A New Year

Happy New Year! We had a nice relaxing weekend. On Saturday we debated whether or not we would paint the living room. We decided sitting around all day and doing nothing sounded much better. We didn't really do nothing. We actaully got a lot of cleaning and organizing done. It was nice to not do a big project. The rest of the holiday weekend was spent at home. It was so nice to not HAVE to do something.

Christmas turned out pretty nice too. It was pretty crazy with everybody here, but with our new house it seemed a lot more manageable. On Christmas Eve we had the kids make felt ornaments to hang on there very own real tree. The day before, Nicole and I bought a little "Charlie Brown" tree to put in the family room. Nicole gave us the idea for the ornaments. There were 8 different Christmas shapes that had a special meaning. After the kids decorated and hung the ornaments, we told the meaning of each shape and read some scriptures. I think we sang a couple carols at the end. It turned out pretty nice. We also had a fun dinner.

A few years ago my parents went to Belgium.. While they were there, they had a dinner using Raclette Grills. They thought they were really cool. The next year they gave my sisters and I a raclette grill for Christmas. We decided to pull out all three and use them this year. It was a lot of fun! We grilled meats, veggies, and pineapple on top. We then put the grilled items on top of cheese and potatos in the little cups. These cups go under the grill to heat up and melt the cheese. Then you slide it on your plate and enjoy. Everyone had fun cooking whatever topping they wanted. I think we had at least 7 different kinds of cheeses to try. Now we wished we had used them sooner. They are a great idea for a fun interactive dinner party.

Christmas morning was crazy. There were a ton of presents. I think everyone was happy. Even me. I got 2 robes! And a tiny little ottoman from Ben. (there's a story behind that gift, maybe Ben will tell it on his blog) After presents we had a huge pancake breakfast. People sarted to pack up and leave after breakfast. At around 3 o'clock we headed over to Ben's parents. We opened presents (a 72 hour kit from Ben's Parents!) and had a nice dinner followed by game time. We didn't stay too late. Everyone was pretty tired, and I was feeling sick (bad cold).

In short; I think the holidays were a success. Too much food (not enough exercise), too many presents (especially the kids), and a lot of family time.

I hope everybody had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!