Happy Holidays!

Chicken Pox- Christmas 2008- gross!!!- luckily it is not on my face or neck!

Me opening my awesome slipper socks from Greggy Poo.

Christmas Eve

Getting into the festivities

Christmas morning

Christmas Eve Luminaries- to "Light the way for Christ"

Christmas Eve jammies that Greg's mom made everyone

Yah! The Holidays were wonderful and we had a great time! We got to go to some events this December. We first went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra- which was great. I really enjoyed all the male hair flipping. There was also a narrator, that from our view, never had a head. Then we went to the Nutcracker. This was Greg and my first ballet, and I will have to say that we both loved it!! The costumes and dancing were amazing and it was cool to finally know the story. I will have to also mention the amazing New Kids on the Block concert that I got to go to earlier in November with my awesome friend Merideth, Jamie, and Amy. They could still rock it!!

We stayed in Missouri for Thanksgiving, which was at my mother-in-laws house. It was wonderful. My favorite thing about Thanksgiving though, is the day-after-Thanksgiving-sales!! I went out by myself that morning, and enjoyed getting some "hot sale items", but didn't have as much fun as I anticipated, because I didn't have to wrestle anyone to the ground for anything- actually someone did that to me in Idaho last year, but I won!!, and I didn't have my mom and sisters with me that can totally outshop me (which is quite a feat because I can usually outshop anyone). I've come to realize that I come from a family of experienced, professional shoppers. Especially, my older sister. She can walk into a store, fill her arms with merchandise, and only pay pennies. That is the whole game. It isn't any fun unless it is on a supersale. Never pay full price! Those are just a few of the rules. Anyways, back to the Holidays.

On Christmas Eve, we were back at my in-laws, where we ate ham and opened jammies. But, this year my mother-in-law made all the jammies. They all have doggies on them. Ruff! Then Greg and I took our 3 sleeping children home, put them in bed and went to work. We put out luminaries that night to light the way for Christ- which we filled with Kitty Litter (no, we do not have a cat-I bought it just for luminaries). It is tradition in my family to put the luminaries out on Christmas Eve and I wanted to start doing it with my family also. Then traipsed all over the wood floors with our muddy Santa boots to make footprints and took a bite of cookie and emptied a glass of milk- set presents out, and went to bed.

The kids loved their presents- this was the year of the Ninja Turtle. If you haven't seen the TMNT movie that came out in 2007- it is awesome! It is animated, but even I love it!!

They opened their first gift and thought they were done. They just wanted to play with their first gift. (I love when they are so sweet and wonderful). But we made them trudge on.

Greg's family all came over that day for brunch and lunch and we had a wonderful time.

I also got to speak to my brother, who is on a mission- which made the day even more special. I love the Holidays!!

I will have to say that I did get something I wasn't expecting for Christmas... I got the Chicken Pox. I started noticing them on Tuesday and by Christmas Eve evening, I was breaking out all over my stomach and back. I have been pretty itchy, mostly my back. I had them really bad the first time when I was around 5. I was reading that only 5%of adults get them for a second time. Also, that it is usually very mild the second time with just a few pox popping up. Right! I enclosed a picture of my side/back from yesterday. Beautiful!