Christmas in February

I've been wanting to blog about our Christmas in Sierra Vista a looooong time ago, but with the overload of work and stress I have at U of P and being in Young Women's which is like a part time job I just haven't had the time! Either way this blog is for me to journal the events of our life and this Christmas at home was one to remember and it's the first Christmas we were able to spend with my family since being married so it was great!

The best memory I have from our Christmas 2009 is that all 8 of us Shaver kids were home...do you know what you get when all 8 of us are at home?!?!

A very busy non-stop laughing, teasing, eating, sleepless and sometimes chaotic but always eventful time! Back in the day I would have said that I didn't like coming from a big family, but I can honestly say now that I am so thankful for my 4 brother's and 3 sister's. I cherish the times I have with them and can't wait to hang out with them again. I'm happy that all of us were at home because my oldest bro Paul was able to be there and we hadn't seen him in almost 5 years. Next year it just won't be the same cause my sister Amber

is going into the military on Feb 16, and then my lil' bro Jarom will be on his mission.

So here are some hilights of our trip to good ol' SV...

This is my parent's house in Sierra Vista where I grew up, I love this small town...Jeff has his own opinions about it, but I enjoy this place. It's right by the border and on the way home we even have to go through a checkpoint to get back to Tucson, ha ha! My Mom is amazing and decorates the whole house like a Winter Wonderland...she has

perfected her tree over the years.

My mom adores her dogs and recently her cocker spaniel Rudy passed away right before Christmas so my sisters came up with a bright idea to get her a new dog...they went a bit overboard on it and had him flown here to Phx from Mississippi, but regardless my Mom was so overjoyed to find a new puppy at the doorstep Christmas morning! They named him

Rocky--he is so darn cute! It was just priceless to see my

Mom's reaction cause she had no idea.

Side note: My Mom's dogs are like grandkids to her...sorry you don't

have any real ones yet Mom...hopefully one day!! :)

At my house we wait to we open presents cause we all have to be showered and dressed for the day and by the time that all happens it's late in the afternoon. In the morning we have a nice fancy breakfast, it's tradition that my Dad makes omelets every year and we get to choose our toppings, they are delish! He always has hot cocoa with cinnamon and biscuits waiting for us too. To say the least my fam goes a bit overboard on the presents each year...but I am very thankful for the generosity and thoughtfulness that goes into each present. I was spoiled and got everything I wanted and more. Jeff bought me this pretty heart necklace, 2 Biggest Loser DVD work out tapes, both Glee Soundtracks, lotion, weights, black boots, Victoria Secret pj's, and we got a gift card to the movies and dinner for a date night. All the gifts were much appreciated! Jeffrey got new workout shoes, a photo book, hat, Buckle jeans the and the new Harry Potter movie.

My brother's girlfriend Nicki Lees was able to be there with us too, it was soooo fun having her there and she fits right into the fam! I'm glad that she is able to accept all of us and just embrace the Shaver craziness! She was so sweet and got presents for all of us.

Thanks Nicki Lees!! Can't wait til you are Nicki Lees Shaver!! :)

Lastly, I wanted to post our family pic...I can't remember when the last time was that we took one so Jeff set up the tri pod and started to click away. Ewwwww...I think I look so gross, but the pic needs to be posted just for memory sake. Funny that we decided to take the fam pic the day after Christmas when none of us got ready for the day! I cant' begin to tell you how hard it was to get all 10 of us to smile and not move...as Jeff would say, "We all have A.D.D. but some of us have it worse than others!" Really...to get my brother's not to make a silly face is beyond hard. (Back row left to right: Amber, Phil, Mom, Dad, me, Tara and Paul the oldest) (Front row left to right: Jarom, Jocelyn the youngest, and Peter)

Another present was that I got to see my old roomie and very good friend Sparkle Pony also known as Jenny Bo Benny! I miss her lots but I'm glad we were able to visit for a bit.

Love you Jenns! :)

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. What a great time it is to build on family relationships and express your love to those around you. I'm thankful for the time we had with my family and for my parents hospitality! Merry Christmas in February! :)