MERRY CHRISTMAS SURPRISE!

This year for Christmas Nathan and I decided with the dropping gas prices we would drive to Utah and surprise my family! Boy were they surprised! We drove the long 24 hour drive straight through the night and made it there while my family was at church and there we were waiting for them when they got home! It was so nice to get to see everyone since we hadn't seen them for so long, and Brystal got to play with her cousins and Grandma and Grandpa and Aunts and Uncles. We also got to see some of Nate's family for a day here. We wish we could have stayed longer so we could have seen everyone! The weather was in our favor for the drives since it was a complete whiteout snowstorm every other day we were there.

Brystal getting a good look at snow for her first time. Don't ask about the ears, I just found them and she left them on for over an hour.

We did alot of lounging around which was great since we have both been really busy here at home with work and things with our callings and getting ready for the holidays, we really needed the break.

SLEDDING!

With all the new snowfall, we went sledding and took Brystal along for the ride. She had lots of fun being pulled around in the tube and going down the little baby hill.

Maybe she looks a little scared in this one.

Weeee!

Ready to go down Mom.

Good times.

Mwah!

Hey Brystal, what does a fishy say!!! (this is her response)

The sledders. Nathan and I with Brystal, Nate's brother Michael and Cindy, And Kristie's Hubby Clayton!

TEMPLE SQUARE

We decided to hit Temple Square the night before we left. It had been awhile since I've been, plus it was fun to go with Kristie and Clayton, and Dusty and Hilary. We left the cranky monster at home with Grandma and Grandpa. Although we wished she could have come.

It was freezing, but such a good feeling in the air.

How I love my sister and Hilary. Hilary has to squat to be a short as Kristie and I.

Although this pictures looks very akward and posed, We really do love eachother. Especially Dusty, I know he really loves us the most.

2 AM, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN UT AND TEXAS

So our drive home from Utah was not as good as the drive up there. It started out with a bang with Brystal throwing up on herself before we even got up the canyon. After that was cleaned up, we found a place to pull over and get Brystal ready for bed. She did really well sleeping through most of the night, here she is at around 2 in the morning with her blankie on her head. The next morning we stopped at McDonalds to get breakfast and Brystal threw up her milk on me! Nice. So now we all smelled like barf, not to mention we had Sophie in the car with us who also threw up. But we made it home alive on New Year's Eve and around 11 o'clock we gave up waiting for the new year and crashed. It was a great trip and we had loads of fun!

Brysal and I playing out in the field. I was trying to get her to walk, she CAN walk she just chooses not to. Here she is standing, and she was dancing as well giving me her silly face.

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH

We were having some lovely 75 degree weather, so we headed out to the Water Wall! This is a HUGE wall that has water flowing down it on both sides. This is the front side of it, you can see how big it is with all the people next to it. At night it lights up and looks really cool. We decided to sit in this little field and enjoy the weather and just relax on our last day of the holiday vacation.

I don't think Brystal can get enough of her Daddy

Always a look of surprise on this girls face.

And here is a new face that we are starting to see alot more of lately. Let the fun of toddlerhood begin.