We had a snow storm right before we left for St. George on Dec 22. It was fun to load up our "summer" toys and head to warmer weather!
December 23 we hit Sand Hollow State Park for a fun day of exploring and being outdoors.
Sand Hollow is HUGE and neither Blake or and I had ever been. We met these really nice guys who let us follow them around for a bit. They took us to this neat place called "The Flinstone House" The kids loved getting out and exploring the rocks and playing inside the "house"
With all this sand around, the kids were begging to take a break in the afternoon to go play in it!
Christmas Eve was on Sunday, so we took a break from playing. We went to church and heard beautiful messages and songs about the birth of our Savior. We visited with Blake's Grandma, Shirley Riley, who was able to come over for Christmas Eve dinner along with Blake's aunt and uncle and a couple of his cousins.
After dinner, the kids were excited to come home and get ready for Christmas! This year, all the kids got new slippers and Uncle Jared sent each kid a fun, new Christmas movie.
Then it was time for Santa to get to work. This year was really different in that we've never spent a Christmas away from our own home. Blake's mom had been so busy caring for her own mother that there weren't any Christmas decorations up. We brought our stockings down and left a note for Santa at the house telling him where he could find us. As you can see, it all worked out!
Blake showing Grant the "official" north pole labels Santa left on the presents.
We had a fun-filled morning complete with a yummy breakfast afterward.
Christmas day was spent back at Sand Hollow doing a technical trail ride that had mom gripping the seat-belt and insisting that she and the kids needed to get out and walk.
You couldn't beat the views though!
After the technical ride, we went on an easier trail to end our day.
This was a fun family adventure for us. It definitely was a different type of Christmas for us in a lot of ways, but different isn't always a bad thing. We were able to see Blake's grandma and talk and visit with her. One of our special moments was seeing her in the hospital and the kids sang her Christmas songs. They all now have a special memory of their Great-Grandma Riley. Grandma Riley passed away on New Year's Eve, so we are especially grateful to have had some time with her. It makes the gift of our Savior's birth that much more special knowing that because of Him we will be able to see her again.
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