Christmas Day!

WARNING: This is a long one. Remember I use this for journaling purposes so while you might get bored we find it fun to look back on.

We had a very merry Christmas this year. It started by watching the Disneyland Christmas parade. Did anyone else besides Matt and Lauren know Disney had this? It was our first year to watch it and Allie loved it! After it was over we opened presents. We decided since Allie was spoiled rotten for her birthday and she wouldn't remember this Christmas probably anyways, that we shouldn't blow a lot of money. Allie got a mini backpack with her name on it and Sleeping Beauty. Santa got her this cheesy tiny plastic guitar that plays a Miley Cyrus song. He must have known what a nightmare it is in the checkout line because we can't get her to put the dang thing down. Nick got me exactly what I asked for: a box of dark chocolate covered almond clusters. Also, keeping with tradition, one of the Willow statues. This one is called generations and is really sweet. Nick got exactly what he wanted too: a Glenn Beck DVD and his book "The Christmas Sweater". Nick absolutely loves Glenn Beck. We then went to my mom's to open presents. Allie got a lot of clothes (which she needed really bad) and some more books from Grandma and Rick. Chris got a Wii and a lot of fun games and controlers to go with it. He is way excited! We recently had family pictures taken at Val Vista lakes professionally and they turned out really good so that's what we gave my mom. We got...drumroll please...a new camera!! I had been asking for one so I'm so excited!! It's a Nikon P80. It has 10.1 megapixels, it can zoom up to 18x, and it has a really great flash. We liked our other camera, but I wanted one with a little more megapixels and a better flash. It came complete with a case, extra battery, and 2G picture card. There is a definite difference in the pictures we took at our house on Christmas and the ones we took with the new camera after we got it. Thanks Mom!! We love it!! After my mom's house we went to my grandma's for dinner and opening more presents. Allie got pajamas from my grandma and a baby doll with snap on clothes (so cute) from one of her cousins. (We don't do gifts as adults anymore, but the little kids draw names. It is cheaper this way and let's be honest...what do you get an adult for under $20 that they don't already have? We have all agreed it is less stressful this way.) My cute little great-grandpa was not able to be with us since he has been placed in a rehab center. ***** Way long story, but in October he was put in the hospital to amputate half of his big toe on the left side (I think that side). We finally got him home after two weeks and he did the same thing to the other foot (ripped his big toe nail off due to an ingrown toenail. He's a tough 'ole guy!) Unfortunately at 95 years old there isn't much circulation down there so he had to go back the week before Christmas and have the other big toe and the toe next to it amputated due to gangrene. Too much info for your stomach?? Sorry. Anyway, we thought we'd be able to get him home for Christmas but the care facility wouldn't release him since he was only put in the day before. We are hoping he will only be there for like a month. He has a PICC line to put antibiotics due to an infection in the incision and he basically needs to learn to walk again since both big toes are gone. That is where you balance when you walk. So we are praying hard for him and hoping he will be home soon. Poor grandpa. Up until this point he has been quite independent. We are very grateful to my grandpa who lives next door. He has been helping him live independently for quite a while now. He also has been the one to change wound dressings a couple of times a day for a couple of months. He probably has done more wound dressing changes than I will ever do. Thanks grandpa for taking such good care of him and grandma for cooking him dinner everynight!******** Back to Christmas, after my grandma's we went to the Powells and had dinner. We opened presents there too. We got a big framed picture of George Washington praying next to his horse in the snow. Nick loves this picture and has been wanting it for years. Thanks Susan and Kelly!! They also gave us a cute holiday decoration. His aunt and uncle in Utah sent us the classic Christmas DVDs and a racing t-shirt for Nick. Thanks Mark and Mel!! Allie got a teepee from grandma and grandpa complete with a matching pillow. They also gave her a toy lantern and flashlight that work, toy binoculars, and a little toy canteen. She can have a campout in her teepee now! What a cute idea! It is a perfect little fort because you can set it up fast and it folds down really nice too! She also got a little puzzle. Nick's aunt and uncle gave her a really cute warm blanket. I hope I didn't miss anything! We had a great time spending the holidays with family and feel very blessed to be so close to everyone. We are grateful for our Savior and for the sacrifice he made coming to this earth. We love our Heavenly Father and are so grateful for his sacrifice of giving his son to all of us so that we may live with him again.

Allie packed up her

presents and ran

for it!

My Christmas

presents!

Nick's Christmas

presents!

Just a little

excited...

Allie loves Curious

George!

A touch, feel, and

popup book. Good

choice Grandma!

Mine and Nick's present!

Very good choice Mom

and Rick! Thank you

so much!

Allie refers to these

two as "CamiCaleb"

all one word. She

plays with these

cousins once a

week while I

am in school.

Almost all of us!

Some had to sit

in the livingroom.

We are quite a

big bunch!

Again...not quite

all of us. But you

get the picture.

We take up quite

a bit of room.

Thanks for the

help unwrapping

cousin Samantha!

Allie is lucky to

have so many fun

cousins who love

her. They are actually

my cousins...but same

thing, right?

Quite excited about

her new babydoll.

Thanks Dallin!

My grandma makes

one of these for

each member of the

family and then

puts them on the

tree in family clusters.

The tree is getting pretty

full!

Twins with cousin

Cami!

These cute boys,

Caleb and Parker,

are only a month

apart and keep

us laughing!

This is almost all

of the grandkids.

We have three in

Utah that we miss

and a few others

had already left.

Dinner at the

Powells!! We were

missing a couple of

families.

The grandkids LOVE

uncle Taylor. He keeps

them laughing and

always is willing to

play with them. We

appreciate it Taylor!

Allie's new teepee!

Nick's parents are

always have fun

ideas for the kids'

presents. Allie

loves her little

kitchen that Nick's

dad made last year.

Allie always says,

"Silly Papa!" He

isn't afraid to get

down on the floor

with the kids and

they love him for

it!