It's crazy to think that another year has gone by! There were days when I thought time was going by so slowly, yet here I sit at the start of 2010! Anyways, Christmas was a blast this year! Chris and I were able to go down to Moab and we thought we would get a break from all of the snow. Yeah right! Moab got hit with snow and cold weather the entire 2 weeks we were there. But we still had tons of fun!
Chris and I arrived in Moab the Sunday evening before Christmas. Due to rooming arrangements, I slept in Annabelle's twin bed and Chris slept on a matress on the floor of Annabelle's room. At first I wondered if it bothered Chris that he was on the floor. But then it dawned on me that he was probably relieved that I couldn't take up 2/3 of his sleeping room (I tend to sleep really close to Chris at night!). But don't worry, Chris is thrilled to be sharing a bed again. Natalie, David and Rylie arrived Wednesday afternoon and we celebrated Rylie's 1st birthday. Of course, she didn't really know who all of us were, so she cried most of the time. On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional family poker game. I think dad came out the winner??? Just kidding, dad, I know you won! And Chris was runner-up so he got to put his name in the book! Way to go Chris! (No actual gambling occurred).
Christmas morning was full of surprises and lots of excitment. After opening presents, the family was able to talk with Gordon! Chris spoke to him in Spanish and assured us that Gordon is really picking up the language. It was good to hear his voice, especially since Chris and I don't know if we'll be able to talk to him next Christmas. The festivities continued with the whole family going to see
Sherlock Holmes on Christmas day and the start of a crash course on Mario Brothers Wii. The next few days were filled with endless Bowzer battles, football games, and fun. Natalie, David and Rylie said goodbye on Sunday and I did well not to cry.
The next couple of nights were occupied with intense football games and on Monday we celebrated Chris's 25th birthday! On Tuesday my mom, dad, Annabelle and I went to Grand Junction, CO for some "after Christmas" shopping. On Wednesday, my mom helped me sew some burp cloths for my visiting teaching companion who had her baby at the end of December. They are so cute! On New Year's Eve, we all spent our time at the Stake center in Moab watching the youth eat, dance, and karaoke. The Stake had a count down to the new year and hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling of the gym--it was pretty cool. New Year's day was filled with nothing but football and 7-layer dip! It was a blast to observe Chris and my dad while watching these games! Chris worked at the Potash plant while we were in Moab, but I know he really enjoyed being able to come home and watch football--especially the games where a Big Ten team won (Go Buckeyes!)! All in all, we had lots of fun and appreciate the hospitality of our families. We love you!
Here are some pictures from our Christmas vacation. Enjoy!
Rachel licking the snow--crazy girl!
Rylie opening a present
My favorite picture! This is pretty much how the whole party went!
There's a smile!
Natalie and Rylie on Christmas Eve
Rylie on Christmas morning eating one of her presents...so cute!
Natalie, David and Rylie on Christmas morning
Rylie and Grandpa Garrett--Grandpa working his charm!
Grandma feeding Rylie. We had to give her a bath after this!
Sunday afternoon nap--arranged by Bob Ross!
Annabelle's cute toenails
Rachel on New Year's Eve
Chris and I on New Year's Eve
Annabelle on New Year's Eve
Mom and Dad Garrett on New Year's Eve
Annabelle and Susan at the New Year's Eve party--crazy girls!
Mom and Dad Garrett dancing before the balloons fell
Chris and I dancing before the balloons fell--our first dance since our wedding...!
Here are some videos from Christmas! Enjoy!
Rylie laughing!
Birthday preview!
Rylie's sneeze--so funny!
Christmas Day with the Wii!
Chris's birthday!
Rachel singing "I Will Survive!" on karaoke with some young women!
In addition to all of this excitment, Chris and I have begun a new semester and with any luck, we will be done in December! I can't wait! Both Chris and I have pretty hard classes this semester, but we're used to that fact, and hopefully we can once again pull through. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Rachel licking the snow--crazy girl! 
