Christmas Day 2010

We started off Christmas Day with Cupcakes for Jesus' Birthday! We sing "Happy Birthday" to HIM and yes, we ate cupcakes for breakfast! YUM! And yes, it was still dark outside!The kids going through their stockings!
The day was so beautiful, everything was frosted!
The high was about 20 degrees.
The kids got sleds, so of course, that afternoon we had to try them out. Brady and I even jumped on them a few times. Hallie and I's favorite "run" was the snow-stuffer. She appropriately named it because your coat gets stuffed with snow!!Bailee's, Jay's and Daddy's favorite run had a nice jump in the middle.
Mimi kept saying these kids are fearless!Brady made an amazing smoked Elk roast for Christmas dinner.
Christmas 2010 for our Brady Bunch was fun. Even though, we still miss all of our southern friends and family. Each year I keep waiting for it to get easier to be so far away.

Christmas 2010 Slideshow

December in Montana

I took these pictures just outside the front door (because it was about 2 degrees outside). When a fog settles on the trees it makes our whole town look like Narnia. It comes about once or twice a year but, usually only stays for about a morning and then it blows off the trees or melts. This fantastic frosty freeze stayed about four days. We've already had two big snows and it isn't even Christmas. I, like most, absolutely love the snow in December. I love to go ice skating with the kids and Brady takes them sledding. We just aren't as enchanted when it is still coming in April and sometimes May.

We've been in Montana for four and a half years now. I'm still trying to get acclimated to the below zero temperatures. I've been told it takes five years to feel at home where we live and I definitely need six more months.

Elk Hunting Trip

The boys and I invited ourselves to go on Brady's Elk hunting trip. We didn't want him to get too lonely on his week long visit with his Uncle Greg and Aunt Maria in Ridgeway, CO. However, things didn't go quite as we had expected. This is a picture of Brady staring at his stuck truck on the first day. Not to worry, in a matter of minutes a one armed smiling angel came to our rescue and pulled us out. Needless to say, that was the only day the boys and I actually went "hunting" with him. We kept ourselves busy by swimming in the hot springs at Ouray, a day in Telluride and a day in Ridgeway, of course. I'm just sayin' don't feel too bad.
The boys did find time for a snowball fight that day.

Nice one Jay!
Charlie has a great arm, too!
I LOVE Maria and Pearl! Two of the nicest girls you will ever meet! While we were there Maria and Greg insisted we stay one night at The Historic Weisbaden Lodge. It is in Ouray, Co. and has a flowing natural hot springs vapor cave. God's version of a steam-room. It was amazing!
Did I mention this is Ralph Lauren's Ranch, the RRL Ranch.
Brady's Uncle Greg took him to the best spots on the ranch to hunt.
After five days of hard hunting Brady did get an Elk. I am beginning to figure out why they are called trophies.