CHRISTMAS UNWOUND

Here is our Christmas RECAP - in Rewind mode: Mikey and Aisy wear their Christmas church clothes for 5 weeks in a row, just to get good use out of them. And now they will be retired and passed onto future cousins to come.

SAYING GOODBYE to our LOVELY UTAH FAMILY - of those pictured here are Andee and Ethan Ott...I think Andee should be sitting on the 3 little santa's laps! And I am sure she would be wishing for sleep this Christmas, oh the joys of being a new mom -- Andee sure is a great one.

Mikey and Aisy in the BIG stocking! Getting packed away for Christmas in Iowa.

Wendy's Timpanogos High School Basketball team dinner at Coach Carey Hopkins (Potter). In the BACK: - Aubrey Young Johnson, Ashley Buswell Larsen, Melanie Davies, Carey Potter Hopkins, Korbie Tomlinson, FRONT: Stacey Gonzales Thomas, Celeste Roberts Fiefia, Wendy Ott Bucy, Emily Durrant Bennett (with her adorable baby), and Melinda Champlin Andrews.

We really missed having assistant coach and team spirit Mickey Jacobs Coombs there and some of the other girls who have since left the state or recently had babies. What a night, how I miss the girls and how so many haven't changed a bit!

Trip to Cabella's with Dad and Grandpa Tim. We saw soo many animals, they loved the fish tank and all the Wildabeast heads - because they killed Mufasa.

Aislynn decided in the 'Big Game' area that I am the girl moose and Dad is the boy moose.

We had a fun game night at my parents and it was exciting to see all the new babies. Here was the older bunch, because Sean and Josh weren't able to come - but Louk, Mikey, Aisy and Sofia sure had a riot.

Here's those new babies - Jessica's little Alyson (being held by Aunt Shelley) and Katie's little Nicholas. Both were so content and beauiful. Nicholas was a little brick, he carries his weight well and Alyson was just perfect with so much hair!

Having fun and watching WALL-E.

After Christmas we had a spledid arrival of Steve, Andee and Ethan - how sweet they were to come up after they had about 10 christmases already. Mikey was very happy to get a chance to hold Ethan. He couldn't talk about much else - it was definitely a highlight, along with riding Grandpa's motorcycles.

SLEDDING - another highlight. My little oompa loompas went sledding with Grandma and Elise and I snapped pictures mostly. There was a little hill at the junior high by my parent's house and to get back up the hill, the kids layed in the sled and were pulled up. Aislynn is portraying the "Lady of Chalot" (Anne of Green Gables anyone?)

Mikey accidently started sliding down the hill before Grandma could hop on. He was so proud and yet mildly horrified to be going down by himself and he gently glided right into a pole to stop his progress. Luckily he was going slow so there was no repeat of biting off a tongue like Steve did when we were kids and he hit a pole.

Here's more baby Ethan, the biggest blue eyes, what a handsome little man.

Ready to go sledding? Remember I said this is a recap in rewind! What cute snow babies.

And here's Christmas Day - with captions only when necessary.

I believe they were singing about an apple tree....Uncle Steve must have influenced them.

Cool goggles - "Uncle Jeff, poke me in the eye"

This is Christmas Eve - we went to Temple Square and rode on a horse drawn sleigh.

Aislynn loved the Horsies and as we got in the car on our way to see them she asked Aunt Elise, do you love horsies? To which Elise replied, yes I do - and then Aisy said, oh, me too!

Walking with Grandpa to see the lights while we waited in the horse line and donated money to the beggars passing by.

Jeff skipping Priesthood to play with Aisy and Mikey, what a rebel...

Mikey frosting and sprinkling some of Grandpa's famous sugar cookies.

On the sleigh in Des Moines and ready to dash through the snow and ride 16 hours to Utah -- oh what fun!