...christmas eve...

My mom, my step-dad Kriag, and younger brother 

Jacob drove out to Utah to spend Christmas with us - 

YAY!!!

We spent Christmas eve in Kamas with my grandparents,

my Aunt Kristy, and a few cousins.

The love that Mabel has for her Uncle Jacob

is the sweetest thing. She has always had a special bond with

him and I love watching them interact. 

He would go downstairs to get a drink, or go to the bathroom

and Mabel would come running to me asking where

he went. I'm hoping Jacob wants to move to Utah 

and become our nanny. Please Jacob, I'm begging you,

at least for the winter!

When I was a kid my grandma would always makes

pounds of sugar cookie dough for me and my cousins

so we could cut out cookies and decorate them.  

We are carrying on that tradition...

but instead of quadrupling the recipe we just made

one batch for Mabel and Jack.

(Santa doesn't need the extra sugar cookie calories!)

Just a FEW sprinkles:

Mabel got some new doctor stuff

that she was very excited about.  She 

has been pretty obsessed with playing doctor

for a few months now since she had

her last vaccines.  She pretends she

is "Marci" our pediatrician's nurse.

(The one who gave her the shots.)

She helped everyone open their gifts:

  Grandma & Grandpa tried to stump

us again this year with a tricky plastic maze

with money inside that had to be solved 

in order to get the money out.

Nate got it first and I was second!

(Usually I am always last at figuring

out Grandma's clever puzzles.)

On the drive home we 

experienced a Christmas 

miracle....something

that hasn't happened for over 

two looooooong years...

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Mabel fell asleep

in her carseat!!!!!

Poor thing was exhausted from waking up at 

the crack of dawn, refusing to take a nap, and being

part of all the Christmas festivities. Instead of 

tap dancing in the backseat while yelling at the

top of her lungs - like she normally does when 

she is tired in the car - she just shut her eyes

and fell asleep.  Nate and I were in shock 

and I kept turning around to see if it was 

really true or if maybe she was just faking it

and her eyes would pop open and she would yell,

"Gotcha Ya Suckers!" 

But she didn't. She slept all the way home and

Nate and I got a glimpse into what life is 

like for most parents whose children

sleep in the car.

Heaven.