Christmas in Utah

We wanted snow for Christmas, so we went to Utah.  And we were not disappointed!  I think it snowed every day we were there...and it snowed A LOT.  We rented a little condo on the bad side of Provo.  (That was a joke.  There is no "bad side" of Provo.)  My sister, Brenda, loaned us a cute little 2-foot Christmas tree that we set up in our front window.  A quick trip to Sam's Club for ornaments and wrapping paper and we were set!


We made the mistake of going to Temple Square the Saturday before Christmas.  It was a beautiful night, and the place was packed!  Wall to wall bodies made it hard to really look at the lights while frantically trying to herd children without losing any to the masses.
 
On Sunday, I got to sing Christmas music with Brenda's ward choir, and then went to church with my other sister, Belinda, before she left to spend Christmas in California with her in-laws.

Monday was Christmas Eve and snowing hard!  We dropped Eden and Kade off at Brenda's and took the three big boys to Sundance Ski Resort for an incredible day on the slopes!  We got a taste of fresh, fluffy powder, and came away with all of our limbs in tact--even after I stupidly led my family up the highest ski lift of the steepest mountain, and we were all forced to carefully maneuver our way down through the clouds (truly, a breathtaking experience--in more ways than one!).  That night, we came back tired & hungry to Brenda's house, where we ate a delicious feast, and reenacted the Christmas nativity with cousins.  It was a great day!

Christmas day brought iPads for four of us (still evaluating whether that was a good idea or not).  Justin got some workout DVDs.  (Lame.  I know.  Might as well tell you now that I am the worst Christmas present giver in the world.)  Eden got a Dreamlight, which we had to take away the very next day because she stayed awake all night watching the colorful stars on the ceiling until morning.  And Kade was ecstatic about the "baby monster trucks" he had asked Santa for at Bass Pro Shops.

It's an iPad Christmas

 Justin took the big boys skiing in Park City Christmas night while Eden, Kade and I hung out at Brenda's and drank egg nog.  Brandon had a near-death experience with a ski jump, but luckily, he bounces, so he was alright.

 

Our time in Utah went by quickly.  Justin, Brock, Austin & Brandon went camping in the freezing tundra one night.  I was more than happy to miss out on that adventure.
 
We went tubing at Tibblefork, and Justin and I went on a double date with Brenda & Dan to see the new Les Miserables movie.  (We got there 30 minutes early and had to sit on the second row.  We all had motion sickness by the end of the first preview.)

Utah really is a magical place to spend Christmas--the mountains, the snow, the lights, the music.  I used to think that there was no place like home for the holidays, but now I think if we had to spend the rest of our Christmases in Utah, I might just be okay with that.