...and a happy new year!

Always good to start off a blog post with a cute bath pic! :) So here's a picture-dump-catch-up blog from the crazy end of the year adventures! Our journey begins at the end of November when I decided to run a Thanksgiving day 'Turkey Trot 10K' with my friend Drea.
It was super foggy, super hilly, and I was feeling super not-wonderful, but it was super FUN!
I finished in 50 min, which wasn't amazing, but I felt pretty good about it under the circumstances.
My cute hubby and kiddos, along w/ Drea's fam, came to support and cheer us on. Thanks guys!!
The fog made for some great scenery though! (you'll have to click on it to see the spider webs)
We then went to the Tettertons for Thanksgiving dinner. The Tettertons have been the family that's adopted us while we've been in Virginia, always having us over for wonderful feasts and letting us take home the leftovers. They've always given so much to us and we're so grateful to have a little 'family' out here! Thanks guys!
Jim with the amazing turkey fryer! YUUUM!
And what's Thanksgiving without a little football? Rudy gave up his elder's quorum football in the morning for my race, so it was nice to get a little play time in.
Has anyone ever seen the movie, "The Birds"? Well, I'm pretty sure it was filmed in Virginia...in my front yard.
I wish the pictures really captured the experience of hundreds, I dare say possibly thousands, of birds coming to attack your lawn, then all lifting off at the same time literally causing a rush of air as they do. The sound is unreal. Unfortunately, I only got pictures and not video. What crazy is this happens every year, always the last week in November. My street must be the on crows migration path! :)
Cooper got an ear infection right before we left to Utah. I also found out, with said ear infection, that he's allergic to Amoxicillin...
Didn't think he'd ever go back to normal after seeing all those spots! ...he did.
Then the night before we left for Utah, Tucker had a 'Joy School Christmas Party'. He and his 4 other 'classmates' put on the Christmas story for us and we had some yummy treats. Tucker was a shepherd and the innkeeper. His speaking part, "NO ROOM!" came waay too naturally. :)
Tucker, Emily, Jack, Laurie, and Emma. Yay for Joy School!
Then we boarded a plane, endured the flight, and arrived in Utah! Yay! Football, food, playing, and hanging. Good times!!
Nice to throw in a game of 'race the train and Cooper down the looong hall'. Coop won.
Christmas sweater bonding. Nice!
Tucker was able to put his thespian skills into action again for another Christmas story play. I played my natural role...as an angel. (insert devil face here)


It was so much fun to have time with cousins and have those friendships develop. Seriously, though, WISEMEN?? The boys were able to enjoy the snow in Utah, with make-shift snow attire. (although we missed a HUGE storm back east that pretty much closed the east coast down for a few days...can't say I was super sad about missing that one!)
Daddy makes a good 'sled-lift'.
Hi-yah! Giddiup!
Makin' an art mom proud (thanks for the art projects, Woods!)
And Christmas day! YAY! So fun to celebrate with family, both small and numerous!
Tucker got his 'Airplanecar' that he asked Santa for (McQueen car that turns into an airplane...don't ask me where he saw that one!) and other McQueen paraphernalia= a happy kid!

Clothes aren't bad either! Thanks Nana!
Wow! What an event! So glad we were able to be a part of it! Thanks to my fam for making our stay possible and so awesome! Love and miss you guys!
On the 30th (at 12:30 AM) we took the red-eye back to VA...which actually wasn't awful. The boys slept most of the way the long leg of the flight and then Rudy played with the boys the short leg on an empty plane and I got to stretch out on three seats for an hour nap! Thanks babe! :) We loved being with family, but it was nice to get back to our own space and have some catch-up time before Rudy went back to school. We brought in the new year with the Ruckers as we all got giddy that 2010 was actually HERE! Rudy's graduation year! So many adventures to come this year. We're open to job possibilities pretty much anywhere in the U.S. Our desire is to go where the Lord wants us to and where Rudy can get the best experience for a few years before he sets up his own practice. Who knows where that will be?? :)

Here's to 2010 and...ADVENTURES!