The whole gang 
Look we are at NY
The newest additions to the group
We rang in the New Year at a rocking party hosted by Brandon and Carrie. Brandon had a confetti cannon that shot confetti everywhere even through the tiled ceiling. We had so much fun and can't wait to get together with everyone again. Happy New Year everyone.
Justin and I have both been loving having school and work off. Life has definately taken on a slower pace this last week and I am dreading the start of work and another semester for Justin. It is a good thing we have one more week to play. Christmas seemed like such a blur for us. It was here and then it was gone. We spent a lot of time with family and friends. Last Sunday we were able to watch my friends TJ and Michelle bless their baby. It was so much fun to see them again and to be able to spend time with the Watson Family. Christmas eve we partied with Justin's mom and had an excellent dinner. I had made a quilt for his mom (thanks gma and mom for the help) I was so happy that Diane loved it. It is always hard to give gifts they can't exchange for something they really might have wanted. I was rewarded with several great sweaters and tupperware that I am going to use ASAP. Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged our small presents to each other. We bought a digital SLR that was our big gift. Justin gave me some perfume and a new bunny cage for my rabbit. I gave him IPOD speakers, 3 gallons of ice cream from Leatherby's, a movie and a Barnes and Noble gift card. His Dad spoiled us with great tickets to WICKED this spring. I am excited, Justin is still a little leary that it is a musical. We had breakfast with my dad and were given costco money. This will be used in conjunction with our rebate this spring for something most likely a t.v.. My mom bought us a camera backpack that will hold our SLR, point and shoot and our video camera. She also gave us clothes and a deep fryer, scones here I come. We were really grateful for all of our gifts this year. We have also enjoyed spending more time together. I hope that all of you had a great Christmas as well. 
Christmas Morning 
My brother being a goof cooking breakfast
Diane's Quilt 
Silly girls 
Justin was finally willing to hold Carter
Justin and his dad on Christmas morning
A little over a month ago we watched Justin's nephew, Logan over night. He was so much fun to watch. He came to my volleyball game and cheered me on. He watched Cars and made us laugh by quoting the whole movie before they said the lines. But most importantly he rode the tractor with Justin. I am not sure who was having more fun Justin or Logan. Logan kept talking about it after they were done but so did Justin. They were pretty cute on the tractor together. We had such a fun time watching Logan thanks John and Heather for letting us tend. 
This Sunday we spent the afternoon honing our creative skills with sugar and candy. More like I made myself sick with the amounts of sugar and candy I consumed while making our annual gingerbread house. This year I was having a difficult time with the embellishments. Typically our future family is depicted in Gingerbread men with a winter scene. This year we displayed my need to have a large Christmas tree and a basic snowman melting in the sun. While we were decorating my brother text to let us know that he had a new baby boy. Carter Richard Thompson was born December 7, 2008. He weighed 8lbs and some change and was 22 3/4 inches long. He has the longest fingers and toes. My brother said his feet were out of the footprint box. The older boys were very excited to show me their "baby Carter". Justin says all newborns look the same so what is the big fuss. I think every baby is a tiny miracle and am glad to welcome Carter to the Thompson family.
This year was no exception to my insane need to find the perfect tree. I made Justin tromp around the Uintah Mountains for three hours looking for the perfect tall and well branched tree. This year we found a tree that upon first look does not meet my expectations. However, once you had some white lights and a few balls it makes all the difference. I have always loved sitting in a dark room staring at the lights on the tree and listening to music. This year is no different as I sit here typing in the glow of my tree. I love Christmas even with all the crazy shopping and busy holiday schedules. I hope that you are all enjoying the start of your holiday season as I am now.
So I finally paid for my habit of driving a little too fast whether I am late or not. This time I was actually late for a home visit and went through a school zone at 26 MPH. The cop immediately pulled me over and promptly handed me a ticket. You have to know that despite my need for speed I have only ever been caught once before and that was four years ago in Price Canyon. This time however it required a court appearance. In Orem it is mandatory court time if you speed in a school zone. I recieved the ticket in October and my court date finally arrived today. I was so nervous about it I didn't sleep at all last night and I had to use the bathroom several times before my nine o'clock appointment. Justin just laughed at me the whole time and then said maybe you have learned your lesson. The judge called my name and I went to the microphone where I promptly asked for traffic school and that was that. I made a huge deal out of today but maybe I have learned my lesson. I drive through a lot of school zones throughout the day and I have definately slowed down.
Even though I have lived in Utah most my life I realized that I have not experienced a lot of what there is to do in Utah. Justin and I also decided that we need to spend more time together on Saturday's and not doing chores all day. This Saturday we started off the trend with a trip to the Hogle Zoo. I have not been to the Zoo since I was in Kindergarten. We arrived at the zoo early and the animals were out and ready to be seen. My favorite was the tiger. He was very active both swimming in his pool and walking around the pen. When he left the pool he shook the water off and it landed all over Justin. The baby orangutan was also very cute doing several tumbling acts. If you have any suggestions of favorite Utah spots for us to visit let us know.
