We had an amazing, tiring, long trip to Utah over Christmas - that's a long drive from Dallas with three little girls!
Luckily, Andrew's sister Lisa flew down to Dallas a couple of days before our trip for a visit (apparently I took no pictures of that) and drove back to Provo with us. It was a huge help! Although I'm sure we drove her crazy.....
Abigail did fairly well, all things considered and these two were very glad for any chance they got to get out of the car and stretch their legs!
We stopped and spent the night in Amarillo before continuing on to Utah and arrived safe and sound late on Saturday night. First thing the next day was church and that meant Christmas dresses!
That evening was the Larsen Family Christmas Party at my aunt and uncle's house. We got to see TONS of family, including some the girls knew!
My parents and Evan and driven out from Colorado to spend the holidays at Kelly's house (with Eric to join later that week) so it was extra fun!
When Eric arrived on the 23rd, we all got together at Kelly's house for dinner and a little craziness.
(There's no insanity, though, that a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse won't quickly end - our girls had never seen it but they fell in love with it at Grandma Smith's house.)
Daryn was having her cast from an operation removed the next day - but since at the time she couldn't move around much, she and Abigail got along just fine ;)
The girls were definitely spoiled with lots of grandparent time on our trip - including watching videos on Grandpa Smith's computer:
We got to visit Grandpa at work at BYU on Christmas Eve!
The bookstore (now just....the store....? The changed the name from BYU Bookstore to BYU store and I'm still not sure what to call it) had a little kids area set up with some awesome horses courtesy of, well, not our favorite bank, but a bank :)
A future lawyer perhaps? Posing in front of BYU's law school:
That night we got all ready for Santa to come including setting out our stockings....
....and putting out a plate of cookies for Santa!
And what would Christmas Eve be without a picture of our Christmas Eve?
Christmas morning got off to a slow start - the kids are young enough that we didn't have to restrain them from rushing into the front area with the stockings and presents. Since they weren't bursting at the seams, we took it slowly - eating breakfast, playing a bit, and waiting for everyone to assemble.
There was even time to squeeze in some more videos with Grandpa!
Finally, by late morning, the moment had arrived! Then, basically, things went crazy....
Abigail's first Christmas stocking and she seemed to know just what to do -
Halle went very slowly through her stocking, carefully examining each item.
Eve, as always, was very meticulous and also took the time to enjoy each part of her stocking (putting on the headband and mittens) before moving on.
Opening her first present! From Santa!
She quickly had several anxious helpers, which she wasn't too happy about :(
From that point on, it was basically crazy - but don't get me wrong, it was fun crazy!
Halle's present from Santa - Elmo!
Our girls got so overwhelmed with the rush of things, that they got cranky and sad - they were happy to open just one present and play with it for a while before opening another. So we let them - we ended up opening most of their presents later that afternoon when things had calmed down. I must admit, I like that about our girls :)
Mother Nature sent the gift of a white Christmas, which the girls, particularly Eve, couldn't wait to get out in!
Daddy and Abigail found a different way to spend the afternoon:
Meanwhile, Kayla and I took the girls out in the back to build a snowman! It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing little guy, but the girls had fun.
Matching pj's for Christmas!
I can't remember which day it was exactly, but we woke up one morning to deer in the backyard! They jumped the fence before I could grab my camera, so in this picture, they're already in the neighbor's yard. But still cool!
Two days after Christmas, we left Provo to drive up to Boise, Idaho for the funeral of Andrew's Grandpa Smith who had passed away shortly before Christmas. It was a special occasion and we were so grateful that the timing was such that we could attend! It was like a mini family reunion (or not so mini!) because so many people came.
The funeral was on Monday and by the time we got to the cemetery after the funeral service at the church, all three girls were fast asleep. It was freezing cold outside and we didn't relish the idea of waking them up to take them out in it, so we let them sleep and periodically checked in on them during the graveside service.
I know Andrew enjoyed seeing so many of his cousins, even if our trip was short.
After the service, I ran back to the car to find all three girls waking up. Eve was interested, so Andrew took her over to see the coffin and place a flower on it - she's the one on the left in a pink coat being carried by dad.
After that, it was back to Provo for a few more days with family! Including more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse time with Lexi!
And a trip to the Bean Museum with Aunt Kelly, Reagan, and Daryn! We hadn't been since the remodel and were in for a treat!
They don't seem worried about the alligator behind them....
Lions, tigers, and bears! We saw them all!
Don't move, Eve - I don't think it's seen you yet....
Here's a few random pictures from our time at Grandpa and Grandma Smith's house - you can tell that it was busy!
All too soon it was time to head home - but this time we made a quick stop as we drove through Monticello, UT to see the temple! The first small temple built, if memory serves me. So pretty!
We hit some bad snow after passing Albuquerque on our way to spend the night in Amarillo. Three white out blizzards! Each time with the first two, when it got really bad (I was driving, so to me, even light flurries are bad, but seriously, this was REALLY bad), Andrew would say a prayer and the snow immediately stopped and the roads cleared. By the third storm, we figured we needed to accept the weather, so we prayed that we'd reach our hotel in safety, which we finally did around midnight if I remember correctly.
We left Amarillo late morning on the next day (with Andrew driving this time!) and only had snowy roads for maybe an hour before it cleared up and we enjoyed a short and uneventful drive home! I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for answering our prayers!
First thing we did after arriving? Unpacked Abigail's new present from dad and mom....
Safe jumpin', baby girl! (And sweet relief for our tired backs....)
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