Christmas 2010

Christmas was a lot of fun at our house! For the first time the kids got pretty excited about things, and it made it very fun for Jared and me.

Our little Christmas spread may not look like much, but we knew it would be more than made up for by visits to the grandparents. Brittany and Sam each made quite the haul! Sammy got a pillow pet, a Thomas the Train track set with all kinds of engines and buildings and some awesome Lightning McQueen pajamas. Brittany got a singing Pretty Pony rocking horse, a Pretty Princess scooter cart (which Sam loves!) a baby doll, and new coat and a tea set. Sam also got several new cars. They both got several Dr. Seuss books to share.

For Christmas, I got a cold. It was mild Christmas day and then turned quite ugly the day after. Instead of Christmas carols being sung by a roaring fire, my racking cough can be heard throughout the house as I huddle in blankets before the TV. Poor Jared has the week off, and it's been a week of taking care of me and the kids. We're very grateful, Jared! I've been on antibiotics since Wednesday, so hopefully I'll get over this soon and have a healthy New Year!

Getting ready for the Holidays

Getting ready for the holidays has been so much fun this year! It's always fun, but now we have two little kids who are excited about everything that's happening and it makes it even more fun.

To kick off our holiday celebrations, Jared and I went to his annual Christmas work party. This year it was held at the Canyons Grand hotel. It was great! We've been to two other Christmas parties for Jared's work, and they've been wonderful, but this is the first year that I wasn't sick, and it made a big difference. The hotel was fabulous. We went swimming in their newly renovated pool - it had only been open for two days. Even the pool deck was heated. Our room had a fire place and a jacuzzi tub, and after our swim Jared and I relaxed in the sauna for a bit. Dinner was fun, too. Jared played his trumpet for the talent show and did a fantastic job - of course. Most of the "talents" that people perform at these even

ts are either silly or funny (there is a LOT of cross dressing) so it's funny to watch people's reactions when Jared shows off an actual talent. They don't really know what to do.

Jared's wonderful parents took our kids for the night. To thank them, we took them out to eat at an Eavenson family favorite, La Puente. They serve great mexican food, and they just put one in in Layton, so our little family will probably eat there on a regular basis.

Next on the holiday docket, we trimmed the tree, and some other areas of the house. Our tree this year was quite cute, despite missing a star for the top. Brittany and Sam love playing with the ornaments on the tree, and the location and distribution of ornaments changes every day. We also love getting Christmas cards, and most of them are displayed on our piano.

The kids and I went to see Great-Grandma and Grandpa Harris. It was a great visit. Grandpa has been feeli

ng a lot better lately due to his heart monitor. It was good to see him looking so healthy. Janette and Grandma seem to be doing quite well also. Sam and Janette's little white dog ran around and around and around the kitchen and wore each other out. This is how tired Sam was when

we got home:

Brittany started crawling about 2 weeks ago and is now enjoying the wonder or mobility! She loves to crawl around after Wally and Sam, and She crawls to the TV and the Christmas tree.