The First Day of Christmas - Vacation

Ok, so it's the first day of my Christmas vacation and YES, YES, I did it!!! I started a blog. The kids kept saying, "Oh Mom, it's so easy. Just do it." I always thought, "Maybe when I get a minute, knowing full-well that I don't get many minutes." So, today I have some minutes and YES, it was easy. At least it's been easy to this point. I really have no idea what I'm doing but maybe this will even work.

I just spent a hour and a half reading our kids blogs and laughing aloud and crying quietly. I am so blessed!!! What a wonderful family I have. I say "I" but really it's Dan and I and you noted in the title of our blog- The Tall and the Short of it All. He just doesn't know yet that I've started this so I hate to commit him to something he doesn't know about. I'll tell him later and if I'm still blogging later, you'll know it was ok.

Alisha is at a friends house making Christmas cookies and goodies. Tessha just left for work and Gracie got home from school last night. At least I think she was here. Her things are in the family room so she must have been here long enough to drop them off. Maybe she'll even be back for Christmas.

Kristi, Haini, Sitani and Marley are coming up tomorrow after Church and will stay through the holidays with us. We are so excited to have little children around for Christmas again. We're even excited to have Kristi and Haini here, too.

I tried really hard to keep having little ones for Christmas but after 10 in 15 years I guess there was another plan put in place. Many of those 10 are now doing Christmases all around the whole with and without little ones of their own. I'm sure they enjoy it as much as we did!!

I don't know if we'll be up at 4:00 AM on Christmas morning this year as we usually are, but when all the presents are opened, had their Christmas day naps, are full from Christmas dinner and we've all talked with Elder Thomas in Germany- then we'll start getting ready for our REAL Christmas party. We leave the day after Christmas so we'll need to pack some warm clothes, some groceries and some Christmas games and videos.

Last year, soon after Christmas Day, Dan, Tessha, Alisha and I all left for Arkansas where we joined up with Luke, Jenn, Karly and Spencer, rented a van and drove to the Lake of the Ozarks. (Side note, I learned to water ski when I was eight at the Lake of the Ozarks - such memories.)

Dan and Tessha had reserved two condos with TrendWest right on the lake and we had a blast. (I'll learn how to add pictures later.) Anyway, we had such a wonderful time that this year Dan has reserved two condos at West Yellowstone - WorldMark/TrendWest for us. We'll have plenty of room for all of us and THEN - YES, and then Daniel and Dalynn will join us. Now doesn't that sound wonderful!!! We have 3 days and 2 nights just outside of Yellowstone Park with two of our kids' families. I can hardly wait. Spending time with my family and my grandkids is the best part of life. Never a better Christmas than all together.

Well, I've gone on and on and I'm not sure this will even work. Guess I'd better stop typing and see what happens next. If you never read this, you'll know it didn't work. :-)