Christmas Vacation!!

This year, for our Christmas present to the kids, Matt and I decided to surprise them with a 4 day cruise. We left Friday, December 21 from Idaho Falls and arrived in Hurricane, Utah that night. We stayed there until Sunday morning when we told the kids that we decided to take a road trip to California to visit our cousins, the Razo's, in Chino Hills. We then got up Monday morning and waited for a shuttle to pick up us from their house. All 3 kids were wondering what was going on and trying to figure out what was going to happen. The shuttle picked us up and drove the hour to Long Beach to the ships port. They were super excited when they finally decided what was happening. We got on the ship and immediately went to eat lunch. The food was the best part!! They had a wonderful hamburger place, a buffet, all you can eat ice cream, and a mexican place. Our room was quite small and it was hard to move around in, but we managed. The first day, Monday, we stayed at the port until 6pm. We were sitting having dinner and we could feel the ship swaying with the waves (Scotlyn didn't like this at all). We stayed out at sea the first full day, Tuesday (Christmas Day), which allowed us to explore the ship. The kids played miniature golf, we had a Dr. Seuss breakfast complete with green eggs & ham, we walked around a lot, played games, relaxed, and swam (it was very cold, but the boys did try). Wednesday, we went to Catalina Island off the California coast and spent the day. That was a lot of fun. We rented a golf cart and explored the island a little. The kids played on the beach and we shopped. We had to take a boat to and from the cruise ship. Thursday, we went to Ensenada, Mexico. We decided to do the Blowhole tour which was about an hour van drive from the ship. It was well worth it though. Apparently, there are only 3 of these kind of blowholes in the world with one being in Mexico. We visited a flee market before going to the blowhole and the kids had fun bartering for cheaper items. Scotlyn and Parker held baby lions and tigers at a conservation place. We had yummy tacos, a fresh strawberry pina colada in a pineapple, fresh churros and chips, and baked clams. We all really enjoyed going to Ensenada for the day and seeing a place that was new and foreign. Each night, the cruise had a show. There was a Christmas show, a family game night show, a Motown night, and a 70's night. We always went early to get good seats and for two nights, we participated. The Motown night, Matt sang "My Girl" to me and for the 70's night, he got up and did the YMCA. He and Scotlyn also danced on stage at the end of the show. When we got back, we stayed one night in Chino to visit Bilie, Steve, Karl, Jin, and the kids. We ended up taking a quick trip to Downtown Disney for dinner. The whole trip was wonderful and we would do it all again. Everyone agreed that it was a good Christmas. We stayed in Hurricane for the week after and helped Wendy & Russ organize and pack up things to move to Iowa. We also celebrated New Years there with the kids. During the week, we went out to dinner with Maryann & Russ, Jamie & Julie, and Deann & Jeff.

The Elf & Ugly Sweaters!!

Our elf, aka Snowberry, decided to come visit us again this year. I took a few pictures of her shannanigans; which were quite funny. The boys enjoyed getting up each morning to see what Snowberry had done. She/he also brought them Lego advent calendars. Our school had its annual holiday houses on Friday, December 21. For the boys' classroom singing, everyone decided to wear ugly sweaters. Grandma Wendy had been here for the week so she made them their sweaters. Parker's had a snow globe attached to his front and Cooper's had a reindeer throwing up. In my opinion, they had the best sweaters. Cooper also got a snowflake shaved into his head for the holiday season. There is also a picture of a very special gift that my kids bought. This is the first present that they thought of all by themselves. Cooper came up with the idea, asked Parker and Scotlyn to help with the money, and had Matt order it. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. I will forever remember this special heart from my sweet babies.

Snow Mobiling!!

We went to Island Park to visit the Carter Family. Brett & Malanie moved up there full time and are loving it. We went up on a Friday night, had a prime rib dinner and listened to a Christmas story at their church, then spent the next day playing in the snow and snow mobiling. It was a lot of fun and nice to spend family quality time together.

A Christmas Picture with Santa!

We went to the Festival of Trees and Santa was there, so I made the kids take a picture for me. They were good and smiled for the camera. Love these little blessings of mine.

Thanksgiving Baking!

We went to Elko for Thanksgiving to visit Sarah, Jason, and Georgia. We had so much fun hanging out, going to the movie to see "Wreck It Ralph 2", shopping, riding motorcycles, and spending family together. Georgia and I made a pumpkin pie with homemade crust. She was quite the little poser for the photo shoot!

Cooper & Mom

Parker had baseball games through September and October, so Cooper and I kept busy taking selfies while he was busy practicing. This kid is so full of energy and constantly keeps me on my toes!!

A Few Firsts for Scotlyn!!

Scotlyn has had some first in the last couple of months. She turned 15 on August 27. She spent the day enjoying time with her friends. She woke up, went to breakfast, her Nana took her shopping, and then I took her to dinner with her best friend Ally. Turning 15 in Idaho also means that you can drive with your permit. Matt and I bought her a silver VW beetle for her first car. It is very old and has a lot of miles on it, but I'm sure she will continue to give it a lot more love. She also went to her first dance. Her boyfriend, Cooper, asked her to Homecoming with a cute light up sign. We found her dress for only $12.99 at Ross'! I think her sophomore year in high school is off to a great start so far!!