Christmas Vacation

I Love Vacations!  Especially at holidays where you get to be with family.  We started off our Christmas with a walk through temple square this year.  I was pretty proud of this picture, but I will admit that Landon told me to take it.  He's the artistic one of the family. 

We both actually had lots of opportunities to show the artistic side.  We tried some architecture with gingerbread houses.  This is an interesting procedure when you get two people going at it.  I am all for just getting four walls up and taking time on decorating with candy.  But Landon likes to have an interesting structure, so we compromised a little.  We struggle to keep up with Michael and Anita though, who made Chichen Itza last year and were going to either do the Pentagon or the Colosseum this year. They finally decided on the Colosseum and were both adamant about having a trapdoor where the lions come out.  :) We joked with Michael that the best one would win and he got so stressed out!  "Since when is this a competition?! I can't handle the stress!"

 

We also made the annual ornament, which Angie did a great job at picking this year.  It was fun, and at our skill level, ha.  Landon also decided that we must start our family with the tradition of new matching pajamas at Christmas.  After searching in the stores, we were lucky to find that the Rowley's had fun BYU fabric and we just made them in the week before Christmas.  Yes, it was WE--Landon did all of the cutting and tying.

We have been working on our Annie Oakley skills by going shooting with both families.  I got a practice run before going with the in-laws, and Landon doesn't really need practice in that category, so it was great.  He did ask afterwards though, "Do you think I impressed them?" Ha.  We went with Uncle Alan and the cousins, and then with the Rowleys.

With the amazing snow in Basin City we built pretty much the awesomest snowmen ever.  The boys had to use a ramp to get the middle on.  Lucky we have enough brothers, right.  Ryan, Brent, and Landon did most of the heavy lifting, but Kaden, Megan and I helped.  To be fair, they made both a man and woman.  Sadly, the snowman was not as sturdy as he was tall and fell over in the wind later.  But the snowwoman was still standing strong holding her tennis racquet.

We also got to see a cool office that has their light show timed to music.  

I'm pretty sure Michael gets sick at every vacation.  This time it was both he and Anita who got it.  But, his obsessive compulsive nature proved useful when he insisted that they both covered their mouths the whole day so that nobody else would get it.  I had to laugh every time he walked up to someone and said "Stick 'em up!"

One of my favorite parts of the holiday was the caroling.  With the Rowleys we made the usual Christmas tree rolls (700 or so!) and had to divide and conquer to deliver them all.  Then the Draneys did their singing on Christmas Eve.  Meta said she had waited up for us because she just couldn't imagine a year where the Draneys didn't come sing.   Overall it was a great holiday.  We had a blast with our family, and it's always so comforting and peaceful to have a time to focus on the Savior when you are surrounded by the people who have taught you the most about Him.