Holliday Happenings

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get these up, but here are some pictures and updates on what our little family has been up to this last month!

We had a great Christmas. It was our first Christmas with just the 3 of us. I was worried that it would feel a little lonely without our families around, but it was quiet and cozy and really nice!

Here is Stratton enjoying some of his presents. He loves to color, and he can't get enough of his little 4wheeler. He played hard all day, and by the end of it all, he was pretty tuckered out.

After Christmas we were able to have lots of family time. Matt's sis Aubrey was in town at her in-laws, and we sort of joined the Carter family for a few days. They fed us and made us feel really welcome (and not so homesick). Matt's bro Andy and his wife also stopped by for a couple of days and it was so great to spend some time with them. Then Matt's parents and his sis Liz and her fam came down. It was a full house for a couple of days, but I loved getting to see everyone. Then Matt, Stratton and I headed out on New Year's Eve to Idaho. Talk about weather shock! It's so weird to go from palm trees to snow drifts in a few hours.

Stratton loves the snow. It was so cold outside, and he would beg to go out. Then it was a battle to make him come back inside. His little nose would be running and his cheeks freezing but he'd want to stay out longer.

We got together at Emily's for New Year's Eve. We played and ate a lot (a common theme for our family). Everyone joined in on some Rock Band. We even got Bridger and his shy little girlfriend to do vocals. The babies all loved to dance during the music.

Stratton wants to be a rock star. He loves the drums the best.

This is the trike that Samuel got for Christmas. We walked into the kitchen and they were all sharing it. I think Jaxon got the best seat.

We rented a cabin on Henry's Lake for a few days with all my family. It was beautiful. We took up a few snow machines, a ton of good food, and lots of games. It was great. Except for a few little things like a round of stomach flu, Nate getting frost bite on his cheeks, and Matt wrecking dad's snowmobile. I think Barnes get togethers all have to have a touch of humorous disaster. Check-out Melvin's blog for more icky details. But all that aside, the cabin was a lot of fun! Here the boys are enjoying some tasty Ramen noodles.

View from the cabin

After a week of beautiful winter, we headed back to sunny Arizona. We had traded a painting with a client for some time at their Mexico beach-front condo, and decided we should squeeze in a quick trip south of the border. Greg and Debbie came with us, and we spent a great weekend at Rocky Point. It's only about 5 hours away, and has little tourist shops and fresh fish markets. We had our fill of shrimp and fish tacos and some amazing flan. We were walking down on the beach and I thought how crazy that only one week before, we had been playing in the snow!

This is the view from the balcony. Matt and I got to watch this beautiful sunrise from a cozy lounge. That evening we saw a whole school (herd? flock?) of dolphins swim by! It was amazing!

Stratton looks like he has a halo...though sometimes he's not much of an angel...

It has been a really great month. I'm so grateful that we were able to spend time with our families! Now we're starting our (hopefully) busy season with the gallery and have to buckle down for a few months!