Sleddin' Baby!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith invited us all to come sledding at Jolleys' Ranch up Hobble Creek Canyon today. Grandma brought awesome chili and Grandpa brought a can of WD40 because... umm, thirteen kids and seven adults on a sledding hill can never have enough speed?

We had a blast, Benjamin, Amanda and Hayden were about 6 feet from the top of the very steep hill behind us before we yelled at them to come down. Benjamin was really bummed about not making it to the top, he'd rather climb then sled.

Once Isaac figured out how fun it was he never stopped even for food. Josh and Miah were kings of the hill, Josh got in trouble for trying to go up and over the embankment at the bottom. Jacob was the official push off guy. Joseph and Adam were fearless snow warriors and by the end of the trip Adam had all the little girls on the hill carrying him and his sled back to the top, charming little devil.

Susan had fun taking pictures and took a couple of runs down the hill. Richard took a couple turns on the sled can't get shown up by the teenagers.

After an hour on the hill we gathered at the pavilion, ate chili and drank hot chocolate, oh, next time you make a mug of hot cocoa try dropping a handful of butter mints in it, very Good!

Baby Dorothy was the cutest part of the day. She was completely covered by a pink snow suit except for her chubby little cheeks and gorgeous face. (Of course I didn't get a picture)

We missed Jamey she was doing laundry...come on girlfriend, snow melts and laundry is never done, never, never done! Brian brought the fastest coolest sleds so we were glad he was there.
Grandma and Cori Ann hung out by the fire and Emmy and Amanda hung out in the truck, smart women, dry and warm.

Fun times!

Our Merry Christmas

Here are some pictures and a few of the highlights of our merry Christmas. It began with my 11 siblings gathering at my brothers house on Friday the 21st for our Christmas party and gift exchange. It was fun to see everyone, only my sister Carolyn and her family were missing, her husband Darren is in Iraq and she didn't want to drive over from Colorado. We missed them and Mike, my nephew on a mission in Guatemala, and his brother Trevor who choose friends over his aunts, uncles and cousins, what's up with that?

Then Joseph's birthday party Saturday morning and Sunday choir and sharing time. Sunday night Richards family came for a birthday party for Joseph and Dorothy, Richards sister Cori Ann' s darling baby girl. We had presents and Chicken Cordon Bleu and loved watching Dorothy eat her 1 year old cake. Dave and Linda and Janell came by on their way home from St. George, fun to see them twice in one month.

Monday I had a million things to do, I guess I should have spent less time Blogging...no I always have a million things to do on Christmas eve. As I was making Cheesey Potatoes for dinner at my Mom's Adam kept running out to the front porch and yelling for Santa to hurry up and come, then he would run to the couch and look out the window and yell, "I think I see him! go check." Then he would run to the front door and look around and run in to tell me Santa was never coming.

Christmas Eve at Moms' was fun, dinner and carols and giant Hershey Bars from Grandma for all the kids(cause they weren't wired enough). Then home with our friends the Baileys for a gift exchange. We got lots of neat gifts and gave our friend Cherrann a little red chair that made her cry, as she was calming her emotions Joshua leaned over to me and said, "Mom, if I get the Wii I will cry like that," he's not only very persistent he's also rather witty. Our boys gave Richard and I the gifts they had bought us, Jeremiah and Benjamin gave Richard a collection of old country music songs, we spent a couple hours listening to music and holding the two little ones trying to get them to sleep. Joseph closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep in about five minutes after being told Santa would leave if anyone was awake when he came. Adam finally fell to sleep after, 5 empty threats, 4 sippy cups of milk, 3 little spankings, 2 scowls from daddy and 1 determined Mommy.




Christmas Morning dawned early and snowy, nice to have a white Christmas. We wouldn't let the kids get up until 7:00 AM after all the excitement the night before Adam was really grumpy about waking up. We had a family prayer then went in to see what Santa had left.










We started cooking bacon, sausage, patties and links, and German Pancakes for 45 assorted friends and family. Richard had to brave the cold to get the meat cooked and Susan made German Pancakes as fast as she could and we still had people waiting in line. We love this six year tradition if you didn't come this year you should definitely plan for next.


This is what everyone did Christmas afternoon, Mom is taking pictures of course, and I think Jacob disappeared downstairs for a nap.
Daddy and Adam were so tired they were both out in under 5 minutes. Joshua and his brothers love the Wii and Benjamin who is into art and had never seen a Spiro graph thought the little travel size one in his stocking was the coolest invention ever.

We ended the day with dinner and more gifts at Grandma and Grandpa Smiths' then went back home to play with our Wii, Mom even played.



Wii wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!