Moving and the end of December

We left Vegas December 29, headed on our new journey back to Idaho. The night before we left, the house was completely empty, and we camped as a family in the front room.

 

We got up super early and hit the road. Cahl was driving his truck, loaded down, pulling our camper also loaded. I drove the kids in my car, with our washer and dryer on a rack on the back. Total Hillbillies. We were making good time, and made it all the way to Twin Falls with no problems. Then, in downtown Twin, Cahl went over a dip in the road at an intersection, and this happened:

 

 

Yea. Our trailer broke. The tongue bent up and B R O K E. Right in the middle of the intersection. So Cahl had to drag it around a corner onto a little side street, where we waited on a tow truck. While we waited, Cahl went and rented a UHaul trailer and we rushed to unload everything from our trailer into the other trailer. Then we had our trailer towed to a trailer dealer that had a repair shop. After a couple hours detoured in Twin Falls, we were finally on the road again. We made it to Meridian after dark and right in the middle of a massive snow storm.

Christmas 2012

We enjoyed another wonderful big family Christmas this year, complete with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. All of the kids did a big tree ornament exchange, and ours were super excited to shop for their cousins, and equally excited to see what their cousins had picked out for them.

We also had our Christmas, and the kids all got a lot of stuff they were happy about. It was a little bittersweet- our last Christmas in our home, with a tiny fake tree and no furniture. But we spent the day together, and that makes it special.

 

December- Part 2

The middle of the month brought us Jasen's school Choir Performance. I love that he participated in the choir like his brother did, and the performance was really nice.

The middle of December also brings us Hunter's birthday every year. This year, I did treats for his class at school, and we took him out to dinner at his choice- Chili's. He thought he was pretty hot stuff with his birthday crown, and he was thrilled when they brought him a brownie and sang to him.

After we got home, he opened his presents. He was really happy with all the toys he got, and especially loved the blanket he got with a dog hood. And his favorite was the beanie and neck warmer set that makes him look like a pirate.

About a week before Christmas, we loaded up a HUGE trailer with almost everything we own, and Cahl and his uncle spent 2 days driving it to Boise, unloading it all and driving back. One of the days he was gone, Tristan had his school's Band Concert. He has a really awesome teacher, and the concert was really good.

Cahl took all 3 boys out with his aunt and cousins one day to go shooting. The boys all love to shoot, Tristan especially is a really good shot, and they love to shoot all the big guns and hand guns. Really just any gun will do.

 

Even Brin like to get in on the action

 

Unfortunately during the month, we also had to make the decision to bring only one of our dogs with us. It was a really rough decision, and took us several weeks to finally make, but we ended up choosing to bring Mason with us. It was very hard for all of us, but ultimately we knew it was for the best. Cahl met a really nice family looking for a bigger dog, and after a few meetings, Angus went to a new home.

December- Part 1

At the very beginning of the month, Tristan and Cahl went on an overnight scout camp out. They went down to Techatticup Mine and caves. The boys all had a really good time checking out the old town and loved going down in the caves.

We also spent the first half of December packing and making plans for moving. A few weeks into the month, Cahl's official job offer came for the Bureau, and he accepted. Once that happened, everything kicked into high gear. As we packed and prepared, we emptied out and cleaned rooms. We had new carpet installed in the entire house. We managed to haul 2 huge trailer loads to auction, as well as selling and/or giving away a ton of other stuff.

I was so happy to be able to take Brinley to the Magical Forest. It's such a good cause, and I really love going each year. And Brinley loved it! It's always a fun day, and I'm glad she was old enough to get the chance to go.

 

 

Hunter lost his first tooth this month!

Jasen had his scout pack meeting, and in December he earned his Bear. We are so proud of him for working so hard to finish it with his friends, and before we left.

The kids and I gathered up a TON of personal hygiene stuff that we had, most of it I had gotten for free or close to it. So we organized it and put together 13 gift bags full of stuff, and took them downtown to the Veteran's Village to donate to the vets. It was super cool to meet the #1 guy in charge and talk with him. He even gave us a little tour of the place, and told us how they are able to do what they do. I really loved going and being there, and I'm really happy that the kids all came and saw it too.