Corndogs + Avocados

So I’ve been waiting to post about Christmas until our gallery is up and running. The idea being that I could post just a few pictures and then you could go to the gallery if you wanted more. Unfortunately our gallery will be out of commission for at least another week and a half, and most likely a good bit longer. So you’re going to get all the photos all right now. Sorry!

Will & Paula hosted Christmas at their place in Saratoga Springs. They were awesome! And the weather was perfect - cold and snowy. I haven’t spent a lot of time on the “other side” of the lake. I remember being there once when I biked around the lake in the early summer some time in the mid-nineties. There wasn’t much over there. Now there are houses as far as the eye can see. And the view from the west looking east is stunning on a frosty winter evening.

So this is what the boys do when they get together. Don’t try to play cards with them, have a conversation, make a joke and expect a laugh, go for a walk, ask for a favor… nothing. Not until they have had their time to compute and press buttons, and talk about computing and pressing buttons, together. Once they have a good day or two of that you can pry them away carefully to enjoy other activities.

Can you get enough of this sweet face?

How about now?

This was one of my favorite moments. Chloe (pictured above) had been strutting around for some time in her nappy and would not be prevailed upon to put on a shred of clothing. Paula, however, is well schooled in getting itty bitty ones dressed. See this cheetah like move? Chloe didn’t have a chance. She laughed and laughed.

A MAJOR highlight was sledding.

Me & Darin.

Darin & Molly.

So, you saw the big black sled that Darin and I used to hurtle ourselves down the slope with, right? Well, Dustin & Sina are far more adventurous. They took the one you see pictured here under Willy -

and here at the top of the hill -

and climbed aboard for a ride down. Here you can see them trying to arrange their bodies on it. Can’t see the sled? Oh it’s under there!

This is them sliding down the hill. Ah love!

More sledding fun.

Snow babes.

Yup, this is Chloe of the wonder nappy and her dad.

Santa came on Christmas eve. We did get Grandpa on there!

I’m not sure who was more stoked, Dustin -

or Austin. Since when did Austin get so huge?

And I want to know what Sina is saying to Mr. Santa. She’s a saucy one that Sina. Look at the expression on Santa’s face.

The rest of the grandkids were appropriately mesmerized and respectfully timid.

We did actually let the grandkids have a crack at Santa. They were so cute. Molly kept whispering that it wasn’t really Santa because she knew who it was. But when Santa didn’t bring me pajamas on Christmas eve she was pretty scandalized. And if I remember right, she was also amazed that Santa brought her or her dad the exact same jammies that mommy had been sewing for them! How did he do that?!

Ok. Shelby kills me. The girl above in the pink skirt? Yeah, if she didn’t have that pink skirt on, then she had this pink cowboy hat on.

I think she has a princess dress that she swaps out from time to time too. One evening her mom had hid all her favorite accouterments, so she came out dressed as a chicken. Full-on Halloween chicken costume with beak over her head. So sad I didn’t get a picture of that. If we could harness whatever it is she’s got going on…

Ah, Christmas morning. I love this color on Grandma.

Little Zack was more than content to play with Darin’s leg.

Christmas morning carnage.

We got to hang out with Adam & Wendy! This is the Trolley Diner place in Springville. Note - sitting in the actual trolley is like having the North Pole blowing up your skirt. Too cold. Sit inside the built-on building in the dead of winter.

We also went to the pool. That was awesome! I have a video of Willy swimming for his life to the edge of the pool, but I haven’t figured out how to upload that yet. So you will have to settle for the next photo. I call it “abandoned baby.” Hee hee! I’m just kidding. Zack was just chilling, waiting for the rest of us to get it together and get out of there.

And no Christmas vacation to Provo/SLC would be complete without a stop at Temple Square. Make sure that the weather is crazy cold and slushy snowy.

Willy thinks Joseph Smith is coooo-el.

Thank you for the pink hat Wendy! I would have frozen my noggin off.