We're home!!!

After 3 weeks of being cramped in the truck and sleeping in other people's beds we are finally HOME!!! It was nice to spend time with family over the holidays and we are so fortunate to not have to rush back for anything. We actually cut our trip short by a week because of the unfortunate passing and funeral of my Grandpa Anderson.

Way too much has gone on in the past 4 weeks since I have written to try to catch up on it all but I will try my best to give some highlights and then when I upload pictures I am sure I will give more details.

Christmas Eve we spent with Devon's entire family and it was FABULOUS!!! Dawn did an amazing job of hosting the party and in my opinion it couldn't have gone better! The food was to die for, followed by all the cousins dressing up and acting out the story of Mary and Joseph. After that was done we did a white elephant gift game that was so much fun!!! After everyone had their turn at that we opened the presents that we gave each other. I can't think of anything that could have made this night better. It wasn't too long or too short...not too crazy or boring...just PERFECT!

Christmas morning we had at Devon's parents. Some of his brothers and sisters were there with their kids. For our family we opened out "Santa" gift and stockings. Then we all went in and ate a wonderful huge breakfast made by Devon's parents. After that everyone who was there gathered in the living room and took turns drawing "straw" papers out of "Jesus' cradle" that had acts of service written on them. Once you got one that had a service you had done on it then you got to open a present. We did this for a while....but it was taking a really long time - and not everyone had papers in the "cradle"( we were never even told about it so we didn't have anything in it so we would sit and watch then every once in a while we would just open our own)
Austin didn't really care for opening his Christmas presents. He got a tricycle from Santa and just wanted to play with that...and then everyone else's toys but none of his own. Maybe next year.

The day after Christmas we just laid low. The kids were mostly entertained by their new toys. Devon and I just hung out with is sister and her hubby. We just sat back and chilled. It was nice. Then on Saturday I ran down to the local craft store...we had stooped by on Christmas Eve day because I needed some ribbon to finish a Christmas present and they had TONS of Christmas stuff on sale for 70% off. We got a few things but with 2 crazy kids we didn't really get the chance to look as much as we/I wanted.....so on Saturday I ran back to the craft store and to my pleasant surprise everything was now 90% off!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn't even look at prices. I was walking around the store and just putting anything that I even thought I liked in my cart. I had so much stuff I started a pile up at the register. The ladies were just laughing at me, especially when they heard that I was taking all of this stuff with me from California back to Idaho. Little do they know that I was the one laughing the whole way out. I was getting all this stuff (and it is nice boutique/craft store christmas stuff) for literally pennies on the dollar! We got everything we could ever want and more...wreaths, trees, garlands, lights, santas, sleighs, ornaments, nativities, you name it! By the time I left on Saturday I had 3 baskets full of stuff. I was scared to go to the cash register and even more afraid to go home and face my hubby....on my way up I was just trying to sooth myself thinking of the explanations and excuses I was going to give my hubby for breaking the bank at the craft store. (Like: yes devon I really think that we needed 5 different alpine trees because when they were originally 39.00-79.00 and I am getting them for 4-8.00 I just couldn't say no!) So I held my breath as they rang up thing after thing after thing....and the grand total? 108.00! That's it! 3 FULL baskets of nice christmas stuff. CRAZY. I literally laughed when she told me the total...I was no longer worried about breaking the bank or having to explain anything to my husband. Enough stuff that originally would have cost 1,080.00! Now I can't wait for next year!! Hopefully next year (if they do this) I will not be blind sided by it and maybe even look for stuff for other people and gifts....and not just myself.

Oh, enough about my amazing finds LOL
The rest of the week we laid pretty low. We stayed at the house most of the time. It was nice just to spend time with family. We went one day and had family pictures taken at the beach, went the the children's museum in San Jose (AWESOME, I can't wait to go back when Austin is a little older) had a bon fire on New Years eve at the beach while we made smores and enjoyed the beautiful evening.

Devon and I had the opportunity to go on a nice dinner date together while my sister in law watched our kids. That is the first date that we have been on (other than going to the temple) since Halloween, and who knows how long before that. Devon had gotten a gift certificate 6, yes six years ago to a nice restaurant in Santa Cruz and we have never been able to use it. So we finally were able to redeem it. The restaurant was nice, the evening was peaceful, but the food wasn't that great. The bread and spread that we started with was to die for. Then we got the roasted artichoke appetizer. It was okay. I found it a little tough and just not that great. Then since we were at a restaurant over looking the ocean I thought it would be a great place to try the seafood. I mean you can't get it much fresher. So I ordered the muscles (side note; I love muscles! Ever since I worked out in Nantucket for a summer I learned to really enjoy the many different ways that they can be prepared) They were steamed in white wine with tomato and garlic, which sounded amazing to be but.......YUCK! They were horrid! They were bitter and about every 5th one I would eat and it tasted like I swallowed a mouth full of sea water. Unfortunately they were the worst muscles I have ever eaten. So sad. Devon got the Pork chops with an apple chutney. He said that the pork chops were nice and tender but it was absolutely flavorless. He was actually trying to shake salt and peeper out of the tiny salt and pepper shakers that were on the table when he bumped the bread basket and accidentally lit the napkin in the bread basket on fire from the candle that was on the table. HA! That was funny.
But over all it was a good night and nice to just be out without having to worry about the kids, so thanks Chelsea for watching the kids, it was a much needed break.

As for the rest of the vacation, that will have to wait for another time. It's late, the kids are now in bed for the night so I need to catch some zzz's.