Home for the holidays

We had a white Christmas after all! The 3 of us made the long trek home for the holidays....2 days of driving with a fidgety toddler and a stinky dog and one very long night in an equally stinky motel room... but it was worth it a hundred times over!! We had such a wonderful time with our families in Utah. This year was a Richardson year for Christmas so we had a lot of fun times with that side of the family! There was plenty of fun to be had on my side as well though! We stayed with Mom and Dad in Highland and got to spend quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Rice who came down from Canada for the holidays - what a treat! We sure missed Mel and Erin's families though - Christmas just isn't the same when all the family is not there. Eric had to leave after only 6 days due to work (poor guy) but Gabe and I stayed on another 10 days and really lived it up! (We passed on the drive home... a 1 1/2 hour flight is a bit more bearable!!) Here are snapshots of the fun...

Christmas Eve

We had our traditional Christmas Eve evening with my family on the 23rd...Chicken a la King for dinner, Christmas songs and stories galore, reading of the birth of Christ from the Bible, lots of shortbread cookies and homemade candy, and to top it off watching The Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version - a family favorite). I LOVE our family traditions... it was an evening to cherish, like every year! :)

On actual Christmas Eve we went to the Richardson's for dinner and a rockin' party! This is a big family get together that Eric's family traditionally hosts for the entire Evan's extended family. Cheryl makes a delicious dinner then we move out the tables and get to visit with each other, eat tons of goodies, and even open one present! Gabe was beside himself with excitement when he opened a tow truck from Grandpa and Grandma Evans... he was literally bouncing up and down and opening and closing his fists while he was waiting for us to get it out of the box! It was so cute!

Christmas morning... bright and early!

Santa definitely found us in Utah! We all received wonderful gifts on Christmas but the best part was watching Gabe open his... oh my goodness, did that little boy get spoiled! We need more grandchildren on Eric's side of the family! :)

Later on in the day we headed back to the Sterzer's for Mom's famously scrumptious turkey dinner and gift-opening-fun with the family! This Christmas was different than any before since we were literally coming home for Christmas. It made me appreciate family so much more... being able to spend time with those we love is a gift... the best gift I could have ever asked for! Thank you to both our families for providing us with such a warm and loving holiday. We love you bigger than the sky!!