Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Catching up after Christmas and New Years

We've had a very busy last couple of weeks but have enjoyed the time we all had to spend together and a house full of kids 24-7 since they were out of school.
Christmas was fantastic. We were able to have my Mom and Steve stay over and have Christmas morning with us. I think it meant as much to them as it did to us to have them there. After a "storm" of wrapping paper, hassling with the genious packaging of toys, finding and installing batteries, throwing away trash, picking up candy wrappers, etc, Kari's parents, Carmen and Hubert came by for Christmas breakfast. We had breakfast caserole and sweet rolls. Very tasty after snacking on various candy and chocolates throughout the morning.
The kids were all loaded with various toys, clothes and electronic gadgets. I'm pretty sure that to this point, nothing has broken. Wyatt went crazy with his new Air Hog helicopter but due to increased air traffic restrictions in the living room the Air Hog has been hangarred atop the fridge for the last several days. Cam got a new arsenal of nerf guns and it is Normandy all over again at our house as the kids terrorize each other with foam darts. Brooklyn and Britney each got a new DS systems that they have seemingly forgotten about since Christmas day, Matti loaded up on mermaid toys (what else?), and Colton got some new toys with incredible volume levels that seem to go off without even being prompted to.
Kari and Justin's present arrives this weekend and we could not be more excited to start doing laundry faster and more efficiently. We were very blessed through the Christmas season and enjoyed our first major holiday season as a new family. The kids started back to school and Kari and I started back at work. Kari is getting nervous and excited to hang up teaching and staying home. Not sure still what will be an easier job for her, working full time or being full time Mom?
Life at Justin's work is as normal as it could be. Justin will be starting school again as soon as Kari isn't working anymore. The only motivation he can find is that the GI Bill will put a little more $ in the pocket since school is essentially free. We are very excited about what 2010 has in store for us. Kari and Justin are very excited to go back east and visit NYC sometime in the spring, take the kids to Yellowstone this summer and hopefully get sealed in Hawaii in August. If not Hawaii, we will travel to another exotic locale like South Jordan and get sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain temple, wither way, the covenant is the same so what will be will be.
We are not sure what we will do with ourselves for the next 8 months as college football season is now essentially over. We will find ways to entertain ourselves but it won't be cheering on the Jazz as each game seems to bring the end of the successful Jazz era of the last 20 years to a close.
Best wishes to all this new year and we hope to get to know all of you better this year!