Holiday Madness

I don't know how the holidays get so crazy so fast. I pretty much had things under control and then Thanksgiving hit and there are now about a million things I need to get done and not enough time to get them done.... at least that is how it feels. One of the things on my list has been updating our blog. It has been so long that we had to get guest bloggers to fill the void! (Thanks Callie and Jessie!)

Let me back up and say we had a fun filled Thanksgiving. We went to the Bensons in Utah this year. We had 10 of the 11 siblings there and their spouses, kids, and some of the dogs. We all stayed with my parents which was a feat to fit that many people in one house. To the Benson kids it took us back to the days of growing up with two bedrooms, one bathroom and ten kids. I am sure it was a long weekend for the in-laws who never had to wait in such a long line to get a shower.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the Turkey Trot. Since all of us have competed in some sport or other through high school (some college) we tend to miss the glory days, which leads to us finding other competitive (I use that term very loosely) outlets. This year it was the Orem Turkey Trot. It was a 4 mile race on Thanksgiving morning. Here is the gang race ready.


I won't post what we looked like at the end... well I shouldn't say that for all of us. Some were more in shape than others... I was one of the others. Tamy, my youngest sister, even ran the mile race for kids. She did good, only stopping once to cry and tell Deb her stomach hurt. We convinced her to keep going and then she sprinted to the finish. Gotta love it! All in all it was fun until the next day when I couldn't walk because I was SO sore. Luke cheered us on from his little cocoon of warmth.


As for Black Friday shopping, we tried to avoid the crowds but got a couple of good deals. Ryan got the shopvac he has always dreamed of.

We are now moving into Christmas. We started a tradition of going to Island Park and cutting our own Christmas tree. Last year Jacob was there to help find the perfect tree. This year we had a different helper.


Ok, so he wasn't much help cutting or loading the tree but he did make things a lot more fun. We searched for the perfect tree which is a lot harder than it sounds. We wandered off the beaten path so Ryan decided to forge his own trail.


After we found a good tree; Luke, Biscuit and I cheered Ryan on as he cut down the tree and loaded it up. We quickly posed as if we had done all the hard work.


Pictures of the decorated tree to follow... some other day. Other than trying to keep up with the holidays, I have been busy trying to teach Luke to eat solids. It is an exhausting venture for all involved. Here is Luke resting after one attempt, and yes, those are carrots in his nose.


After doing the winter wonderland Christmas last year, this year we are heading to sunny southern California. I can't say that I am not looking forward to the warmth and sunshine! If I can just make it there and get everything done it will be my own Christmas miracle!