I took Katherine to my girl Candiss to get her hair done. 
The 2 yr old mullet is gone but not forgotten...
Work is done - Sucker time!
The Friesses arrived first of the entire family to Phoenix and they stayed with us for a few days. It was so fun. They worked hard for me as during our ward Christmas party so I made sure we played hard during the rest of the time. That Saturday we planned a Sarager get-together at Freestone Park where we got caught up with Grandmother, Lloyd & Donise, Marty & Rhonda, Andrew & Marcinelle, Todd & Lindsay, and Morgan & Melissa. We got to see all the babies and it was a fun afternoon.
Riding the train at the end of a very nice day at Freestone.
After visiting Freestone park, the Friesses and Katherine and I went to my grandmother's house for dinner. Grandmother said she had hidden our presents and the children needed to look for them. Well, she had hung each one of our gifts on the antlers she had hanging on her wall... She is so fun! We were not allowed to open them till Christmas morning, but she got us all gloves. (Incidentally, Geoff was very glad to have handy because he went snow camping with YM up in Flag a few weeks later. Thank you, Grandmother!)
Katherine and Sarah did very well this trip. Their relationship is still somewhat love/hate, competing over toys and who got to do what first, but rarely did they not want to be together. Every morning the first thing Katherine would ask is "Where did Sarah go?" It was all I could do to keep her from breaking into the Friesses' bedroom at 6am to go find her.
Having 15 people staying at my parents' house was quite a feat. We played games, watched movies, went on hikes and walks, read and refereed the kids, and overall, everyone stayed pretty happy. Often at night we would gather around the tree and read and tell stories before the kids went to bed. Once the kids were down, we could actually watch an adult movie but most of the time I fell asleep in the chair- Poor Geoff had to work so he was down in Phoenix a lot and I was lonely without him. I was relegated to the recliner while everyone else shared a loveseat!! How grateful I am that he made the drive back up 4 times during our visit.
Total delight! The first time seeing snow.
Papa took Katherine on her first adventure into the snow.
Cuddle time every morning as we watched cartoons. Everyone had someone on their laps between Katherine, Sarah, Jonah and Paxton.
That was the SOFTEST, most wonderful blanket.
I still don't know what Katherine was crying about. She had lots of fun decorating her house.
Mark and I celebrated our birthdays together. My mom made a pumpkin cake with maple frosting that was delicious! We are getting old, considering when I first met Mark I was 13 yrs old. The best part of the celebration was opening Geoff's card and taking out a gift receipt for a spa day. I was so excited, I cried!
Hot chocolate is an honored winter tradition at our house. My mom mixes it with powdered milk and creamer so it's very creamy. We tease Natalie that she likes her drink so thick she can chew it... No joke...
Any time anyone was cooking, Katherine pulled the stool right up next to them so she could try to help. She remains a faithful apprentice and one day she will make an excellent cook.
We had a fabulous time with the Bergerons while they visited over New Years. We spent most of the time at the park and at the mall. These two were inseparable and happy together. Grandma Debbie played dolls and pretended to eat the plastic food Katherine cooked for her in her new kitchen. Uncle Jake and Uncle Vic played tickle monster and chased her around the house. She had a blast. We were able to go out to eat a couple of times. It was truly a nice time together. We love them and hope we can spend more time with them soon.
Thanks to a WONDERFUL grandmother, the carousel is Katherine's favorite activity and she asks for it daily. She's been able to ride about once a week, so this kid has nothing to complain about.
Victor went horseback riding with the men on the Jackson side one afternoon. It was his first ride and everyone he was a natural. He just turned 16, ladies, watch out!
The brothers together again! It's a good looking bunch. I love these men.
