MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

January 1, 2013

Its been such a wonderful Christmas vacation this year. Matt's family has a lot of the same traditions that my family does so it felt pretty comfortable for the most part of the holiday. We ate some wonderful Clam Chowder for dinner on Christmas Eve and spent time looking at the luminaries at the Midway Cemetery. We also were able to share our talents with those who couldn't get out of their houses anymore, and sang some Christmas carols to them. Once again it was wonderful to be able to sing with so many great singers! By the end of the night my voice was so tired from all the singing i had been doing all week. (which hasn't happened since i was in high school). The Christmas program they do on Christmas Eve isn't just reading the scriptures from the New Testament, they include Christmas hymns! It was a great addition that i plan to use with Matt and my family when we begin one. 

Christmas day was wonderful as well! We slept in till after 8 and when we went up stairs had yummy cereal that Santa left in our Stockings! I forgot how good Golden Grams were. Then present time began! Matt and i decided this year we would do our best to invest in our Disney collection! We have nearly all the Pixar movies, and the great thing about that is we paid full price for only one of them! The main big present that Santa gave me was Andrew. Yes i got him real early, and i am forever grateful for him. He has mad a big difference in our home. Matt's parents were so kind and gave us a bread machine! 

Julie made a most delicious ham for Christmas dinner and the Pecan Pie was to die for! The next few days were spent with family playing the wii and enjoying each others company. We also went to see the new movie Les Miserables that came out on Christmas day. 

The Thursday after Christmas we drove to St. George where we celebrated another Christmas morning with my whole family! All my sisters were together for the first time since Matt and my wedding back in June. Kristal and Jonathan were so thoughtful and gave us a new vacuum! One with a hose to clean up after our little Andrew, and my parents were so kind in giving us a video camera! Now i can officially record Matt's performances as well as the events in our lives.

On Saturday my whole family dressed up nice and got new family pictures taken! Its about time too because the picture above the tv in my mom's living room was taken back in 2008. I would say its a little out dated, no brother in laws yet! Don't worry, when i get my hands on them i will post one for all to see! Also on Saturday my bestie from SUU came down to visit me! Karmin Anderson has been serving a mission in Arizona for the past 18 months and it was so great to be able to catch up with her and hear about her experiences. I really missed her a lot! She looked soooooo good! She has lost 40 pounds during her mission years. I told her that is about how much i gained during those years!

Then came Sunday! It was so wonderful sitting with most of my family there. Cami was called up to the pulpit and I was really surprised and wondered why. The Bishop announced that she had earned for Young Womenhood Recognition Award! She bore the sweetest testimony of the Savior and how he is always with you through everything. Then that night we had a most wonderful "Thanksgiving Dinner" to celebrate her receiving this wonderful award. It takes so much work in order to earn this award, and i am so proud of her for doing it. She also received a special gift from my parents it is a Simon Dewey picture of the savior, a BIG one. So beautiful! The dinner was supposed to double as a special dinner for Summer's last night with us before she had to leave for New Jersey again. We ended up visiting the St. George Temple just minutes before we dropped her off at the St. George Shuttle which took her to Vegas. It was so nice to have all my sisters here, even if it was for just a short time.

New Years Eve was a party! We had left over Turkey dinner with my Grandpa Palmer then the games began! We played Trek to Zion which is a Mormon spoof off of Ticket to Ride, then we got out Just Dance and had a blast! When midnight got here we toasted with eggnog and shot off fireworks that Kristal and Jonathan bought! It was a fun new year evening.

Now the new year has begun and its time for new year resolutions. I am formulating some right now and my next blog will include those for me. I figure if i include them on my blog 1. i will know where i can find them if i ever forget, plus i expect my readers will some how hold me responsible for sticking to them. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!