Christmas with the Z's

It was good to be back on the ranch with a lot the family, though I missed everyone who wasn't there. It was hard not seeing Ginger along with everyone else. Really hard. But it also impressed upon me a greater significance of the birth of our Savior and to appreciate the gifts He has given us--particularly the gift of the Resurrection and the ability we have to be with our families eternally, as well as the comfort and hope we can receive through his Atonement to strengthen us in the meantime. It was also good to see some extended family I don't see very often. We did all the usual things, but here are a few other little events and highlights of the trip (besides what I've already blogged about).

Lilia (11 months) was playing with my amber charm necklace. Later, Kate asked me if my necklace had anything on it, and I realized my amber stone was missing. I checked Lilia and had all the nieces and nephews looking all of the house, but no one found it. I figured if I had lost in on a hike in the Grand Tetons and found it on the way back (a couple summers ago), it would show up in the house eventually. The next day, Nat saw Lilia with something. Afraid she was going to put it in her mouth, she reached out to take it away. Sure enough, there was my amber stone!

Watching Mom and Trevor separating a jar full of real M&Ms from the fake ones Wendy dumped in. (Uh, after I had unintentionally mixed them, trying to get to the real ones.)



Hayley, Sam, Kandrea, and Carson; Kate and Holly


Being able to get Holly to allow me to hold her, if only for a few minutes. She's at a stage where she'll only go to her dad, Wendy, Kate, or my Mom and maybe Dad. She's in one of my favorite toddler stages, except that she wants nothing to do with me.

Finding Lilia just as she was crawling out the front door that one of the kids left open.

The kids ran into the house yelling that Ali (12) had stepped on a nail. We ran down the hill, and Sam carried Ali and her bleeding foot up to the house. She was pretty calm then, and we figured she was okay with tetanus shots, but the poor girl was in agony for the next few hours after Dad cleaned her up and bandaged her foot.

Jenna, Brady, and Sam on the trampoline. I love this picture of Winks.

Brady (4) asking, "Aunt Amber, when are you going to have a baby?" I wished I could tell him. Hayley (5) also asked me about having a baby. She told me that I needed to go to the hospital, take some medicine, and then I'd have a baby in my tummy. But then she corrected herself, said that you go to the hospital when you have the baby, not to get it in your tummy. She had this questioning look on her face, and I was a little concerned she was going to ask where babies really do come from. I quickly changed the subject.

Mom slaved away in the kitchen all day to make enough batches of rolls to satisfy all of us eating Christmas dinner together.