Ah Christmas...and New Years... and New York City...and everything in between.

Where did it go?  It was like I was waiting and waiting for it and then it came and went before I could even blink, or breath.  This Christmas was one of the most chaotic Christmas' I have ever experienced. It was busy busy go go go the entire time.  Mostly which was by choice.... I think? :)  I felt like we did a lot of hauling the kids from place to place and dinner to dinner.  They were troopers and LOVED playing with their cousins which I am grateful for because who knows where we will be for the next 4yrs and when we will be able to have a Christmas like that again.  We were able to spend Christmas with ALL the Thomas'.  It was really fun.  Family get togethers with the Thomas' is chaotic by nature.  How can it not be with 13 kids seven and under and 22 adults and teenagers.  But we embrace the chaos!

The 23rd we all got together and had dinner at Grandma's and then headed to Walmart to buy presents for our "family."  Instead of giving each other presents this year we pooled the money to buy Christmas for a needy family.  It was fun to take the little kids to the store and help them think about what someone else their age would want and get into the spirit of giving.

 oh ya, here's our Christmas Card.

On Christmas Eve Day we gathered at the Grandstand in Payson and had family pictures taken.  They turned out amazing considering how COLD it was.  It was really really cold.  But everyone was enjoying everyone and it was fun and funny. :)  After the pictures (which will come later) we gathered at the cemetery to visit Dylan and Mark Jones.  We all wrote Christmas wishes on balloons and let them float into the sky for Mark.   Christmas Eve we spent at Marilyn's and had yummy soup in bread bowls, appetizers and Christmas trifle. The little kids acted out the nativity while Grandpa Jay read out of the scriptures.  Our little family decided to spend Christmas Eve/Morning out at Marilyn's to help lessen the loss of their first Christmas without Dad.  All these firsts without Dad really sucks.  It just does.  Marilyn, Lee, Mark and I stayed up until...I can't remember 1am or so wrapping presents and getting everything ready for Christmas morning.  I was excited.  I love Christmas morning!!  It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Mark Jones made his family have breakfast before they could open presents since that is what my family always did.  It was fun to have some of the same traditions at our little cousins Christmas. :)

 For breakfast I had made some baked eggnog french toast the night before that turned out super yummy.  It is SO going to be a Christmas morning staple.  Thank you Pinterest!!  We had to hurry through Christmas morning to make to church on time which I didn't like. I hate hurrying through Christmas morning.  If it had been at our own house we would have just kept it slow and enjoyed opening presents and then continued when we got home later.  Church, however was totally worth the rush.  I loved going to Church on Christmas.  It was so poignant to worship my Savior on Christmas day.  It meant a lot to have the entire Thomas family there as Grandpa Jay blessed sweet little Marley and then sang his annual Christmas Sunday, "O Holy Night."  It was amazing and very tender as none of us know if he will be there to sing next year.  How grateful I am for the knowledge of the gospel.  Seriously the tears coursed freely down my cheeks through the whole meeting and Kate, Ellie and Zina couldn't figure out why I was crying. :) I am so grateful for the blessings in my life.  Words cannot do them justice.

  The Monday after Christmas we headed up Payson Canyon to the annual extended Thomas family dinner at the scout camp.  It was fun to find a little bit of snow for some sledding.  I spent the first couple of hours helping the kids slide down and haul their sleds up the hill.  By the time dinner was ready they (me) were all happy and hungry. :)

We went back to Grandma's and played some games after that since Wells/Emily and co. were leaving in the morning.  The next day I spent cleaning my entire house because we had spent the last couple of days waking up eating breakfast and then rushing out the door before we could clean up breakfast then coming home late late at night and falling into out beds exhausted. repeat that 3 times!!

We also found out that my Uncle Doug, Aunt Colleen, Devin and Braden were headed down to drop Devin's stuff off at BYUI and then to a BYU home game.  So we convinced them to stay at our house and they invited us to use their 2 extra tickets for the game.  Win win!  We fed them Mark's delicious homemade tamales, dropped the kids off at Grandma's and then enjoyed the game and ice cream after.  It's always a breath of fresh air to visit with family from Canada. Seriously I grew up on the family farm with these people and it's always just so fun to see them again.  Mark, Devin, Braden and I stayed up way to late playing our favorite game of aggravation.  In the morning we woke up and they treated us to breakfast at IHOP before they headed off again.

Don't worry the fun doesn't stop there....  I cleaned my house again to get it ready for my family to come down and then we headed off to Rexburg where we met them at the hotel.  They were bringing Attena down for her 1st semester at BYUI.  SO EXCITED FOR HER.  We love BYUI! It was so so fun to be on campus again and show her where all her classes were and remember that this was the classroom where I would sit and wait for Mark to get out of Bio 260something while 6mths pregnant with Zina, and this was the building where we met on the 2nd day of classes (the rest is history!), and this was our trailer home where we lived when Mark drove the Garbage truck and I was 9mths pregnant (we like our white trash story:).  Although it all made me feel so old and nostalgic - time does not slow down for anything and before I know it all my babies will be grown up and having babies.  Sigh.  I think it's the new year making me all achy inside.

(p.s. you will notice a plethora of pictures after this point....thanks Mom for a working (awesomely working) camera!!)

We were seeing who could make the funniest face.  Apparently all the rest are on my Mom's camera.

Uh huh. Go Mark!

 Doesn't this remind you of the conference center?  

While here I was thinking about how comfortable I would be

leaving my daughter here for school (in a good many years.:)

Anyways we had a great time in Rexburg with my family swimming at the hotel, playing games and just enjoying everyone SO much.  We drove back on Monday getting home at about 8:30.  On Tuesday we hit up the BYU bookstore with my family and then drove up the canyon for a beautiful sunny picnic.  I cannot believe the weather this winter.  It has been so warm. 

Grandma became Zina's little buddy this particular morning.  They got her all fixed up just the way Zina wanted and then Grandma promised her a photoshoot when we got to BYU campus.

She loved the attention. :)

 Haha.  

This was extra funny because we had just headed up Spanish Fork Canyon when I get a call from Liz.  Who I thought was in the other van.  Apparently we left her so I headed back.  Whenever everyone saw what it was we left sitting out on the curb they had a good laugh.  Then Grandpa went to flip around or something and crunched into the ditch.  oops.  No worries we got him out, and eventually made it up the canyon. :)

I love these people! :)