The Changing of the Guard

Today was the day ... one family out - another family in! We did the same thing last year so should have been pros, right? This year was actually a bit easier because we were waiting on Steve's parents to arrive so we knew we had "extra" time since they were driving 10 (which ended up being closer to 13) hours from Utah. I don't know what it is about being able to stay in my room until 8:00 A.M. that gives me such a thrill - even if I'm not able to sleep. Knowing that my children are much happier being somewhere else (rather than bugging me for breakfast) and are being entertained without hurting each other is heaven!! I got right to the laundry since I had sheets and towels to turn over before Steve's parents arrived. My parents headed in for their annual eye exams around 9:30 which is when I put the children to work. We tackled the playroom, bedrooms, and their bathroom. I told them I would do their vacuuming jobs today while they finished the bathroom so we could move onto the downstairs. After a fabulous lunch of Christmas Day leftovers the guys decided it was best to hit the golf course again, Cougar took a nap, my mom and the girls snuggled in to watch Kit Kittredge, and I made the bed in the guest room, finished the vacuuming downstairs, and made a big pot of white bean chicken chili ... YUM!! Steve has issues with eating soup because he said it never gets cold enough here to warrant eating something like soup but I think after 2 chilly afternoons on the golf course he was glad to come home to find it waiting for him :) I also knew it could feed my parents before they left with plenty for Steve's parents when they arrived - how's that for planning?!?! After Kit Kittredge was over the girls decided it was time to try out their new High School Musical 3 Dance It! game for the Wii. They played for hours!!!! All of them absolutely loved it! When it wasn't their turn they would "practice" without the remotes. Kendyl didn't want to try at first (she has had minimal success with DDR so far) and was THRILLED when she got an A- on her very first try ... better than either of her sisters!It was soon time to say goodbye to Grammy and Paca. They headed home around 6:00 P.M. which was actually much later than usual. My dad is one of those "up and out" type of people but since they were here for a shorter time this trip we got the entire day which was awesome!! We had a great time with them and there were tears shed as they left ... as is the norm.Lucky for us they didn't have to wait too long before Momo and Papa arrived (around 7:30). They had had a VERY long drive and were stuck trying to cross Hoover Dam for 2 hours. We know what a sacrifice it is for them to drive here so we are incredibly grateful they are willing to make the trip to spend time with our family :) They arrived with gifts to open which was such a fun surprise!! We filled their tummies and then let them settle in as the girls read books to Momo and Steve and Papa talked sports and scouting. We have lots of time to play with them this week and should have plenty of adventures to share!