Life after the break

We are getting back into the grind after a wonderful two-weeks off for the holidays. In some ways, it seems like it flew by and others it seems like it lasted forever! We so enjoyed our time together with family and friends and just being our own little family too. We spoiled ourselves by staying up late and sleeping in....but it was so much fun! We traveled to Ash Grove and spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with mom and dad. So nice to spend time together--we had a great time!! Mom, Libby and I went shopping the day after and got some good stuff for next year--that's always so much fun! We came home on the day after Christmas to catch our breath before we turned around the next day to head to Nathan's dad's for Christmas with the Herndons. We spent Sat and Sunday at Grandpa Jim and Miss Sandras with Uncle Eric and his fiancee, Christine and her son Blake, and Uncle Joe, Aunt Christy and Kaydley and Deric. It was a great time! Trevor and Cody collided while playing and Trevor got a bloody nose....I don't like that part of parenting! :o) We enjoyed our time visiting Gumma and Poppy and Grandpa Jim and Miss Sandra, but it was SOOOOO nice to be HOME!! Usually, I take our Christmas decorations the day after, but this year, with our celebration/travel schedule it was nearly a week after before they came down. So, we enjoyed them a bit longer this year. The house always looks so bare after it's all down. :o( We invited some friends over for New Year's Eve and enjoyed pizza and Scrabble...while the kids played. On New Year's Day night, we had a family slumber party in the living room! The kids enjoyed that we all slept out there durinig our ice storm last year and wanted to do it again. It was fun! Nathan spent most of his vacation completeing various household projects. He completed a workbench for his "shop" in the basement which is really nice! We finished off our break celebrating my 34th birthday on the weekend. It is nice to be back into our regular routine....we're so thankful for wonderful memories we made during our vacation together. Here are some pics from our Christmas.

Sprinking "reindeer food" (Oatmeal and glitter)

Posing with Santa's milk and cookiesOpening a shared giftThe Wards and Herndons on Christmas morningOur family on Christmas morning Deric, Kaydley, Trevor and Cody watching Wall-E
You have to move fast....b/c they move fast..... :o)Cody got a jackhammer from Grandpa Jim and SandraTrevor and Cody both got a Digital Camera from Grandpa Jim and Sandra