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?