Back in the blogging saddle

It has been a very busy holiday season for us, things are finally starting to slow down a bit and I am starting to return to normal ( the normal that i was to begin with). With a trip to the urgent care last night and another ear infection, I can officially say, WE'RE BACK!!! I just wanted to post a quick recap of the last few weeks.
A few months back, I'm thinkin' it was like the end of Aug. or the beginning of Sept., my sisters and I started talking about planning a big party for my mom's 50th birthday, that was in December. We wanted to do something big and we wanted it to be a surprise. I thought it would be fun to do a 50's theme, so I told everyone that I would just plan it and then let them know what I wanted them to do. I had already commited to doing 2 Halloween parties, so the birthday party took a back seat till they were done. After Halloween, I really got things rolling and ordered all the decor and fun table wear. I completed 95% of my Christmas shopping early, so that I could dedicate all my time to the party. My mom's birthday was on the 13th, so the girls and drove out to St. George on the 12th and stayed at my sister Jillian's house. Rod had to work, but was coming out the next day. You all know from the previous post how well that plan turned out. The day of the party was crazy, but fun too. We made sure that all of us kids would be there, and so it was fun to all be together setting up for the big night. Mom had no clue what was going on, so it was fun to call her to wish her a happy birthday and have her talk about the crazy weather when I was just down the street from her. Her reaction to the surprise was priceless, and I am so glad that we all worked together to give her this gift. I was to busy at the party to take pics, so these were stolen from my sister's blog.
When Rod finally got to St. George safe and sound, we thought it would be fun to spend a day together as a fam. We decided that Jumping Jacks was the place. We had a blast, and no injuries, even better!!
With all the snow that fell in St. George, Malia and I had to go out build Grandma and Grandpa a snowman, and throw a little snow around. Good times!!After spending some time in St. George, we headed up to Cedar Mountain to spend some time with Rod's parents. It was so nice to be up there and just watch the snow fall. It snowed most of the time we were there, so we didn't really get to do much sledding or snowmobiling, but we still had a fun time. (Don't think we are wusses for not going out in the snow, it was like 20 degrees and blowing so hard that the snow was coming down sideways!! )We came down off the mountain just in time for Christmas, which we spent at my mom's house. It was a lot of fun to have Christmas with so much family around. Malia really enjoyed spending so much time with her cousins and did not want to come back home and go to school.Brinley and Malia must have been really good this year because Santa brought them all that they asked for and even a few things that they didn't ask for. One of the first gifts Malia opened was a 100 piece puzzle, she saw it and just looked at Rod and I and said, " I did not ask for this!" We couldn't help but laugh. I guess I need to let Santa know for next year, just stick to the list, no extras!!!
We had a really great time being with family over the holidays, it only makes living so far away even harder. I am looking forward to Malia's next break from school so we can get together again. To all my fam, thanx for the great times together, I love you all!!!!