New Year's Eve Countdown

We had a cousins New Year's Eve party at Grandma Newbold's house. We had a countdown chain for each hour starting at 7pm and going until midnight with a clue. The clue told where a bag was hidden for the activity of the hour. It kept the kids busy and they went off and played their own things until the top the hour and the adults got to talk.

The first activity was at 7:00pm and they kids found a bag with bowls in it. They were told they were going to have a snow sculpture contest and they had to go out and fill their bowl with snow and then make something. Abby thought it was a bowl of food and sat at the table and ate it. Lance was the winner with the snow turtle.

8:00pm they found water bottles and we filled them with colored water for them to color the snow. I heard the older kids drenched the snowman in the front yard and turned it all yellow.

At 9:00pm we all played Grandma's famous candy bar game.

The kids even challenged Grandma to a bubble gum blowing contest.

Some where between 9pm and 10pm we lost Grandpa to one of many naps.

At 10:00pm we took some crazy photos and made a scrapbook page. I all the kids a page that had a spot they could fill in about some of their favorite things of 2009.

11:00pm was time for another nap for Grandpa. Todd also took a nap after snowboarding with the guys all day. It was that or the scrapbooking he had to help the kids with.

11:00pm they found one of the last bags that had supplies to make party shakers. Every year the kids have made a new years noise maker that we keep at Grandma's house to use for the next year. The collection is pretty cool and fun to see each new years.

Just before midnight we all went in and watched a slide show from the pi cures we had taken and then found a bag with all the noise makers and watched the ball drop on TV to bring in the new year.

Our Newest Little Ski Bunny

Todd's favorite thing to do in Utah is to go snowboarding. He usually goes with some friends, but one day Blake, Hailey and I went with him. We signed Hailey up for ski school because it was her first time and Blake went with us. Hailey was a champ about doing ski school and she loved!
Blake Todd and I skied together while she was at school, which meant we had to stay on the bunny hill. We still had a great time and Blake had a lot of fun.

Once Hailey was done she skied with Todd and Blake for a few runs before we left. It was snowing the whole day so the slopes were perfect. The kids didn't seem to mind it at all.

Hailey always held her arms up as she was coming down. We had a pretty good laugh watching her.

We can't wait to go again. Next time I am buying my own boots and not renting them. Hopefully when it is a little warmer also.

Snow much fun!

There was plenty of snow in Salt Lake while we were there. The kids loved going out back to play in the snow. It was the first time for Abby to really play in the snow. She stayed out for a while stomping around in scooping up the snow.

Grandpa Newbold always gets roped into making snowman with the kids. He is such a pushover he doesn't even make them what while he puts on gloves.

Bingo with Grandma Ruth

My Grandma Ruth turned 96 on November 3rd. She is doing well for someone her age. They put her on oxygen recently because they thought she might have pneumonia. Nothing holds her back though. We went to see her and found her playing bingo with some friends. The kids thought that was pretty cool that she was playing bingo and were amazed with the bingo ball cage. Hailey wanted to take this picture. We went back to her apartment with her to visit for awhile. The kids always like to look at her butterfly things she has. She loves butterflies. They also love that she always has chocolate and popcorn in a bowl. Grandma Ruth has a boyfriend at 96 (Grandpa Robinson passed away about 45 years ago). When we asked her about Earl she perked up and said how good he was to her and what a gentleman we is. He moved down the hall into the same senior center as my Grandma this last year. Pretty funny.

Zoo Lights on a cold night!

It was freezing cold when we went to see the Hogle Zoo lights, but the kids loved it anyways. The temperature was 20 degrees. A lot less then we are used to. While up in Utah on Monday night we went with Grandma and Grandpa Newbold to see the lights. Jazmin wanted to come along too even though she had been there already with her Mom and Dad.
The whole time Hailey was so anxious for the hot chocolate we promised. That is one of the kids favorite thing about our Utah trips. Getting hot chocolate whenever they want from Grandma Newbold. I think they had chocolate milk for breakfast every morning.

We went inside the reptile house to keep warm.

Blake was out expert telling all about the reptiles.

Jazmin and Madison took turns riding in the stroller with the blanket. Abby was happy as can be walking around. I think she is the only one who wasn't cold because she was bundled up the most.

After the zoo we went to the Training Table for dinner. One of my high school hang outs that Todd and I always go to while in Utah.

Christmas in Utah

The day after Christmas we packed up the car and headed up to Utah to visit Grandma and Grandpa Newbold. We got there a couple of hours before our family Christmas party started. They all get together for breakfast on Christmas morning and open some gifts and then what for us to come and the cousins open gifts to and from each other that night.

After opening presents we played some games. The kids played with their new things and the rest of us played our new games, Things. We had a great time and learned a little too much information about my Mom and Dad. Very fun!

Jazmin and Madison both got matching keyboards and they did performances for us all week. They wanted the adults to all do the dancing.

Christmas Night

After playing at home with our toys it was time to pack up the rest of the presents and go down to San Diego. First we went to Aunt Carol and Uncle Steve's to visit our Hillerman Cousins. It is always fun to see Jake and Josh. Aunt Carol and Cousin Lisa love to spoil us.

Abby thought she was sneaky taking candy canes of the Christmas tree.

Next we went to Grandma Di's house to spend the rest of the evening. Grandma Di got all of the kids to sing some Christmas carols before all the cousins could tear into the presents from each other and Grandma Di.

The rest of the night the kids played wii and the rest of us sat around and ate yummy food and talked.