite and cherry candy canes (that's what he asked for!)
Ryan gave Jared lemonade mix and a snicker bar (also a request!)
We enjoyed those gifts and then packed the car and headed to Idaho -- cousins and grandparents! Yay! Here's Jacob with his cousins Stephen, Colton, and Kaymi crowded around one tiny DS, having a great time!
There's always good food. Our family tradition for Christmas Eve food is taco salad. Weird? I think I'm the one that came up with that eons ago -- I love taco salad. This is the cousin table.
Ready for bed with our new pj's. This is posing in front of G&G Brady's Christmas tree. Notice the socks hanging in the background between the two doorknobs!
On Christmas morning, the kids woke us up right at 7 am on the dot. We hurried upstairs to see if Santa had found us in Idaho this year. Sure enough, Santa got our location and delivered. Grandpa B. is checking out Matthew's new Batcave.
After Santa presents and a delicious Christmas breakfast, which included a ton of link sausage per Ryan's request, we headed over to my brother's house to see what was happening there. All his kids and grandkids were home for Christmas, so it was quite a houseful of people and gifts. We didn't stay there long though because we wanted to get on the road to join G&G Vawdrey and the Vawdrey cousins for lunch and more presents. We even showed Sarah & Zach our stuff via the webcam. Here's some "stuff" that Matthew got for Christmas from G&G Vawdrey. Dual light-up lightsabers with sound effects! Totally cool!
Ryan checking out the PSP Santa left for Christmas.
And the basketball from G&G Vawdrey. Love that grin!
Jared with his new cell phone from Santa. I hope he texts or calls to say thanks!
And the football from G&G Vawdrey. Move over Jake Heaps.
Santa knows how much Jacob loves a good Lego set.
Another item of "stuff" -- a new watch from Mom & Dad.
And the finished product of a different Lego set (from G&G Vawdrey).
When we finished up gifts, food, and fun at G&G Vawdrey's we headed home so we could open a few remaining gifts. I think we ended up at home around 7 p.m. Matthew received his very own scooter so he won't have to borrow the brothers anymore.

Jacob got a ripstick so he can keep up with Ryan while cruising the neighborhood.
Its gonna take a bit of practice to learn to ride it, but he's definitely got the idea!
We all went to bed tired and happy with all our new "stuff". Even though all our travels made Christmas Day long, it was really nice because we all got to enjoy things a little at a time instead of trying to rip through everything at once. Even better, we got to enjoy it with lots of family. Indeed, a Merry Christmas!

gingerbread houses

Decorating "gingerbread" houses at grandma's with the cousins has become an annual tradition. However, Jared pronounced himself "too old" for this anymore -- although he did decide he could take on the job as frosting squeezer. Here's a look at our decorating party:

Thanks grandma!