Our Christmas

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. They seem to come so quickly now, they're hard to keep up with. I usually start my Christmas shopping quite early to avoid last minute shopper's anxiety, but all of a sudden it was Thanksgiving and I hadn't even THOUGHT about shopping yet. I am usually completely finished by then! We all really enjoyed our Christmas-even Aaron who woke everyone up at 5:30 am to open presents! He wasn't at all his usual "bah-humbug" self this year. The kids were happy with all the fun gifts they recieved but seemed especially excited that they got the cowboy boots they've been begging for. Looks like my family is goin' country!

Snow For Christmas - Well, Almost...

We were so excited yesterday when we looked out the window and saw great big snowflakes fluttering down! We've always wanted to have a white Christmas and this year we actually got it, so be it a few days early. We got about 3-4 inches yesterday and during the night and I heard we may be getting some more tomorrow. Austin and Amanda have had a ball playing in the snow and on a little frozen pond in the neighborhood with their friends. Lauren went out briefly yesterday but after a spill on the ice she decided to stay in where it's safe and warm.
Lauren feeds Sadie and Opie snowballs

Adaptation

Yesterday afternoon we loaded our dogs up into the truck and headed out to the river. They love to run and explore and we enjoy walking along the pathway, looking at the scenery. It was a beautiful sunny day and a brisk 29 degrees. That's right, 29 degrees, and we were out going for a walk. Halfway through, our noses and ears got a bit cold but we weren't freezing to death. I don't quite understand it myself because in California I would still be wearing a sweatshirt when it was 70 degrees out. Now 35-40 degrees feels decent. I guess it's true that people adapt to their surroundings!

My Hard Workin' Man

For the past few weeks Aaron has been working up in Donnelly for the world renowned Tamarck Ski Resort. Last week he completed 2,400 feet of the first phase. This was quite an accomplishment for several reasons. First of all, the temperatures he was working in ranged from -2 to about 22 degrees and he was building this fence in about 18 inches of snow. Snow fell almost daily while he was there. Much of the fence went into areas he couldn't get to by truck so he had to hand carry all the material and equipment up hill through the snow and ice. These factors did not deter him and he busted it out in record time. The other contractors in the area got a big kick out of watching the crazy fence guy putting up this fence in the freezing weather all by himself. A couple of them would actually come over in their trucks to sit and watch him on their lunch break. Aaron thought it was pretty funny that he could actually see steam coming off of his body while he was working! Aaron was very happy with the way the job turned out and his customer was quite impressed with his work.

Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!

One of the fun things we do every Christmas is bake lots of goodies to take to friends, family and neighbors. By WE, I mean the kids and I. Aaron's usually working so much, he misses out. This year he surprised me by asking, "So, when are we baking cookies?". So last night we tackled a batch of gingerbread men. Decorating the cookies seemed to be tougher than he expected and Aaron cracked me up when he said he's much better with a welder than a tube of frosting. In the end they all turned out very cute and we had lots of fun in the process.

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree.....

Buying a Christmas tree was a new experience for us this year. Instead of picking up a tree at Home Depot or a tree lot set up on a corner, people in our area go up to the forrest and actually chop down their own tree! Yes, this is actually legal. You pay $10 for a permit, they hand you a map and off you go to find your tree. Yesterday on the way home from work (he's been working in the mountains in below zero temperatures) Aaron pulled off the road and scouted out our tree. It was a bit of a challenge finding just the right one because most of the trees are gigantic and don't fit well in your living room. After about an hour he found the perfect tree and he was so proud of it when he brought it home. That night we decorated it very simply and I think it turned out to be beautiful.

Snapping Photos

This morning I had a quick photo shoot with the kids before school to get a picture I can send out in my Christmas cards. It was probably about 30 degrees, maybe a little less and I only got a couple taken before their little noses and cheeks started to turn red. I really like this picture I snapped of Amanda. She's such a beautiful kid with a sparkling personality to match.