Our first Christmas on our own

We hope all that read our blog, had a nice, safe, happy Christmas. We definitely did, even though, we found ourselves spending Christmas on our own for the first time. It was different. We found ourselves trying to blend traditions from both sides of the family, as well as trying to create a few of our own. Some worked, some need a little tweaking.

We tried to do our own Nativity scene with the kids, but Evan was not about to have a towel tied to his head with a tie. However, Vanessa really enjoyed being Mary and Ben was a very sweet baby Jesus. I am glad we at least attempted it.

We read "The Night Before Christmas" and then followed that with about ten Christmas Carols.

My favorite part was spending a little one-one-one time with Vanessa just before putting her to bed. Vanessa and I spent some time together on a hammock swing we have sitting in our front window. It was snowing outside, so it was really beautiful. We just sat and talked about Santa and his reindeer and how they manage to make it around the world in one night. It really is neat how kids believe in all these magical things. I felt like a kid again just talking to her.

It's a mini-me!

I love to run. I really do, but finding the time gets more difficult with each additional kid. Unfortunately, I am not one of those pregnant women who just gets a baby bump in the front and nothing anywhere else. Running motivates me to eat better. If I can't run, I eat poorly. I tried to run while I was pregnant, but my back just can't handle it. (My abdominal muscles are next on my list.) When I can't run, I get depressed and anxious, and then I eat. What a vicious cycle!

I am doing my best to get back into it again. It's difficult during the winter months. I can't run outside until it is warm enough to take Ben out in the stroller, so I have to rely on my treadmill. That is my problem right now. One of the things I love most about running is BEING OUTSIDE! Don't get me wrong... I am lucky I even have a treadmill, and it has always been there for me, but it's just not the same. Staring at the wall, is not near as beautiful as staring at the mountains (or the sagebrush :) ). So I found this cool mini-me gadget from nikeplus.com. I am really not trying to show off, or anything(well, maybe just a little ;) )... I am just trying to find some motivation. It is a great way to keep track of runs, set goals, compete in challenges and all sorts of things. I can't wait to get started. I am finally pumped about running this winter!

New haircut (for those who care)

OK, so I feel a little dumb posting a picture of myself, especially one that I took by myself (it is a little more up close than I am comfortable with). I wanted to show my family in Ohio my "new" hair. Since turning 30 yesterday, however, I also have come to realize that I really don't have a lot of pictures of myself; mostly because I am usually the one taking the pictures. I am not always jumping to get in front of the camera either. I guess it would be nice if someday my kids could look back and see what I looked like in my "younger" years.

Along the way...

we enjoyed a lot of beautiful scenery during our drive to Utah for Thanksgiving. I wish I could have taken better pictures, but I can only get so much when I am trying to take the picture through an unrolled window in a fast moving car.

We also enjoyed a nice hotel room with a big comfy couch.

Ben relaxed on some "luxury" pillows.

Then, we spent much of our Thanksgiving in a very small town in Utah where Marty's parents just built a house. It is the town where Marty's father grew up. According to wikipedia, the population was 290 as of the 2000 census. There are a lot of farms, plenty of open space, and of course, animals everywhere. Oh, and Nana and "Kappa" live there with their yellow dog, too. Vanessa was in heaven.

Traveling is never easy, especially now that we have 3 crammed into the backseat of our car, but it is particularly difficult with Evan. Any changes from his normal routine can really be upsetting to him. He did have a bit of a rough time, however, we were able to find at least one thing that made him very happy. He really enjoyed riding on the four-wheeler. We never know how Evan is going to react to anything different, but he loved it.


Vanessa also had a ball riding with her "Kappa".


In the end, it was just nice to spend time with family and friends who we don't get to see as often as we would like.