2009 Ended Fine

Our last week of Christmas break was spent vegging out, vegging out, vegging out, and hiking and bowling. We were going to hit the slopes, but Sarah injured her foot so we stayed put. (As a fifth grader, she boards for free this year at all the resorts!)
We love Tubb's Hill where we can hike to all of these private beaches along the lake. Alyssa says, "I hate this place, I don't want to go." And the whole time there she said, "I love this place!! This is the best day ever!" Sunshine and exercise do wonders for the soul! Russ can skip rocks and boulders with ease. I find that attractive.
Chad the eternal bird chaser.
We snagged Ben after work to bowl with us. He creamed Russ and me and even picked out a pink ball to prove how manly he was.

To prove how wild our New Year's parties are we invited the Elders. Actually, they invited themselves over because they had to pick someone to party with and we are cool like that! Although we always celebrate East Coast New Years at 9pm our time. I love it that way because I'm so selfish with my grown-up only time at night. And my kids don't know any different! The elders tried to reclaim their badminton record we shattered, but they couldn't do it. Russ and Sarah's record of back and forths stands at 152!

Later in the week when I took Sarah to the mall, I gasped at how old she looked. I can't stop staring.

She's beautiful.

But her outer beauty pales in comparison to her beauty within...I mean who else happily cleans the entire house while babysitting and with a broken foot? She also bore her testimony on Sunday and was profoundly touched by the Spirit. After she sat down she cried many happy tears. She's worked very hard at gaining a testimony of her very own and it's neat to see the fruits of her labors.