Our Christmas Vacation Story

December 17th - Here is where our Christmas vacation started, at the Albany airport.  We were quite early and so had 2 hours to kill at the airport.  Better early than late though right?

Lucy was excited to see the airplanes

Lucy got tired and hyper so she decided to climb onto daddy's face!

Logan's always very happy after eating!  On the plane ride there he choked and threw up peas all over Cory and my pants.  Life goes on.

Thank goodness for our portable DVD player and Shrek movie.  Lucy had fun watching Shrek while playing with her Shrek characters we got her especially for the trip!

Our flight was from 5:30 pm to 10:50 pm (12:50 am Albany time) so Lucy was pretty wasted!  Our first flight was 2hrs, one hour layover in Cincinnati, and a 4hr flight to SLC.

Logan didn't sleep much, he never has been a good sleeper, but he's a pretty happy boy.

After a night at the Michel's we spent a night at the Parkinson's (my sister Amber's house).  She has a daughter, Heidi, just three weeks older than logan.  He has a bigger head though, gets it from his dad, he he.

Lucy had fun taking a bath and reading stories with her cousins before bed.

Then we spent a few days at the Dennis' and lucy made a gingerbread house.  It was pretty funny to see her put the hershey kisses on because she ate off the tips before she glued them down with frosting!

Grandma Dennis thought it would be funny to give Logan a taste of lemon, poor guy!

Lucy and Logan tried to get a peek at the presents under the tree, stinkers!

Lucy wanted to go sledding with Aunt Megan and her friends.

She loves playing with her aunt Megan and had a blast going sledding!

She also enjoys dress up, especially if she can be a princess, like Snow White, what a girl!

Logan with Grandma Dennis

Logan with Grandpa Dennis

Lucy hanging out with Grandpa Dennis

and their dog Duke

Then the kids and I spent a few days back at the Michel's, while Cory went with his dad and brothers to the Las Vegas Bowl to see BYU play.

This is Lucy with her 98 year-old great great grandma at the Schulz Christmas party.  So cute!

Logan with Oma Michel and great great Grandma Schulz.

Oma and Opa weren't afraid to get down and be silly with Lucy.

Opa Michel reading Lucy a story.  She especially grew attached to this book, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, while we were in Utah and even had me make up a song about it.

Logan with Aunt Amanda Christmas Eve.

This picture was taken the moment Lucy saw Santa Claus walk through the door at great Oma and Opa's house Christmas Eve.  She also got to be the angel in our nativity and wouldn't take her costume off the rest of the night.

She did not want to sit on Santa's lap, no way!

Logan didn't like Santa much either, maybe next year? Yeah right.

Good morning boys!  Christmas Morning.  Logan in his '1st Christmas' suit.

Lucy loved Christmas this year, it was fun.  She kept saying, "Oh my goodness" while opening all of her gifts.  

Logan saying bye to Oma Michel, time to go back to the Dennis'

Then we spent a couple days back at the Dennis' house.  Cory took Lucy and Megan sledding on the four wheeler.

December 26th - Logan and Lucy saying bye to grandma Dennis because she had to go to L.A. to help out Cory's sister Jen, who just had a baby on the 22nd. 

December 28th - Lucy picking her nose while playing dress up with her cousin Kylie (take notice of her cute hair with bangs)

Now take a look at her bangs!  Yes, they have been cut off by the culprit sitting next to her, Kylie, she even has a knife in her hands!  Just kidding, she didn't cut them off with a knife.  Just minutes before this picture was taken I walked downstairs to find Kylie cutting Lucy's hair with a pair of scissors.  I yelled with horror and made both of them cry too, oops.  Luckily it wasn't an eye, finger, or pony tail though.  

Lucy still loves her cousin Kylie though, and was sad to have to say goodbye until we see them again, which will be a while, possibly a year.

Lucy and Logan say goodbye to Grandpa Dennis and Aunt Megan.

Then we spent a day at the Michel's cabin at Strawberry Lake

Uncle Jeremy with Lucy and Logan

Lucy all suited up to go sledding with daddy

Then we spent our last few days back at the Michel's (it was a lot of moving back and forth).  Lucy and her cousins wore their matching Christmas dresses to church.

 

Our last night we went to see the lights at Temple Square.  Lucy loved the little family presentation they have in the visitors center.

Lucy and Logan saying goodbye to Oma and Opa.  I don't think Lucy realizes she won't see them for a while.

Lucy sleeping on the chairs at JFK airport, our layover was from 6:20-9:30, ahhh!  Which was 4:20 am SLC time.

Our flight back to Albany was at 11:59 pm new years eve SLC time and 1:59 am NY time, so we basically skipped the new year.  It was a long flight and Cory and I were both very tired when we got home at 10:30 am without much sleep.  Lucy slept well on the plane, but I had to hold Logan while he was sleeping and it was pretty awkward and I couldn't get comfortable.  He also woke up to eat every three hours.  Stinks to lose two hours too.  I don't recommend a red eye flight with an infant, although the lines were short (except we took so long in the security line that the people behind us ended up being in a long line, oops, gotta fold up the stroller and remove the kids shoes and coats!).

By the end of our trip to Utah we were all exhausted and tired of living out of suitcases, but we were so blessed to be able to spend time with family and have places to stay and cars to drive, thanks family!  We love you all!  It didn't hit me that we were gone and not going to be with family for a while until we got to the JFK Airport in New York City.  Then Cory and I both got sad.

To those of you who we were unable to see, we are sorry and miss you all!  Here's a shout out to Grandma and Grandpa J!  Get well grandma!

It's nice to go and it's nice to come home too.  We are back to normal life here in New York.  It is definitely colder here than SLC.  Cory has to wear thermals under his clothes so he won't freeze on his walk to work in the morning and back at night.  He is working hard at work and on studying for his test he has to take in three weeks, before he starts school again.

It was nice to have a break from normal day life and just spend time with family for two weeks.  Time to get Logan on a good sleeping schedule!