Christmas Vacation

So, for the first time in almost 9 years we went home to Albuquerque for Christmas. It is weird to call ABQ home, by now Phoenix feels more like home to us. We were joined in ABQ by Chad's sister, her husband, and our niece and nephew.

The best part about the trip was that Chad's parents got a hotel room for the week (with 3 beds and 2 baths) and they stayed there with all 4 of the grandkids at night. Thats right....Chad, Michelle, Clint, and I had their house all to ourselves after about 8pm every night! We took advantage of it by having fires everynight and either visiting with Mic and Clint, or by watching movies. It was very relaxing.
I had also forgotten how much the cold weather puts me into the Christmas mood. It some how just feels more like Christmas when it is snowing. Unfortunately none of the snow that came down stuck, but it was still beautiful to see. I think I got a picture of some of it on the mountains.

We spent the rest of our time making cookies, decorating the Christmas tree, eating mexican food and Dions (our favorite pizza place), and going to the light show at the Botanical Gardens. This is me, Mic, and Maia!

One of the funnest things we did was meet up with a group of friends that we have known since high school and go bowling. Everyone brought their kids and we had a blast! The next morning we got up and met Matt and Shannon for breakfast at a place down by the University. We really managed to fit alot in. I only got a picture of the guys, but here they are: Mike, Scott, Matt, Mitch, and Chad :)
In the picutre below it is Matt, Shannon, me, and Chad. It was taken by one of the kids at the house Matt and Shannon were staying in.

When we get together with Chad's family, we tend to get a little out of control. One of the funniest things we did this year was to play a joke on Chads mom by messing with her lighted reindeer in the front yard.

WARNING...the picture below may not be suitable for young children

Family Pictures

Finally, the daunting task of getting some family pictures taken is DONE! I decided with the overcast weather, a new hairdo, and a night off of work that today was the day. The boys were good for the most part. Now all that is left to do is print them out and send off the Christmas letter. Here are a few of the pictures we took this afternoon.

Not too bad for the 5 minutes it took for me to get them done. I just set up a tripod in the street and begged my kids for some smiles.

A New Meaning to A Midnight Snack!

I finally went to see Twilight for the second time! I decided that it had been far too long since I have done anything fun with my boys, so after I found out that I was not at all likely to be called into work, I suprised them by taking them to see a movie. They have been asking to see Twilight for a while now. Then we came home and it was straight to bed for them since it was a school night.

So, after dozing off on the couch for a while, Chad and I went to bed to watch TV. This sums up a typical 1st night off for me. Too tired to do anything productive, but afraid to go to sleep at 10pm for fear that I will be wide awake in the middle of the night. Anyway, at about 11:30p Chad realized that he had never eaten dinner, and being on the crazy night schedule that I am on, I decided to eat with him. He called a bar/grill by the house and before you know it we were eating hot wings and fried jalepenos with ranch in bed! It made for a late night and some bad heartburn, but I think we will always remember those types of moments together.

Christmas Baking

While I have not yet made the effort to decorate the house yet, I did finally start my Christmas baking. Tonight was the first night of 3 and so far we have over 100 buckeyes, over 50 snowballs, and a HUGE bowl of munchie mix.

Several more cookies, and brownies are yet to come as well as homemade posole and red chile enchiladas, YUM!

Nothing says Christmas like red chile for those of us that are from New Mexico.

Blog Slacker

Wow, what a slacker I have been. Today is my day to catch up on everything! From grocery shopping, to cleaning, to ironing, to blogging, it will be a busy day.

I have been working like crazy and work has been so good. I am constantly reminded why I decided to do this for a living.

Chad and the kids got back in town on Sunday. They had a great time in ABQ. It has been a hectic week, but my kids are growing up and have been understanding.

I better get started on my hectic day. I will post new pictures soon.