26 Shopping/Anniversary

Jackie, Grandma, Stacia, and I braved the storm and the crowds to continue our Dec. 26th shopping tradition. It was such an amazing day. I love spending time with them, and the shopping and yummy lunch is an added bonus. We start our day off at Crate and Barrel. They have really good after Christmas sales! Then we hit up Macy's... WOW Macy's didn't disappoint this year. My Grandma got an IPAD for Christmas so we needed to take her computer to the Apple store so we could update the system. It was nuts! She made an appointment, and we still had to wait 30 minutes. I don't know that I have ever been in a store with that many people. It was crazy. We then went to lunch at the yummy Cheese Cake Factory. I have NEVER tasted diet coke that good before. It was an awesome day! Thank you so much Grandma and Aunt Jackie.

Love them!

12/30/2010 marked Jake and my FIVE year anniversary! What a great five years it has been. We are going on a cruise to celebrate our anniversary in a couple of weeks, but we couldn't just do nothing on the day of the anniversary. I texted Josie, and we made plans to go to XS for dinner. Jake said that they might feel awkward (he's goofy!) since it was our anniversary. So I said we wouldn't say anything. haha Josie and her memory like an elephant put it together quick! After dinner we went and saw True Grit. I really enjoyed the movie. Jake made me watch the original the night before, and so it was fun to compare them. It was such a fun night! Happy to have celebrated it with the Nyberg's! 

Stac got me all trendy. She bought me the cute boots for Christmas, and she did my hair like it has never been done before. ATTA girl!

Love you Jakey Jake!

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas in Lake Arrowhead. After the rain stopped the weather got nice, and the company was perfect!!!! Brilee is a very spoiled young girl! Thank everyone so much for making our Christmas perfect. We love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake reading a little Christmas story and Christmas Eve.

AJ helping out in the kitchen by doing a little jig!

Brilee was a "Grammy girl" the whole time we were in Cali.

haha

Stac and I in our Christmas jammies. (Brilee went to be during dinner or else she would have been with us too.)

This is how Tator prefers to sit in California...

Brilee and Jake had a rough time waking up Christmas morning.

Stacia had the honors of walking Brilee out Christmas morning.

Brilee with her stocking. Santa loves Brilee!

Christmas 2010

Brilee and all her presents she had to open. She ended up getting tired and leaving a pile to open later in the afternoon. 

Oh Brilee! What a spoiled baby you are.

After she got sick of opening presents we sent her to the bedroom for a minute while they set up Santa's last gift for Brilee... This is her first (well, sort of first.) reaction to the Pink Jeep. Unfortunately, on Christmas Eve Brilee was upstairs getting ready to take a nap when she saw the big box that Santa asked GGMA to store for him. She jumped up out of bed and started yelling "Pink jeep... beep beep jeep..." It didn't end either. She then tried opening it. "Open Grammy. My beep beep jeep. Open pink jeep..." Grammy said she couldn't so we hear, "Grandpa... open it." haha funny little girl!

She LOVES this jeep more than anything! She couldn't be happier with her little life. It was a fight any time she couldn't be in it. 

GGMA was very kind and let her drive it in the living room for a few spins. Then it started scratching the hard wood floor so AJ said we could go ride it at her school. I took a kicking, yelling, crying Brilee out of the jeep to put her shoes and coat on her. We promised her the jeep wouldn't go anywhere. Well, it had to go to the truck to go to the school. Brilee came back into the living room, the jeep was gone, and she was devastated. 

So... we let her sit in it for a minute in the back of the truck.

Brilee and her Christmas loot. (Minus the toys she didn't open, the jeep, and her  computer aka "puter"...)

LONGEST drive ever...

My Mom, Stac, Brilee, and I left for California on Monday. When they got to Roosevelt to pick Brilee and I up we were happy because it wasn't snowing. We got to Myton and had to turn on the windshield wipers. By the time we were in Duchesene it was snowing hard. We stopped for a drink in Duchesene and were told by a stranger that Strawberry was not good! We were nervous and debated turning around. We decided to drive and if it ever got scary we would just turn around. Strawberry was slow (4wd the whole way) but not scary. We had planned on going to visit my cousins, aunt, and grandparents in Salt Lake but due to weather we decided to just go through Provo so we could get to Cedar and get off the road!!! We headed about six miles up Provo Canyon and got turned around due to an accident. We asked how long the canyon would be closed and were told 4-6 hours. Luckily, that meant we got to go and see Amy, Cathy, GMA, and GPA!!!! It was such a nice break to be able to visit with them. Brilee got some fun presents... she now sports a pink hoodie that says "Brilee Bear", and it has two cute ears on the hood. She.Loves.It. After our visit we felt good about our travels. Brilee fell asleep before we got to Provo and took a nice nap until we stopped in Nephi. It kept snowing/raining the whole way. We kept saying it would quit soon. Wow, we were wrong. Brilee was a good girl and watched a lot of movies, read some books, and did a little yelling. We were going real slow (back in 4wd), the snow was pounding us! When we came to a traffic jam right after Cove Fort. We put the truck in park, got Brilee out of her seat, and started trash talking the other drivers. Stacia got out of the truck (we told her not to...) to see what was going on. We were told there was an accident seven miles from where we were. Then it happened all at once... cars started getting into the emergency lanes and driving fast. We were sooooo mad! We were yelling at them and Stac was flipping them off. Then the two lane freeway was a four lane freeway all jammed up! The snow plow was trying to get through to get to the accident to plow in front of the tow truck. He was doing his best, but he ended up hitting our mirror with his blade. It sounded and felt like he took our whole front end off. We all screamed. Stacia jumped out of the truck and ran and jumped in the cab of the plow driver to tell him he had hit us. He had NO idea, and he felt bad about it. We got his information and then saw a police officer. We asked if he would do the report and he said, "Sure if you just want to pull over and wait for this mess to clear up." UH NO THANKS! He then asked us to not move where we were at, and told the van next to us the same thing. Pretty soon traffic started moving and we didn't know what to do. The van rolled down the window and asked if we were not going to move. We said I guess not. We waited another minute and then the police officer came through, and didn't even wave. We took off right after him. We went slow, and we got passed by idiots driving way too fast for conditions. One of those idiots spun out and started coming straight towards us. My mom freaked a little but handled the situation. She accelerated right passed the car (which was now spinning doughnuts), but the car and semi behind us didn't avoid the collision. After that we didn't see head lights behind us for a long time. We stopped in Beaver and were told that the weather would improve soon! We were happy and decided to keep going to Cedar (we debated getting a room in Beaver). The weather NEVER improved. Poor Brilee was soooooo scared by the time we got to Cedar she was hiding in a blanket and would not take it off her face for 45 minutes. The big trucks would throw snow when they passed us, and she HATED it!!!!!! It broke my heart that she was so scared. We finally pulled into Stac's apartment at 2145. WOW! 14 hours to Cedar City. Brilee had a bad night (rightfully so) and that meant I didn't sleep either. We woke up early Tuesday morning and took off. Luckily, it didn't snow (only rain) in Cedar. It rained so hard though!!!! We have never seen anything like it. The St. George golf course is now the Virgin River, the Virgin Gorge looked more like Bridal Veil Falls, and Primm has a new lake that is about 95 miles long. We got into another traffic jam at the bottom of Cajon Pass. Del called and looked it up for us and said if we could find the Cleghorn exit it could take us where we needed to be. Luckily, we were right at the exit. We cut a couple people off and then everyone started following us. It was a little scary as the water was about to reach the road... but we made it! We finally got up the hill and have NEVER been so happy to get out of the truck. Our windshield wipers were on from Myton until Lake Arrowhead. The storm of the century will never be forgotten by us!!!!!! Now we are in Lake Arrowhead and LOVING our holiday season. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!!!!

Hiding with Aunt Cathy.

Amy and Bryan made Brilee the CUTEST hoodie. She loves it.

Stuck in our traffic jam.

Virgin River

2010 Party

WOW! My parents know how to throw a fun Christmas Party. We woke up to snow, and that made the drive to the cabin a little rough. We got to the cabin and tried to drive in. Jake gave it about three tries, and then we just parked at the gate and rode the Rhino in. Angie was right behind us and she made it up to the cabin (got a little stuck, but not bad). Well, after that everyone who came started getting stuck. The first couple hours of the party were spent shoveling and pushing vehicles out of the snow. Santa called and he was having Reindeer issues... so luckily, he was an hour late. We got everyone to the cabin started decorating cookies, and then we saw Santa on the Rhino!!!! Brilee was shell shocked as Santa walked in, and the only thing she could think to say was, "Santa, cat hat". (Bob the Bob Cat wears a Santa hat at Christmas time. Brilee loved it.) Santa read The Polar Express to us and then all the kids had a chance to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted. During the story you would have thought Santa was Brilee's best friend. She kept yelling "Santa, Santa, Santa." She looked over at my Dad and said, "Grandpa, Santa." She couldn't believe he was real. "Santa eyes, Santa nose... SANTA, SANTA, SANTA". As we waited in line to see Santa Brilee was blowing him kisses. Then the fun ended. It was time to sit on Santa's lap and she didn't think that was cool. The crying began. She grabbed her bell from Santa and took off. Santa definitely made a lasting impression though, all we have heard since we left the cabin is how Santa is home, Santa is sleeping, etc... Thanks so much for the memories, and thanks for coming everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elly had a dentist app. this morning and so some of the Laws' rode up to the cabin with us. Brilee was really bugging Mar Sue, but then they decided to just be friends. I turned around and saw them holding hands. It was such a sweet little cousin moment! 

Brilee got to the cabin and wanted to be outside. "I ride." All she wanted today was to ride the Rhino...

Cookie decorating at its best! I was a little nervous to frost my cookie. I watched a lot of knifes get licked and put back into the frosting. Sometimes you just got to taste the frosting.

Ty Man with his ginger bread men.

Brilee and the real Haddy.

Cutie Patooties!

Grayson got in line to see Santa about 45 minutes before he showed up.  

Stac and Brilee during Santa's story.

Chazzy (or today she was Ramona) loves Santa!

Stac complains about never making the blog... there you go Stacia!

The only picture of Brilee and Santa. She fought very hard to get away.

Aw now that's a cute Santa picture. 

Some of thekids at the party!

She let Amanda take her back to see Santa as long as she didn't have to sit on him.

Brilee LOVES the Rhino. She couldn't believe when Grandpa and Daddy got on the Rhino without her. It broke her tender little heart, and Grandpa couldn't stand it. So he grabbed her and took her to get the Manwaring's van unstuck.

Scooter taking his first trip down the hill in the sled!

Brilee wasn't sure what was going on. 

Then she figured it out! She loved it.

She was living the good life of sledding. She rode down the hill with a sled full of kids, the kids all jumped out at the bottom, she laid back, relaxed, got pulled up the hill, threw a fit when we tried to take her out of the sled, won, and started over again.

Haddy was snug as a bug in rug! (Does this look familiar GGMA? Haddy is putting it to good use this winter too!!!)

After everyone left she got to lay on Grandpa, feed him some popcorn, and talk about Santa.

After a long day!