Christmas in Colorado 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Some memories I always want to remember from it, in no particular order and possibly without a picture are:

• The gracious people that helped us at the airport and on the flight. Gracie relates flying to drinking apple juice, and Sierra practiced over and over how to tell the flight attendant , "I would like some Sierra Mist please". Sierra is not big on talking to adults she doesn't know, so this was a big moment.
• Tea parties, we had one with Chris and Lockey and later one at Grandma Judy's house. Warm cocoa was a big hit in cold Colorado.
• How gracious Chris and Lockey were to open up their home. They generously gave us their little ones' bedrooms for the week, even though this meant having some extra guests in their bedroom each night.

• Christmas Eve traditions. We acted out the Christmas story with puppets this year. Then we had a "Bethlehem experience" where we ate goat cheese, figs, jerky, and pita bread. We had all drawn names for exchange presents, so it was fun to open and enjoy one present Christmas eve night.

Christmas morning. Grandma Judy guarded the tree all night long. I woke up about 4:00 a.m. to feed Matthew and immediately heard Grandma telling me to go back to bed because it wasn't time to come down yet. Apparently she'd had to tell kids that all night long. Grandma had spent months shopping for just the right presents for everyone. It was fun to see the joy on the faces as they opened mittens, chocolates, toys and more.

1. We'll always remember this as the year Savannah Grace welcomed baby Lucy into our family. Savannah is a lot like her mom in the fact that she loves loves loves her babies.

Ice skating. It was fun to find a small outdoor rink. The younger children pushed little garbage cans for support as they were learning. Lauren decided it wasn't really her sport, Emma decided it was her new favorite sport, and McKay decided it was much easier this time than his previous experience.

• Skiing. Chris and Lockey took their boys Ian and Thomas and Russ took McKay and Emma for a day on the slopes. It was a frustrating morning for Emma but she stuck with it and ended on a good note. As always, Russ was a very patient coach. The Krieger's learned they were much better skiers than they had ever dreamed. I think another time or two and they will be hitting the black diamond runs.
• While the big kids were skiing the little ones were being entertained by Lauren. She ran a little preschool, the theme for the day was the letter "P". She served pancakes, shaped in P's, pasta and pizza. They did playdough and puzzles and had lots of popsicles. Sometimes Lauren amazes me by how nurturing and good with children she is. She is a such great blessing to have around.

• I also want to remember the beautiful drive up the mountain as we looked for snow to sled on. It took us about two hours to hit much snow, but the drive was amazing. I also want to remember the nice people who stopped to help push us out when we got stuck along that beautiful drive. It was also nice to have some time just to talk to my big brother.
• The boys had a fun archery activity at a nearby archery range while Grandma and the girls went birthday shopping.
• Spending time at Grandma's house admiring her beautiful nativities from all around the world.
• Seeing Russ grow a bit of a beard
• Relaxing and starting to read the biography of President Monson
• Eating a lot of gingersnaps
• Seeing the cousins play games nonstop
• Hearing the cousins sing the song from the pillow pet commercial and recite the "anyone want a peanut, I mean it" quote from the Princess bride hundreds of times.
• Mostly I want to remember how nice it is to be with family and for cousins who were once just pictures on a yearly Christmas card to now be friends.