Post-Christmas Utah Fun

It didn't snow on Christmas, but it did on Boxing Day. So, after church the girls and Andy played in the backyard for a few minutes.

I love this picture of Audrey:

Rachel catching snowflakes on her tongue:

It's hard to tell from this picture, but Audrey got so she couldn't even walk. I guess it was sticky snow...

Presley sharing one of her Christmas presents with Rachel:

Sunday night Papa, Grandma, and the four of us headed to Temple Square to check out the Christmas lights:

Late Monday afternoon we decided to go ice skating. The ice skating hours at the Olympic Oval were from 4-6 PM. We probably didn't get there until around 5, which we figured an hour would be enough. And it was... But it was disappointing to get there late because there weren't any push-helper-thingies (not sure what they are called) left for Rachel. And they didn't have skates with double blades, which are heavenly. And I wasn't very sure of myself on the ice... It had been awhile and I wasn't confident enough to keep myself from falling along with a little one... Needless to say, we did enjoy ourselves. Audrey looked so cute in her little size 5 skates... :) And the girls were so patient to wait for their daddy to help them. He's a bit more confident on the ice. At the end, Andy and I did make it all the way around together. I was holding on to him pretty tight! :) In hind sight, we probably wouldn't have gotten Audrey skates. You see, only in Utah do you see such things, there were moms pushing their little ones in strollers as they skated. We totally should have brought the stroller. I was just surprised they allowed that... But hey, now we know for next time.

Anyhow, here are the girls ready to go:
Audrey just giggled when Andy took her out on the ice:
Taking breaks:
Rachel skating with Daddy:

A picture of the bilibo! Here's Audrey playing with her bilibo:

Tuesday night we went bowling. The girls had a blast! Rachel probably bowled 75% of my game, but it turned out great. We got the highest score with the help of bumpers... :)

Having a treat at Chase's house after bowling:

Wednesday was Natalie's and Nathan's birthday. That morning all the girls 11 years old and up enjoyed pedicures. In the afternoon we took family pictures and then went out to eat. A picture of the December birthdays and Chase:

Rachel just having fun:

Our last day there we woke up to tons of snow. The temperatures had dropped and the snow came down. Since we had a later flight, we decided to take the girls sledding in the morning. Rachel enjoyed playing in the snow a bit longer this time, since we found her some snow pants (possibly Andy's many years ago???).

Ready to go:

We didn't have snow pants for Audrey, so she spent most of the time in the car with Julie and me. But she did enjoy going down the hill once with her daddy:

Brinley and Rachel:
Brinley, Andy, and Isaac:

Andy, Isaac, and Rachel with Presley in the background eating snow. :) I think that's all she did while we were there. Andy tried to get her to go down with him, but she wasn't interested. Funny girl!

We definitely enjoyed our time in Utah! As always, it flew by too quickly. We love spending time with family and the memories that we create each time we are together. Until next time...

Christmas Eve & Day

Our Christmas celebrations on the actual days did not disappoint. Before it got dark on Christmas Eve, Rachel and Audrey spread reindeer food on the lawn. I was certainly glad that I hadn't forgotten it back in Texas!

After a delicious Christmas Eve dinner, the grandchildren opened their Christmas Eve presents from Papa and Grandma Smith.

The girls were thrilled with their pretty skirts and headband tiaras...

After a good night's sleep Christmas morning finally arrived! The girls were so excited to see what Santa had left them. Rachel was impressed with the cookie crumbs and drops of chocolate milk that were left behind once Santa enjoyed his snack. Here are the girls ready to open their presents:

They each got a stocking full of goodies, a game, and a DVD from Santa.

Later that morning everyone gathered all together. Grandma and Grandpa Mills (Andy's grandparents) even joined us for the whole day. I'm disappointed we didn't get any pictures with them. :( Rachel really warmed up to Grandpa Mills teasing her...

All the girl cousins hanging out ready to open more presents:

Audrey and Rachel each got a bilibo from Papa and Grandma. They were enjoyed by everyone... Once again, we really didn't get any pictures of the enjoyment that was had. I guess we were just having too much fun!

Pictures of presents being opened:

Just like her mama - Audrey's excited about the chocolate!

Each family got a stocking filled with presents - the girls are enjoying their crocheted hats...

Rachel helping Papa and Grandma check out their 2011 calendar:

In the afternoon some took naps, some played games, and some just took it easy. Later that evening the kids all had fun with a pinata... Although before the pinata destroying began one of Grandma's reindeer got broken by the adult children. The girls did not forget about "Rudolph" the whole rest of the trip. They kept on talking about Rudolph and his head being cut off... Just gotta laugh! Anyhow, the girls enjoyed the pinata...

And of course the treats that came with it.

We definitely enjoyed Christmas 2010 and were glad that we still had several days to spend in Utah...

Pre-Christmas Utah Fun

We went up to Utah this year for Christmas and it was such a nice trip! Not only were we super excited to spend time with family, but it also allowed us to put our gloves, boots, scarves, and coats to use... We flew out late on the 20th, so the real fun didn't start until the 21st. Although the evening of the 20th the girls each got to open a present. Santa had come to Papa and Grandma Smith's house the night before and left a little something for the girls. :) Anyhow, here are a few memories of the beginning of our trip...

On the 21st we woke up to snow, so of course we had to take advantage before it melted. We didn't end up having a white Christmas, but we did enjoy snow before and after Christmas. I was being a bit lazy that morning and Andy was doing some work, so Uncle Nate and Grandma had fun with the girls:

They were pretty proud of their snowman. It was too bad it melted the next day...

Everyone wanted to sit on Papa's lap:
Rachel and Presley playing:
Audrey loving the snuggles and attention from Aunt Julie:
Papa reading a bedtime story to the girls:

One morning we went to an indoor game place with little kid rides and arcade games. The girls enjoyed themselves:

Amy and Ken arrived on the 23rd and Rachel warmed up quickly to her Uncle Ken:

That evening we headed to the Hogle Zoo to check out the Christmas lights:

Audrey and Brinley measuring up:
More to come...