We had an amazing and jam-packed two weeks in Utah over Christmas. Due to weather, we decided to split the trip into two days and drive through Albuquerque. Day 1 was great driving weather, but we hit the residue of a winter storm on day 2 which slowed us considerably. Lots of driving on snow and ice :(
But this note that Eve wrote for Andrew and I in the car brightened our moods! She's such a sweetheart!
Cora did pretty well (as long as someone was paying attention to her):
Once we arrived safely in Provo, we had a lot to do before Christmas! Like shopping at Costco and letting Abigail look at the displays:
And making Christmas tree ornaments with Aunt Lisa - paint was involved so she opted for shirtless :)
Selfies with Aunt Lisa and cousins!
And this is Cora's first official selfie - taken all by herself!
Grandma was very impressed Eve could read this book to her! Eve loves to read (wonder where she gets that from???).
Chilly, but sunny so outdoor playtime was an option - at least for a little while!
The girls loved meeting Dallin and Zoey for the first time and spending lots of fun play time with Lexi and Maren.
Grandpa's swivel chair was a huge hit - good thing it's sturdy cause it got a lot of use.
For a Christmas present to us, Kelly and Lance gave Andrew and I a date night in SLC - including watching all four girls (plus their three!) overnight. They were crazy brave. We dropped the girls off on Wednesday night then we headed out.
Here are the pictures Aunt Kelly took of their time together.
Cora loved her peppers!
Mac and cheese dinner! I think even chicken nuggets too! The girls loved it!
Meanwhile, Andrew and I had dinner at Cheesecake Factory in downtown Salt Lake. We had a long wait for dinner, so we walked around City Center a bit. Then it was back to our hotel to eat our cheesecake and watch the BYU bowl game. Yay for winning!
The girls enjoyed the sleepover night at Aunt Kelly and Uncle Lance's house, but I guarantee Kelly and Lance didn't. At least they didn't sleep much.....7 girls, ages 6 and under! Including 2 babies!
Yummy breakfast!
We arrived mid-morning and geared up for an outing to the Tree House Museum!
Our cowgirls!
Cora loved bull riding :)
She was less certain about it with Abigail behind her....
Ah! I'm scared for 10 years from now....
Career options?
Not homesick yet, but we sure love Texas!
Forgot the mess politics are in these days; vote for President Cora! She has cuteness to spare!
Maddie overboard!
Uncle Stuart and Aunt Genevieve even joined us for a bit - so fun to see them!
Halle was not interested in being king.
Abigail was more willing!
Building forts:
Seriously, I promise Halle had fun - not sure what her problem with pictures is. This is a recurring problem....
The museum is right next to the Ogden Temple - great view!
That night at Kelly and Lance's we made homemade pizza! One of the best Larsen traditions there is!
We stayed one more night in Layton, then prepared to depart the next morning - after plenty more play time!
On the way back to Provo, we stopped at the Orem Cemetery. It was the first time the girls have been to Aunt Rachelle's grave.
Then we stopped at the Provo Cemetery to see Great Grandpa and Grandma Larsen's graves.
That evening, we had dinner at Uncle Eric and Aunt Kayla's house - and the girls, of course, had a blast playing with Lexi!
Back at the Smiths, we had a big, Christmas Eve dinner with everyone!
Our Christmas Eve:
Cora loved being a big girl and eating some of everything!
So much fun with cousins!
Still eating:
Getting some help from Aunt Lisa:
And Uncle Lance!
The excitement of the impending big day made things get a little crazy that evening....
But somehow we managed to get stockings out:
And cookies and notes for Santa!
And a watered-down version of acting out the story of Jesus' birth - the girls used Grandma's figurines to do the work.
We're so grateful for the birth of our Savior and were blessed to spend that special time with family!
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