What a week!

My niece's first Christmas tree experience! This is her on Christmas eve... She just started crawling about a week before she got here... she's now a pro!

This has been a very eventful week. My mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and niece arrived on Christmas Eve... and without a doubt my niece is even cuter now than over the summer.


Christmas day was relaxing, enjoyable and full of fun present giving and receiving.

I love this picture! Raley looks a little annoyed with Christmas already... it was just a flook though. She loved it! I made her stocking and am quite proud of it.

Tater surrounded by presents! Needless to say, the lack of routine on Christmas makes it one of Tater's least favorite days... but he did well!

Raley, of course, was the hit of the day. She liked all of her presents, though the bowl and plate set was probably her favorite (go figure... give a baby loads of toys and she'll pick the plastic flatware to play with)!

Raley with her bowl and plate!

My big Christmas present was big... Reid and his parents went in together to buy me a laptop! How I got through graduate school without one is still a mystery. But I am typing on it right now and it will definitely help me with grading, school work, etc.... So thank you Reid and Chris and Annie! This is a gift that will get a daily work-out.

The weekend was pretty uneventful. My mother has had a cold since she got here. Sunday I woke up with a bit of ill-feeling but pushed it aside to have another first on Monday. I went snow-boarding with Sarah, Dan and Reid. Dan is quite an accomplished snowboarder and he tandemned with me (holding my hands while facing me because luckily he is regular and I am goofy... as if we needed snowboarding to prove that!). He kept me from falling most of the day (except when we went down together in a glorious frenzy that once included a somersault by Dan to avoid me and another that involved both of my gloves flying off my hands in opposite directions). At the end of the day I went down the easiest green run on my own (and fell down a lot but not nearly as much as at the beginning of the day). Next time Reid and I go to Wolf Creek I plan to try skiing again (the last time I skiied I was sixteen)... thought I am sure if I take to it more easily than snowboarding my brother-in-law will think less of me!

Look! I'm standing!

But, of course, not for long. That's Reid behind me.

By our trip home I was starting to feel poorly again. This morning I woke up and said enough is enough... and headed to my doctor's office (with my mom in tow). My mom has some sort of infection in her chest is on antibiotics. I have strep throat! I've never had strep before... but it's good to know I'm not making up the horrible feeling I have. I have already taken my first antibiotic and I hope to be feeling more like my normal self in a few days.

I hope that you have enjoyed your holidays as much as we have enjoyed ours here! Watching a nine month old enjoy her presents (including these blocks) really brings a smile to my face. Doesn't she look happy??