It finally feels like Christmas!

Christmas in Florida has never felt right!  There are no snow capped mountains, rarely do you find an excuse to pull out a coat, blankets are far outnumbered by beach towels, and you're more likely to wear flip flops in December than boots! It's just weird.  So how thankful I am to finally be able to celebrate Christmas in a home where you can turn on the fireplace, snuggle up under a blanket and sip hot cocoa without breaking a sweat.

Here's how our Utah Christmas unfolded.  Admittedly much of it felt similar to our first Christmas in our Florida house with blue tape on the walls, furniture that still needs to be purchased, and boxes that still need to be sorted through but that was all worth it to spend Christmas together in Utah. This year we hosted my parents, Jack's mom, Steve, and the Brigham City Knudsens!  Paul was with Camilla in Australia and Sean was hosting Amy's family but hopefully in the future we'll be able to get everyone on the same rotation! 

Look who I found at the Heber City dump while getting rid of moving boxes!

Christmas Eve in the new house!  

Christmas morning with some of the family! 

I use to take photos of the kids with their stuff each Christmas so I could remember who got what.  Sage asked if I wanted to do the same this year which I thought was sweet that she knew that used to be my little tradition.  So here she is with her stuff.  This year Ty landed a drone, air pods, clothes and a few other items.  Connor landed a Jet's helmet and jersey, a lot of books that he had requested and a few other things.  While I love the excitement of surprising the kids with unexpected gifts, each year it's getting more and more difficult to come up with ideas!

A special shout out to Connor and the generous gifts he gave everyone. It was clear he had put a lot of thought into each one. Here's Ty sporting the jersey Connor got him and Sage holding the poster he got her. In addition, he got Jack a Chargers baseball cap and me a 49ers t-shirt.  I loved seeing how excited Connor was to give everyone their gifts.  I know that feeling.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas dinner without after dinner gifts and after dinner dancing! 

It's no secret that the main reason we are looking forward to returning to Utah is to be close to family and friends.  It's been since 1996 that Jack and I lived in Utah and what an adventure it's been ever since.  How excited we are to finally be returning to the one place that has always felt like home.

Good night from Heber City!

Spring time in December!

Ty was determined to make the most of his time in Florida before returning to the chilly temps of Utah and school. Pretty much every day he was asking what we were going to do for fun! We are surrounded by springs in Florida but one that we love and isn't too far from the house is Rock Spring and this time of year the crowds are few which makes it even more enjoyable.  Instead of tubing down it, which we normally do, we opted to rent a canoe on the other side.  I was quickly reminded once the three of us attempted to get situated why it had been over a decade since I had last been in one...I had completely forgotten how unstable they can feel...haha, and combine that with Sage and Ty talking smack to each other about who wasn't doing their part to correctly steer, the jury was out on if we'd make it back without flipping the thing but thankfully no flipping occurred and everyone was still friends by the end! Mission accomplished! 

Bring on the heat...

With 6 weeks to burn before Ty starts back at the 'Y' for the winter semester, it was an easy decision for him to stay in Florida and hang out with me.   What's not to love about warm days by the pool, on a lake, or at the beach!  He had a tan to work on, friends to see, and a lonely mom who was excited to have her buddy back by her side, if even for a few weeks.  

First on his list of places to go was Miami and the Florida Keys.  What a fun time we had together listening to music, exploring Miami, meeting up with his trainer Nathan, kayaking in the keys, and most of all just visiting on the drive to and from.

After a fun time enjoying the beach, we spent the evening exploring the Bayside Marketplace before returning to our room.

The next morning we were up and at it...not particularly early but early enough!  We grabbed Nathan who lives in Homestead which is pretty much the town right before you start the journey down the keys. We made our way to Islamorada where we did some kayaking at the park there. It was so beautiful and peaceful. But how crazy to see sharks, star fish, and even gators in the same waters!

Next we tried to catch the sunset at Bahia State park but we literally missed it by 1 minute!  I still think the bridge makes the trip worth it.  It's just such a cool shot.

After a fun couple days, it was time to return home to Sage and Nova who no doubt were missing us tremendously! :)  This seemed like the perfect sign to end or trip on.  One that Ty managed to capture as we were making our way through a Florida rain storm that caught us by surprise.  So glad Ty encouraged me to take this quick trip with him!