2009? Are you sure?

Our Christmas was just as busy as the rest of yours. We had fun, like always, seeing everyone. The heavy snowfall Christmas day did limit our traveling, which can be a blessing in disguise sometimes. So it's done, gone, over and we move on, another year here. One good thing about this year, Christmas is already paid for...no Credit Card use this year! Woo Hoo.

Dave and Kristin (Rebecca's sis and husband) came to visit over Christmas from Buffalo NY. They stayed at our house for a night and the kids loved it. That morning they all decided to do 8 minute abs. Rebecca says they only lasted for half! Ha ha. Just kidding. She didn't say that. Tierra joined them though. Check the photo.

Back to life then huh? As Rebecca mentioned in the Christmas update, I am back in the fire station. Love it. I am happy to be done with my office assignment and back fighting fire. Protecting lives and property is much more fun than facilitating classes and community relation stuff. It was not a bad job, just hard for me to be away from the "dirty work." I like to be out on the "streets" helping. I spent 22.5 months in the office. I have a total of 9 years with the department, and I honestly feel like I have spent more time in the office than in the stations. My station is in Taylorsville across from the Community College. It is a smaller station, but pretty busy. We average about 6-8 emergency calls in a 24 hour period. The crew is a good crew and I get along with them all well. I am now on an ambulance. Our department is phasing in the ambulances and slowly phasing out the private ambulance company we have used since 1983. I won't get into the ins and outs. Suffice it to say I am on an ambulance. Our station runs as a "company," meaning the engine and ambulance go everywhere together. I love being back on the 48 hour shifts. I feel like I have so much more time off now to get projects done.

Rebecca loves the new schedule as well. I think because I am more pleasant and easier to get along with because I am excited to go to work again, and love my job. For the last two years I have not loved my job, just liked it. Rebecca is still doing okay with the pregnancy. Like every pregnant woman, she can not wait to get the baby here. She says she came up a little short on the 52 books goal. I think she is full of crap. She is excited for her shows to start up again as well. Lost, Bachelor, 24, every dancing show, and American Idol, plus at least 15 more according to me.

Tierra is getting to that age where she is interested in everything and parents just sit and watch their finances dwindle into dance clothes, lessons, shoes, outfits, etc. On a happy note, I took her skiing yesterday for her first time ever and she loved it. I put her in lessons for the day at Snowbird. The instructor called her a natural. I know they do not say that to all parents because I was standing behind the guy who had a son in the class as well, and the instructor did not say near the nice things she told me. I feel bad for the parent behind me that may or may not have received such praise. Tierra starts a dance class this week as well. Tierra loved it when her Uncle Dave did some swing dancing with her. She loves drawing and is quite good. She gives Rebecca and me at least 10 pictures every day. We have had to tell he we only want the very best ones to keep now. I just do not have the storage space for all these pictures.

Eli is growing up seemingly fast. My kids, overall, seem to grow up fast, but it seems lately I have been doing things with Eli and realized, "Whoa, he's old enough to do that now?" It may seem insignificant, but he was working the remote pretty well to the TV the other day when one of these occurrences hit me. Eli loves trains. Our friends, the Robinson's (same ones from previous posts-ie: Disneyland, NY trip, etc) have a train set that he loves to play with. Anytime their name is mentioned Eli asks to go play with the train at their house. It entertains him for hours. Eli also loves playing guitar. He loves to play with his Uncle Scott, who really plays guitar. His main love though, it seems, is music. He has several CD's that he listens to non stop. He knows the words and sings along. If you interrupt him he starts the song over to hear it again. He sits in his room for hours listening and reading books. Sometimes he throws in the actions to certain songs. It cracks me up. He loves to vaccum. The other day he vaccumed almost the entire house. You can't see it very well, but one of the pictures is when we told the kids to go out in the snow Christmas night. They dared me to do it first with no coat on. So I did, did a face dive, and made a snow angel, then they both wanted to do it, so we let them. When Eli got back inside and was cold he got mad at us and yelled,"why did you make me go out in the cold!?"

And that's about it. We were happy to see the Utes complete an undefeated season. We look forward to the adventures of 2009. I can't wait for this years baseball trips!