Christmas Vacation!

We went to Utah for three weeks for Christmas this year. 

The kids were so excited to get some wiggles out before our flight.

 The first night we were in Utah my mom had Brent's family come over for a little ice cream cake for hers and Brent's birthday celebrations. Coen got this hat to stay warm in freezing Utah!

On my mom's birthday we went to the Brough party with her. This party always includes a musical portion because the family is very talented in that way.

Earlier in the day my mom watched the kids for us (thanks mom!) while Brent and I went to see the new Star Wars. Brent loved it and I thought it was pretty good too. 

We made it to Utah in time for the Cowley Christmas party, which was fun. The kids love running around playing with cousins. Check out this boy's happy face:

 On Monday morning I went to work at my office downtown. It was still really slow so good thing I planned to take two weeks off for Christmas! Brent and the kids came to pick me up and we went to the mall, including the Disney Store. I thought Ava looked so cute when I got in the car.

 On Tuesday I got my haircut and I really love it!

 I curled Ava's hair for the Braithwaite party that night.

I made chicken chimichangas for our dinner and they seemed to work out pretty well luckily! We played Christmas songs with the bells. 

 Laura flew in this day and it was so fun to see her! I hadn't seen her since the beginning of April.

 Cute bell ringers:

 I wanted to give both of our sets of parents a painting of their house this year for Christmas. Cher said she could try it out and see how well she could watercolor. She did amazing! We sure love these homes and getting to visit them.

 We had our annual Cowley sugar cookie day. I love this activity!

 At some point during the day, it got really quiet when Ava and Boston were downstairs. Too quiet. So Brent went downstairs and found this:

 They had taken every single game and movie off of Marcie's shelf! It took all of us adults quite a while to get it put back together. When the girls got in trouble (which was quite often this trip), they held onto each other like they were a little team.

 My parents bought two paintings from Al Rounds for Christmas and he himself came to hang them in their home:

We had a Braithwaite fun day which started out with taking gifts to some refugee families my mom knows through the humanitarian center. Then we went downtown to see the decorations:

...And also to see the candy windows:

 We went through the Grand America hotel and looked at their displays and got a cookie at the end.

 After, we went to Grandma Hansen's house for some pizza. Here's Allie and Ava playing together:

 We came home and watched a Woody Allen movie (which Jordan hated, sorry Jordan!). The next morning was Christmas Eve! We went to see "Sing" which I really liked. Ava really liked it too- I don't know why she's making a sad face here:

 That evening we had the Dahn party which was "The Polar Express" theme. There were lots of fun games, the nativity:

 and of course, the piñata!

After the party, Natalie's family came back to the Cowley's to sleep over. We moved our stuff and started sleeping at the Cowleys here this night. Ava and Boston were so excited! Here they are putting out reindeer food in the lawn:

 The girls just talked and talked and didn't go to sleep, so we finally had to separate them.

We woke up to a beautiful white Christmas. It had snowed all night! I love this picture Brent took of Christmas morning. Oh the excitement!

We didn't have TOO much stuff (although still quite a lot) since we had to get it all back in suitcases to Texas. Ava didn't seem to notice though, and was so happy with what she got.

Her main presents from Santa were these princess dolls that you can clip on their dresses and a cash register. She got lots of other toys and clothes from grandparents. Coen got lego blocks and he had a pirate ship waiting for him in Texas. 

 The present to Brent and me from ourselves was a picture of Christ and a picture of the SLC temple. We finally bought the ones I've been wanting from Costco!

 We played our shoot the gift cards with the dart gun game with the siblings.

 We all went to church with the Cowleys and they are serving in a branch at the rest home. I don't know if you can see Ava's face in this picture, but she's a little hesitant to be talking to an older person.

 The rest home where they serve is beautiful.

After church we went to my parent's house for a turkey Christmas dinner and opening more presents! Here is my mom opening up the painting of her house:

 Ava got this Minnie Mouse from Wasana.

 The kids were happy to have attention from aunts and uncles:

We played games and had lots of good food, and fun time with family. It was a great Christmas!
The next day we played in the snow with Natalie and her kids.

 There's Ava making a snow angel:

 Marcie and Dan helped build a snow slide down the porch stairs and the kids had fun going down the slide on sleds.

Brent convinced Daniel and Marcie to go with us downtown to Tucanos for lunch. But when we got there it was like a 2 hour wait! So we went to the Lion House instead. And then after we looked at the lights on Temple Square for about 6 seconds before I was about to freeze.

The next day the Cowleys all went up to Logan for Marcie to receive her endowment.

First we went to the BlueBird restaurant, which is so yummy!

 Daniel watched the kids for us during the endowment which was really nice so I could go too. Luckily Coen slept a lot of the time. I don't have any pictures from the temple because it was sooooo cold and we rushed home to save Daniel. :)

We went out for ice-cream (but I didn't eat any- I'm still trying to not eat dairy).

We all stayed at a hotel that night and the next morning Natalie lent Ava a swimming suit so they could go swimming:

 After, we went to the Pepperidge Farm factory and we all enjoyed getting some samples.

 The Cowley's tree is always so huge! You can't tell so well from this picture just how huge it was, but it went all the way up their valued ceiling. It smelled yummy too.

Ava was excited to help vacuum after the tree got taken down.

We tried Tucanos again (this time with just Marcie), and it was a hit! Mmmm, I just love the beef there. 

On Friday I had to do an inventory count in Logan. Marcie was nice enough to drive me up there (although she did have a good reason to go up there: boyfriend). We had a fun ride up there, and then after my inventory count I went to hang out at Cher's house. I played games with them and then went to my cousin Holly's reception in Bountiful. Her family stayed with my parents the week of her wedding. Poor Holly and her mom woke up in the night before her wedding throwing up :(

 On New Years Eve my parents came and picked me and the kids up to go to Sheels for an outing. I've been teaching Coen that the bear growls, and he can do the funniest lowest growl. He thinks all animals growl though, so even if we ask him what the kitty and the elephant say, he does his deep growl.

 My dad took Ava for a ride on the ferris wheel, which she loved.

 I'm pretty sure Ava is going to be an actress.

 Looking at the fish together.

 After this, we went to feed ducks. It was so dang cold, but the ducks were still hungry! Coen giggled as he threw bread and the ducks gobbled it up. He thought it was the funniest thing!

 We ate Chinese food with my parents at the Cowleys and then watched a movie.

I fell asleep and woke up a little before midnight, but this little night owl was going strong!

 Ava blew her noisemaker and shouted "Happy Birthday Ava!" A new year is kind of a hard concept for a three-year old I guess.

Super sleepy selfie:

We went to use Brent's birthday coupon at Benihanas with my parents since my mom had a coupon too. It was a fun time! Although there was a snowstorm and it was a little scary getting there.

 The three weeks went by so fast and then it was time to go back to Texas! Our flight was delayed getting home and it was so crowded at the gate since we had two plane's worth of people at the gate.

 Our friend from the ward picked us up and we were happy to be home in Texas!