-6 degrees

I like January. All the Christmas decor comes down, you kinda vow to get your eating habits back into shape, I'm usually shopped-out so I don't have to fight the urge to go check for sales at the mall, there is no traveling, all my shows start again, it's just a welcome breath of fresh air. So as a last tribute to 2012 and the amazing year that it was, I'm going to let the pictures of our Christmas do most of the talking.

I was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and it was Steve's family year for Christmas so our plan was to head out to Utah after I got off work Christmas Day. So we did our own little family Christmas on Christmas Eve after I got off work. We also spoken that Christmas Sunday (about the perspectives of Christ's birth from Mary and Joseph) in church, so we both had this eternal pit in our stomachs the week leading up. Everything went well and we made it to and from Utah without dying in the cold, so I'd say all was a success.

Parker loves his 'momoe' (Elmo). After he inspected it for a minute, he snuggled it right up to his little neck, leaned his face in, and smiled.

He still loves 'bah's. I had this wrapped with paper under the tree for a week before Christmas and he kept grabbing it and playing with it, wrapped, knowing it was a 'bah'.

For the longest time, he has had this obsession with anything round that has a hole in the middle through which he can stick his thumb; i.e. DVDs, rings, Steve's RC truck tires, some stacking cups with holes in them, keyrings, etc. We saw these stacking rings and knew he would welcome them into his repertoire of obsessive doughnut-shaped objects.

It was love at first sight.

He can usually be found teetering around the house with one through each thumb. He calls them his 'ree' (ring). He's either carrying those or a RC truck tire through each thumb, proclaiming 'tah! tah! tah! (tire). Every single time we are outside and see cars driving by, or getting into our car, it's 'tah! tah! tah!' non-stop. It's pretty dang adorable. Sometimes excessive, yet adorable. 

We also got him this plastic food set. When we were out shopping, he saw a little banana through the packaging, and kept shouting, 'nana! nana!', even after we had left the aisle. So in the shopping cart it went. After everything was opened, he scurried from toy to toy like a crazy man playing with each new toy for a couple of seconds, dropping it, and moving to the next. Can't wait for next year.

I worked. I love my co-workers. Had a pretty special patient/family for those two days, a young guy had heart surgery the day prior, it was taking a little longer than expected to take his breathing tube out. He had a couple young, teenage sons and a sweet wife that I bonded with. Christmas Day they were all in the room (usually only allow 2 at a time, but it was Christmas) and I came in to do something. The wife was playing a Spanish song on her phone and holding it up close to her husband's ears so he could hear. They were all holding hands and tears were streaming down a couple of their faces, including his. So of course I joined in. 

Yes, I got the breathing tube out later that afternoon. Best Christmas present ever they said :)

Got home to notice P-buddy full-on walking.

On Christmas Day.

Couldn't stop smiling :)

I changed and we headed out the door, on the road. Parker actually fell asleep without a peep an hour into it and was out until half hour before our hotel in Mesquite, NV. We both slept like rocks and headed out the next morning. Steve had me drive so he could get some studying done for his first set of boards coming up in March, which NEVER happens on roadtrips. Steve does NOT let me drive, which I'm usually OK with because that way I don't have to listen to his backseat driving and I can do whatever I want. He gets bored if he's not driving, so it's a win-win situation. So you can imagine how well things were going when I was driving for the first time in FOREVER and we hit blizzard-like conditions. We saw 4-5 cars off the road in ditches over the next several hours. Good thing I had my dranky drank to keep myself calm.

After a miracle and a prayer or two, we made it alive. P did pretty well and was sleeping during the nasty road conditions so that was definitely a blessing. Screaming baby in the back might have literally pushed us over the edge. Onto our faces. In the snow.

Everybody in Steve's family except one sister's husband, (another Steve) was able to show up and party for a week.

One of my must-do items was sledding with Parker while we were there. Obviously, the snow powers were listening and covered Utah with a blanket of beautiful white snow for us. I'd forgotten how peaceful, quiet, and actually romantic the snow can be. Steve and I left Parker at Grandma's while he was napping to go run an errand and it was kinda cute and reminiscent to just be out in it together.

So, needless to say, P loves sledding.

See? He just needed to be flying down a hill at all times to maintain the happy faces.

Steve's Dad focusing on the task at hand, Caleb, our little nephew, Dave, Steve's older brother, and his younger sister, Lori. His other sister, Michelle, was down the hill packing up her two boys.

Another day we went to an indoor trampoline, foam pit place. The kids loved it.

 

Steve's back is still messed up. He, Dave, and Lori all needed massages and drugs the rest of the trip.

Another must-see was the new City Creek mall up in Salt Lake. It was beautiful, but we didn't last long in the cold. Macy's had some amazing rotating candy Christmas displays we all checked out. 

Walked across the street to see the Temple Square Christmas Lights (another must-do).

Katie, Lori, and Michelle. Love my in-law sissies!

I just noticed there's a little babe squished in-between Lori and Michelle, I think that's her Jacob...

There is nothing more swoon-worthy than a Little all bundled up. I die every time. Parker's first time seeing where the magic all started almost four years ago.

 

Leatherby's is always a must for the Andersons. They grew up going there and all love it. Their ice cream is pretty amazing.

Little P keeping it real in the snowy weather.

Cafe Rio is also usually involved. This trip, it was involved three times total. Little Mark reheaaaaallllly wanted to go, so the siblings all went for lunch one day and took the kid. Best. Lunch Ever.

Children's museums are my new favorite place. Parker probably felt the same way I would feel if I were to be let loose in a huge building of pizza, cheeseburgers, fries, pasta, and sugar.

Pure. Insanity.

The kid toddled around from plaything to plaything nonstop for well over an hour, and would have kept going had we not left. His walk still resembles a drunken man walking (swaying hips, occasional bursts of quick steps in an unintentional direction to keep himself from falling, and of course, the falling), so we were mostly enjoying watching him get around the place.

You know it's business time when the tongue comes out.

Grandma playing with the three youngest. Jacob, Caleb, and P. I have some cute nephews, and it was so tender to see them all interact and play together. Sharing was an issue naturally, and they usually all wanted the same thing for a couple of seconds, but distractions generally worked and they were back to  their happy selves. It's so interesting to watch Parker with other little people. He likes to watch, and smile, and lean in. I feel like he know they're little like him, and he truly loves them! 

Met my dear friend, Ash, and her boyfriend for dinner. We chatted about lunatic stalkers and Les Mis, which we had seen the previous night. I bawled like a baby, especially during Maurice's 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables'. I had never read the book, heard the music, seen the previous movie or Broadway shows. All I knew about it was that it involved a girl who was a prostitute. My sister-in-law was an English major in college, so needless to say, was an expert on the subject. I, on the other hand, have never enjoyed English. I never even took any English classes in college because I took AP in high school and tested out of it for college. I was good at it, and could write well, I just didn't enjoy it and would rather crunch some numbers or stab myself in the eye with a blunt needle. I was nervous I would hate it because I'm generally not into such things (books, literature, history, I have yet to see anything on Broadway actually. I know, I'm quite uncultured. I should change that....) but I LOVED it. My mind was blown. It was like an English class threw up all over the screen and into my head. In an amazing way. I hadn't had thoughts of themes and parallels and morals and foreshadowing and all sorts of other English terms running through my mind like that in ten years! Many discussions ensued over the next several days about actor's voices, acting abilities, comparisons to Broadway, applications to life, etc.

 After dinner, the boys were complaining about pictures so we left them out of that exciting part of the evening. We really wanted to go to The Red Iguana, but both of the sit-down locations had 45-minute waits, so we went to the mini version at City Creek. I kinda wish we had waited it out at one of the other ones so we could get the full Red Iguana experience I keep hearing about, but it was still good. And of course loved seeing Ash and meeting Brigham!

I HAD to go to Provo, mostly for nostalgia reasons. We all caravanned down together and met a couple different friends for dinner as a family at Bombay House. Oh how I miss Bombay House. Then our first apartment was calling our name. I felt a lump forming in my throat as we turned the corner to get there, then when I saw it, I teared up! I don't even know why! All these memories started flooding back of our dating and newlywed years. That was such an incredible and joyful time in our lives. We partied hard. I love you so much, Steve, and am so lucky to have found you.

Now we just party a little differently, usually with a furry little red thing named 'Momoe' and fruit snacks....

I usually don't get time to see my cousins whenever we're up in Utah seeing Steve's family so I wanted to make sure I saw some this time! And I'm so glad we did! Loralee had a bunch of us over to their beautiful home in Cedar Hills and we got to catch up with Jenna, Emily, Julianne, and all of their husbands. It's so nice to be around family, esp family that just gets you and your family.

New Year's Eve dance party with Mark.

He was amazing, I, not so amazing. By the end of the trip, Uncle Steve and I had official invites to his birthday party. He doesn't invite just anyone. We were pretty stoked to be members of the cool kid club.

On our way home, we picked up my brother on his way into the MTC for his mission to Carlsbad, CA....an hour south of us....where my mom grew up....where I have tons of cousins, aunts, and uncles.

He requested either Zupas (had been once this trip) or Cafe Rio (had been twice), so Zupas it was. He seemed so happy and excited, it was such a treat to see Elder Moon once more for two years! After dinner, we went and saw Grandma and Grandpa all together since Michael hadn't seen them in a while either. It's always so nice to see them, tease Grandma, and soak up Grandpa's tender heart right now. Parker had a blast rolling Grandpa's walker around, and running from Grandma. Well, wobbling and falling in the opposite direction of Grandma...

We've got good genes.

Michdizzle, I'm so excited for you and the next two years! You are such an example to me and I see you growing and soaking things up like a sponge. I know it will be some of the best years of your life,  you deserve this! Love you! XOXO

It was an uneventful drive home, thankfully, although it did hit -6 degrees in southern Utah. That night we put the Little in his own crib, opened a bottle of sparkling cider and toasted to being home and relaxing with a quiet evening in. We kicked our feet up with laundry and suitcases piled around us, cuddled, and watched a little Duck Dynasty then some Friday Night Lights.

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013.