12.31.2008

You say goodbye, and I say hello

We have had great Christmas - just enough presents to feel excited and not so many that I felt nauseated. Success. Santa was good. Homemade treats from Grandma & Grandpa - even better. Joy really is in Raspberry jam. And Tom lit up when he saw the antipasto. I think I will hide a jar of each just for me.

We loaded up the kids on Christmas day, and - enjoyed a gift from Grandma & Grandpa, Nana & Gump - "use this however you think would be good." drove to a house at lake Almanor for a few days of snow fun and Phase 10 - Tommy's favorite card game - jk - he hates it. The kids played in the snow, got towed on sleds with the snowmobiles (until they wised up!), and went snowboarding at the local hill - with a j-bar tow up the hill. Lots of hot chocolate, snacks, and gourmet cooking with Greg Pilling as head chef, and me as support staff. Greg and Tanya and their kids , Alie & Tori, joined us for the fun. The only thing that wasn't ideal was the clean factor of the house. On our return home, several kids stripped down in the garage and hopped in the shower. And we washed everything. Danny has a bit of a rash on his cheeks, and Abbey has a few unresolved bug bites. YIKES!











And now on to more fun. Tommy heads back to BYU - ready to buckle down and put in the hard hours at the library. His mission papers were completed on Christmas Eve, and he is ready to go the day after he finishes his exams in April. And Hannah is gearing up for days of her favorite thing to do - shopping! NOT. We leave on the 22nd for Washington, D.C. We have yet to receive the information packet - perhaps Washington is too busy getting ready for Obama to come, they can't be bothered with Hannah's arrival. I'm starting to tear up and choke up at the thought of leaving her there. She, on the other hand, is getting excited. Which is good.