Joy In Our Posterity: 2013 in Review

Holy cow! It's been over a year since my last post! I can't even believe it. I finally got a new laptop, so I can post more regularly now. I hope! So here's a quick update up the big events of the past year. I'll do a kid-by-kid update later.

Last Christmas we drove to Utah to visit with John's parents. It was a wonderful trip. It snowed just about every day we were there, and the kids had a blast playing the snow multiple times a day. Grandpa had spent the week before our arrival piling snow into "The Matterhorn" so the kids would have snow to play with in case the rest melted. The Matterhorn just got bigger, and they ended up using it as a slide. Christmas Eve we had a little Nativity play. Aunt Ann, Uncle Kevin, and cousins Brooke and Kyle came from CA and Uncle Joe came down from Provo with cousins Ethan and Andrew for a couple days. It had been years since we had seen them all. The kids didn't get many presents, because after Christmas, we were headed to California to stay with Uncle Roy and Aunt Raydene and to spend 2 days at Disneyland! Woo-hoo! I think I was more excited than the kids! Here are a few pictures of our winter trip:

Spring was gorgeous, as Texas springs often are. We went to the botanical gardens while the tulips were blooming, played in rivers, and studied astronomy.

Summer was hot (duh). We drove out to North Carolina for the week of July 4th. I was sick most of the week, and wouldn't you know, I don't have one dang picture of our trip. I bet my mom does, though, maybe she'll send some too me after reading this? Maybe? We welcomed fall with a trip to Crystal Beach. My mom and dad flew into Houston and I picked them up on my way down. we rented a house for a week and had just a delightful time. Mom has most of the photos, but here are a few that I have:

On the way back from the beach, after dropping my mom and dad at the airport, Malachi and I were in a car accident and experienced our first ambulance rides. We ended up ok, John's car - not so much.

October - Halloween! We decorated cookies, carved pumpkins, and went trick-or-treating:

November was schnitzel Thanksgiving with Uncle Mike and Aunt Joyce, followed by decorating for Christmas. Finally! I have been listening to Christmas music since August! True to my nature, I didn't take ANY photos on Christmas morning. Oops!

The week before Christmas, my best friend had her 5th baby! He kids hung out at our house for a few days of excitement until their grandma came to town. Their was much fun had, and even a few spontaneous naps in the middle of the living room floor :). The kids all helped me make a baby quilt for the new baby.