Scout Cave Hike

We wanted to go on a hike but not one that was too long. I found the Scout Cave hike and we decided to do it. We parked in the construction parking of the Black Desert Resort (which stressed Courtney out) and then walked to the trailhead by the Welcome to Ivins sign.

It was a short hike through a dry wash and then up some steep stairs but it was worth it. There weren't too many people but the view was incredible.

It was definitely worth the time we took to hike it.

Baptisms

I had snagged an appointment for baptisms at the St. George Temple right when the appointments opened up. I was glad I had because they were filled when I looked later. It was fun to be there with all 4 of us. Ethan baptized Courtney and Bryan, then Bryan baptized Ethan and me. 

The workers are still learning so it took a bit longer and there were some funny mishaps but it was a good experience and I'm glad we were able to go. The sun was bright.

Courtney had a cool experience. When she got home, she realized that one of her earrings was gone. She was sure it had come out in the font so she didn't think she would ever get it back. The next day, Hayley called her (which is weird because they only SnapChat or text). I heard Courtney answer and say "No way!" about 500 times. When they finished talking, Courtney came in to tell me what had happened. Hayley had been in the temple doing sealings but had time enough to do something else so she decided to do baptisms. She didn't have an appointment but when there but they fit her in. While she was in the dressing room, she noticed an earring sitting on the counter near the mirrors. Hayley has the same earrings so she recognized it as Courtney's earring. Courtney had told Hayley that she lost it and so Hayley grabbed it and, after she was outside the temple, she called Courtney to tell her. What a blessing!

Christmas

We had a quiet but fun Christmas. Again, I didn't take many pictures. In fact, I only took 2 pictures.

But it was a great day. Ethan got photography stuff, a sushi making kit, and money. Courtney got shoes, cleats, and money. It was a good day all around.

Christmas is great when the kids are home.

Christmas Eve

I was horrible at taking pictures during the holidays. I was so excited to have the kids home that I didn't think to take pictures of what we were doing. I was just happy to have them there.

Since Christmas Eve was on a Sunday, we switched up our celebrations by having pizza on Saturday night. Christmas Eve we had dinner with my family and then opened presents so they wouldn't have to come over early on Christmas. 

That night we did our usual traditions of chimes, stories, and Ethan even put on the costume Jeff and Andrea sent us and read "A Christmas Carol" to us. It was a good night. 

We opened our pajamas, got changed, and then read the Christmas story from the Bible. Courtney was threatening to have us all up at 5 am so we went to bed.

Run Run Reindeer

Nothing says Christmas like spending $125 to get a free run t-shirt. ;) But seriously, this is a tradition that we love. We do the Run Run Reindeer almost every year. It gets us ready for Christmas and is always crazy with the weather.

We woke up to fog, which was crazy. We have run the race in the snow, in the sun, and in the wind. We never know what kind of day its going to be.

Luckily, it had burned off by the time we left for the race. This was the only wisp of fog left.

We lined up at the city park with all the other people. The boys wear their race shirts but, other than that, we don't dress up. Some people dress like elves, some like reindeer, and Santa even runs the race. Ethan and Courtney had smack-talked for a month about who was going to beat whom. They were determined to beat each other. I think this was their downfall.

When the gun sounded, Ethan and Courtney took off. We didn't see them again but I did track them on my phone to see who was going to win. Each time I looked, they were pretty close together. It was fun to track them while Bryan and I had a nice walk.

Bryan and I were about halfway when I noticed that Ethan and Courtney seemed to be together. Turns out, they both started out too strong and tired out so they came to a truce. They went the rest of the way together and finished together. Courtney said she is going to walk with Bryan and me next time. 

They waited for us to finish and then we got donuts and water. We also were given our medals. The medals are always huge!

It's a fun December tradition. 

Paletos

I have seen this little shop being converted to Paletos for a few months now and wanted to go. It just so happened that the opening day was when Courtney and I were driving around St. George doing some shopping. We stopped, got in line (it wasn't very long), received a popsicle stick for a free treat, watched them do the grand opening with a ribbon cutting, and then got our free treat. It was fun. 

I got an Oreo ice cream popsicle dipped in chocolate and Courtney got a mango popsicle without chocolate. Mine was delicious but Courtney's tasted like dirt. So she enjoyed a bit of mine. Now I have been to Paletos. 

Gingerbread Barn

Courtney and her friends decided to make a gingerbread house that looked like the Stoddard Center on SVU campus.  They got a kit, modified it, and it turned out really well.

Unfortunately, it was dropped while they were taking pictures and broke apart. But they had fun while it lasted.

Christmas tree

Our Christmas tree is up!  We thought we may want to wait to put it up until the kids were home for Christmas but Courtney didn't want to come home without it being decorated. So we took time and decorated for Christmas.