Cheer season

Abby has been enjoying cheerleading for the youth basketball season! She has memorized all her cheers and looks forward to her games on Saturdays. 

New Year Birthday Cruise

 We went on a cruise in the beginning of January. First we flew to Texas and spent New Years Eve with my parents and sister Emily's family. It was good to see them, and we had a lot of fun. The kids got lots of treats and we played some games while we waited for midnight and 2022.

The next day we flew to Florida. We were all very nervous when we got to the cruise ship because we wouldn't be allowed to board if anyone in our group of 12 tested positive for COVID. It was pretty stressful until we knew everyone's test result. Once we were on board the fun began. We celebrated Maxine's 75th birthday on board and Dave's 40th birthday. A couple of days after the cruise, Dave and Julie's daughter Dorothy had  her 8th birthday. The food and shows were my favorite part of the cruise. The kids had fun in kids club and Sydney felt super independent since she could go to the tween club as well. We enjoyed the beach at our ports of call in the Bahamas and Castaway Cay. I had a hard time walking on the beach and swimming since my ankle and knee are still recovering so I spent the morning on Castaway Cay riding a bike around the island. It was a relaxing time for me to enjoy nature and some quiet time. 

We are so blessed to be able to take our kids on vacations and spend time with our families even though they live far away. We stayed the night with my parents on the way back and came home to warmer weather (the temperatures while we were gone dropped as low as -12* while we were gone) and sunshine in Billings as well. 

First Christmas in Montana

We had a great Christmas in Billings. I've noticed with Wynn's birthday in our new home and now Christmas that it is starting to feel more like home. Christmas Eve we watched movies and played a game. The kids had their sleepover in a fort in Wynn's room. We didn't get a super early start and took our time opening gifts in the morning. The rest of the day we took it easy and spent time together. Finally, we made an easy Italian dinner and had a caramel apple pie for dessert. It was a great, easygoing day!