Montana Christmas

Another holiday season has come to an end. It all went so quickly, and I am really grateful that I have these pictures to jog my memory, because this year I wandered around in the "holiday haze."

Miles preschool put on a darling Christmas program, complete with reindeer antlers and jingle bells. Tate and I went to watch. I had our video camera rolling and Tate supplied plenty of brotherly support by clapping and yelling out "Yay, Miles!" after the first song.





Miles also had another karate testing 3 days before Christmas and is now the proud owner of a purple belt.

It was our year to spend Christmas with my family in Montana, and so we braved the frigid temperatures and headed north.

Along the way, we stopped at our favorite roadside diner, "Yesterday's Calf-A." It is located in a small Montana town called Dell, population 35. They converted an old school house into a quaint cafe, where everything is homemade and fabulous. Our server told me that people come from all over the country just to have their beef. I love to watch Scott's face whenever we stop here because he is truly in "man heaven." He just lights up over the meat, the potatoes and of course the freshly baked homemade pie. If you ever find yourself heading north on I-15, we highly recommend this place.

We arrived in Montana just in time for the Christmas Eve festivities. We had my entire family together except for my brother Shaun (whom we got to see later in the week).

The next morning, Tate was less than enthused about waiting for everyone to be ready before heading into the family room.



I'm afraid the idea of Santa is still a little lost on my children. They both dislike chaos and they struggled to muster the excitement required over so many gifts. It was all a bit overwhelming, as reflected in these pictures. They just don't quite have the look of most children on Christmas morning.:)













We spent 9 days playing games, seeing movies, snowmobiling for the guys, and lunch, show and shopping for the girls. Miles never left the side of his cool cousin Breyden, and Tate and his adorable cousin Brindley shared a bit of a love/hate relationship. She bit him and chased him around trying to hug and kiss him, and he mostly ran away as fast as he could. By the end they were on good terms and I think they both enjoyed the never ending attention they received.

The day we had to leave was really tough and emotional for me. Getting everyone together is such a rare and special thing for us. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my brother and his wife, and seeing how much their family has grown and what wonderful kids they are raising. My parents were the ultimate hosts and the entire house had my mother's magical Christmas touch.

On the way home, we hit a few rough patches of icy roads and limited visibility areas, but overall we made it home safely and are looking forward to a fabulous new year. I can't wait to do it all again!