Our Family

The best thing about going out to Utah, besides Cafe Rio...Roberts...Betos...& Tucanos, is getting to be with all our loved ones that we are currently so far away from! These nieces and nephews are growing up so fast I feel like we are missing out on so much. But, the bright side is that we do get to come out and spend time, laugh, and eat lots of good food. Here are some random shots through out our trip.

Christmas day! It was so cute to see Natali get so excited. There were a lot of presents under the tree, and we were DESPERATELY trying to tell her they weren't all ours (by that I mean HERS). They were for all the other aunts, uncles, and cousins that would be coming during the day. We felt spoiled as always by Grandma and Grandpa, and the kids loved their treasures.

Christmas Eve ended up being a quiet evening after our big skating party. So Grandma decided to try and use the few grandkids left to do a nativity. With the group consiting of primarily 3 year olds and babies it was very simple and short. Costumes were imediatly ditched and tossed to the side. And baby Jesus was called "baby Jesus" and tended to our entire time in Utah. Natali was Mary, Oliver was Joseph, and anyone else who wandered over was considered a wiseman.

Every year there is an annual Hayes family skating party. Grandma & Grandpa rent out a skating rink for the 100+ aunts, uncles, grandkids, and great grandkids. There's plenty of food, door prizes, skating, and inflatable toys to be enjoyed. Not to mention walking around and socializing with people who you have no idea who they are. Ben honestly can not even come close to naming all his cousins, he finally has mastered his aunts and uncles! The kids had a blast and I look forward to it every year we are out there.

Confession: I started crying during the hokey poky. No it wasn't my sciatic nerve acting up. But as I stood there on the rink looking at all these people (95% of whom I don't even know their names and am related to by marriage) I just got a little choked up. It was amazing to know that all of these people were family and connected just because of two people. It was just one of those moments. I totally blame it on these dang pregnancy hormones, and felt pretty lame trying to hold back the flood gates during the Hokey Poky! For the LOVE!

Due to traveling during the holidays, the last couple of years we have had two Christmases. We have an Iowa Christmas and then usually a Utah Christmas. Maybe that's cheating, but I refuse to buy gifts in Iowa fly with them to Utah, open them in Utah, and then fly them back to Iowa. This year was so much fun with the kids. Isaac participated much more than last year, but still could really care less (still more interested in the paper and boxes). He was however very interested in the M&M's he found in his stocking.