Papa Tom and made a nice skating rink in their yard. It was mostly all melted when we got there, but the kids and Nana made the best of it.

Although most of the time was spent laying on the ice rather than standing.

The Missionaries helped us decorate the tree. Aidan and Emma loved putting everything on the tree. I really had to resist the urge to fix things on it as Christmas really is for them and not for me. By the time they were down the tree looked great.

Here is a wonderful picture of the Shortridge cousins. As you can tell Emma is so happy to be there. This year for Christmas we spent Christmas Eve and Grandma and Papa Hawke's and then after Christmas morning went to Creston for more Christamas and Nana and Papa Tom's.

How many people can you pack in the Ranger, plus two Christmas trees? We spent a day out on the ranch looking for the perfect Christmas tree. It did feel a little odd with no snow on the ground, but it was a lot of fun.

Orrin and Emma figured if they could just get high enough they could find the perfect tree.

A Teaching moment

Papa is teaching Aidan and Emma how to tell how old a tree is. They each took home a piece of tree so they could count the rings.

Emma was not impressed with Papa's choice our tree, actually she wasn't impressed with anyones choice and it is amazing we made it home with home. She was quite the Christmas tree expert.

Aidan discovered CLIMBING! He had to climb a tree at every stop we came to.