Christmas in Nevada

After our wonderful time in Pittsburgh we set out for the long long drive to Nevada. Mariah and Chet did really well. The one night where I accidentally booked a hotel in Rock Springs instead of Laramie they had a pretty big melt down. That day was supposed to only be a 12 hour day but because of my whoopsie it ended up being a 15 hour day. They've forgiven me. 

Mariah decided it would be more fun to put the stickers on her toes than it would be on a paper. Whatever kept her from screaming was ok by us. 

We got together with some Kirksville friends in Utah before heading out to the ranch. It was great to see some of our besties. We really miss that place.

Carter, Max, Mariah and...creepy baby. Obviously a movie was on. But anyone could guess that by the blank faces. 

The next day we went to Sacrament meeting and then headed out on the open range! The six hour drive was nothing after the long days we had been pulling. But we were still really excited to get out of the car for a while after all the driving we had been doing. There was lots of fun times down on the farm.

Beautiful Beautiful Nevada. This is where I lived, the middle of nowhere... and I loved it. 

So happy about the snow.  

One of her favorite things to do! She talks about it all the time. 

I used to drive this clunker...at 2 AM and freeze...

Feeding the cows  

Itty Bitty snowman

Helping Grandpa feed the bulls. Mariah loved doing this and was so excited whenever Grandpa asked her if she wanted to tag along.  

My mom tagged along too because for some reason they didn't trust the five year old to drive while my dad flaked off the hay. Odd...pretty sure I was doing it when I was five. Maybe having the two two-year-olds along for the ride had something to do with it. 

Emerson was really serious about driving and honking the horn. 

Poor little Trey-Bear was sick most of the week we were there so Mariah didn't get to spend as much time with him. 

TMNT Jammies! 

We did Shepherds night with my family too and it was fun to see how excited the kids were to be shepherds. They all chanted "Shepherds shepherds shepHERDS". It took a while to calm them down enough to be reverent. 

Tiffany, Cameron, and baby Briggs were just perfect. The Spirit was so strong. 

We celebrated Christmas a day late so DJ and Amanda's family could be there. 

This girl was very serious about her stocking and present opening. 

All Chet really cared about was his orange. Probably because it looks like a ball. Why do we buy one-year-olds gifts anyways? 

We got Mariah a baby doll and Chet got a semi truck car hauler. But we didn't get a picture of him with it because he was too busy throwing his orange around. 

The princesses of the family. My mom has too much fun getting gifts for her granddaughters. 

I love these two with all my heart. 

The adults had to play Minute To Win It games before they could open their gifts. My mom does the most fun stuff for Christmas.

Shooting Clay Pigeons at Dan's cabin

"The Crossleys are such a happy family! How do they do it?" Wait for it...

Lots and lots of pictures. Eventually we'll get one where Chet has to get some air and he will look semi-happy. There you have it, thats the trick. 

My Best Friends! And I'm still the Amazon of the family...

We made gingerbread houses and the kiddos got to make Christmas trees. 

Emerson had to make sure the frosting was the right grade for his project. He did a lot of testing.

We went and played basketball one night and I even played a little. I totally "schooled" my dad. Thats what he gets for telling me all those years in High School that I needed to be more aggressive.

We got to talk to my brother Tyler on the phone on Christmas Eve. He is serving a mission in Japan and has been out for a little over a year. He has grown up so much. At the end he bore his Testimony in Japanese and then we all said, "Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah for Israel!" It was so special. I love that man so much. 

We had such a great week in Nevada. My mom always worries that we aren't going to have fun so she plans the best stuff. I was in Heaven the whole time. I am so grateful for the Christmas season. Most importantly because of what it is all about. And how better to celebrate the birth of our Savior than with the people we love most? 

December in Pittsburgh

After leaving Kirksville we stopped and stayed the night in Columbus. Tanner's parents were going to be working at the temple the next day and they watched Mariah and Chet in the morning so we could do a session. For the last few months Tanner and I have been going to the temple by ourselves so it was really nice to go together. 

We had such a great time with Tanner's parents and I think the best way to document our fantastic time would be through pictures.

Action Shot

Chet can only last the first page of any book, he's already ditching. 

Upper St. Clair has a great library

Mariah with her ornament...that you can't really see. She isn't so good at displaying things for pictures.  

Shepherds Night! We got to spend time with my cousin Adam and his cute little family. We wish we lived closer.  

Cutest little sheep

That smile, is Grandma Crossley's smile. It just warms my heart. 

And just a little about Santa Claus... we went to the mall so I could get pictures of the kiddos with the jolly fat man. But the cheapest shot I could get would have been $20 and the Santa was the creepiest I have seen by far. Chet was nervous before he was on his lap and lost it when I set him down. So yeah, we got out of there real fast. I thought it might have been the beard that stressed him out but as we were walking away an old man with a beard started talking to Chet and he warmed right up to him. That Santa just had bad vibes.

Lots of books were read. 

Lots and lots of books. 

We came home from church one day to a yard full of Turkeys. Crazy Pittsburgh. 

Oh Cindy Lennox's cookies...are the reason why my pants are too tight. 

Mariah "looking" for the Wise Men 

I picked Tanner up one night and we went through some churches and the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt. There are so many beautiful buildings in Pittsburgh. We came home that night to a big sheet on the kitchen floor with the popcorn popper in the middle without the top on. Mariah and Chet loved watching the popcorn fly. Grandma and Grandpa Crossley are too cool. 

The ward there did a Progressive Nativity for the Christmas social and it was so neat. There was a room with King Herod, the Wisemen (Debbie was in charge of that room so we got to help decorate), Shepherds, Angels, Innkeeper and Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. Each group had a special message. Mariah loved going from room to room and getting the treats at each one. The lady who organized it is obviously a mother: if you want children to be excited about something, include treats. 

It was so wonderful spending time with Tanner's parents. Mariah and Chet love their Grandma and Grandpa Crossley so much and I learn more and more each opportunity I have to spend with them. 

Thanksgiving

Tanner scheduled an out-rotation in Pittsburgh for the month of December. I decided that the kids and I should tag along so they could get some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa.

So right before Thanksgiving we packed up the house, put all of our belongings in a little trailer and then headed out(we were moving into a house in Mendon but couldn't officially move in until we got back). We were lucky enough to have Heather and Heidi with us on the drive to Kirksville. They were so wonderful to have along. They kept Mariah and Chet very entertained with their large repertoire of songs and wonderful melodious voices. Heck, they kept me very entertained. The twin thing was a little confusing to Mariah, but she figured out a way to deal with it. She just called both girls "Heather or Heidi". Quite ingenious if you ask me.

We stopped for a little break in a mall somewhere in Kansas. There was a Carousal and Mariah just had to go on it.

We had Thanksgiving in Kirksville with Brittany and Baydon. Tanner's parents came down from Pittsburgh as well. There were 8 adults and 4 children crammed into a tiny 3 bedroom apartment, but we had a great time. Mariah loved spending time with Annalie. Those girls are just too cute together.

Mariah's smile...

Making rolls with Aunt Heather. I've always thought a man peeling potatoes was incredibly attractive. 

One of the benefits of being in Kirksville again was getting together with friends. I even got to go to Exercise Group one morning. Oh how I miss that group!