Utah was fun, and now we're back

I started this post a month ago... ah well.  Here it is!

I loved being with family, and I even enjoyed playing in the snow.  But, I am so happy to be back in my own home and nice warm weather again :D  Preston said his favorite part about going home was the feeling of realizing we'll be back in Utah in less than a year!  If all goes as planned :)  Which it doesn't seem to do all that often.  So, we'll see.  Brayden and Zander loved seeing family and playing with new toys.  Brayden really loved playing with big cousing Mikayla this year.  They watched Barbie movies on the bunkbed together, used Mikayla's new check-out stand toy, and played with Brayden's toys too.  He is also getting more interested in playing games with us, although not quite ready to actually learn the rules.  Zander loved it too.  It was fun to see my boys and little cousin Makaila play together.  She and Zander are only a couple weeks apart in age and they liked to copy each other.  Although I'm pretty sure there was a little competitive feeling too.  Zander made her cry a few times.  He's turned in to quite a loud child and Kaila is not used to that.  She really liked being with Brayden though.  And he's getting to be a nice little boy who shares with the little ones.  But, we still have struggles every now and then.  I haven't decided if my favorite part was taking Brayden skiing at Solitude (although that was a lot of work!), seeing one of my best old friends (haha, meaning a best friend from the past) get sealed in the temple, or just seeing all the family and friends.  My least favorite part was having both kids get so sick it knocked them out with a fever for a couple days.  They both slept all day.  Yep, that's never happened before.  And it was actually sort of nice. But not at the same time.  You know...

Well, shucks.  I'm blabbing again.  I'll just load up the pictures.  That's what you really want to see anyway.

Our own family "Christmas" before we left for Utah.  Brayden was concentrating hard on the story and remembered almost all of it and performed it again for Grandma and Papa Brown.

Christmas Cookies!

Getting ready to ski

Santa couldn't eat all 25 cookies ;) So, he left a note and saved some for our breakfast!

We borrowed some of Grandy's stockings to use.

Our little Zander Clause again.  They both traded Santa and elf costumes for our different family parties.  They were really both Zander's size, but Brayden still looked good.

And the lovely temple square lights

building a snowman with Grampy

A shopping cart!!!  What they don't tell you is that you can't take it apart once you put it together. . . we had to leave that toy behind to get later.

a new vacuum for Brayden.  I requested that one!

Zander doing his tricks.  He's quite the little clown.

Mikayla with the purse, flower, and necklace we bought her and wearing the skirt I made!

Great Grandma Cottrell.

Preston's best buds - Rob and Steve (Plus Sara now!)

huge icecycles growing on the Brown's tree.

Driving his new car!

YAY Lacey!!  Beautiful bride!

Me and my sisters

crazy siblings