*Who Cares if they're Illegal?!*

My family had a good ol' sleepover on New Year's Eve this year, and we decided to have a little fun with some fireworks......illegal ones from Washington. Hahaha!! Adam brought a whole bunch back from his mission. Apparently there is an Indian reservation near his mission, and they happen to make fireworks. These were no sissy fireworks either! They were so awesome!!! My dad and Adam would light a couple and then run away like little kids....it made me laugh every time!

I actually timed it well enough to get a picture of one of them exploding! It was so fun! And Matt was absolutely rediculous with the little cardboard horn.....he would blow as hard as he could, and that resulted in a dying by strangulation sound. I was laughing so hard. So the fact that I got a picture of him doing that is a miracle as well.

The New Year's kiss!!! Where would we be without this tradition?! Well, we would have one less "anniversary" to mark our relationship. We realized that this year marks 8 years of us kissing each other.....we had our first kiss on New Year's Eve 2002! Awwww.....love.

And then we all get tipsy!! Well, not really, but it's fun to pretend! We had a fun night of games and video games and movies and not much sleep. Family is the greatest, and celebrating together is even better. We have so much fun together....isn't it obvious?!

Here's to 2010....Hopefully it holds a lot more joy and good things than the previous one! I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

*Cabin Fever*

Every year right after Christmas, the Bell family heads up to the cabin in the Uintas for some good winter sledding fun! This past year they have been doing a TON of work on the place, and built a HUGE addition onto it. It was very much needed, since the family has grown so much...it was just getting to the point that it wasn't fun to go there anymore because we were all so crammed in! So we were all really excited to go this year and see the "new" cabin! We weren't disappointed! The big family room is so cozy and spacious, and there's a room above it that has a bunch of beds for us all to sleep in, so it's like a great big sleepover!

Carter and Brayton watching a movie like their uncle Matt. :)

Eatin chocolate with my feet up by a fire.....can you think of anything better to do at a cabin??

This hat is the bomb!! Seriously!! Not only does it look freakin cool, (which it IS....I bought it in Alaska!) but it is stinkin warm. Best vacation purchase EVER. I'm holdin Ferg because she had been outside a whole 5 MINUTES and was shivering and holding her feet up out of the snow. She's such a sissy dog!

Every year a sledding hill is made. That's just how it is. And it's awesome! It so much fun to even just watch everybody go screamin down the hill. Matt and Annie went down the hill together. It makes me laugh because Annie is totally cheesin it!! hahaha! I guess she's havin' fun!

I'm going off the jump and wondering if I might harm something in my frontal region when I land....it was kinda painful. But fun!!

We always have so much fun when we go to the cabin, and with all the extra space it can only get better! Thanks for all the hard work and funds you used to make it so great for us, mom and dad Bell! We love you!

*Don't Hate Me...*

Guess where we get to go in March!!!!

Here......

St. Lucia

Here....

Barbados

And here....

St. Maarten

......Among others!!!

This is our Christmas/Anniversary/Birthday present from Matt's mom and dad. A seven day Cruise to the Southern Caribbean. HOLEY-MOLEY!!!

Seriously, we are two lucky kids....Matt's parents have totally spoiled us, and we truly are grateful for all the places we have been able to see because of their generosity. Lucky for me, I have a mother-in-law who finds traveling just as exciting and IMPORTANT as I do! I never would have dreamed that at age 24 that I would have been to the places that I have been lucky enough to have gone to at this point in my life.

Thanks so much for your EXTREMELY generous gift, Mom and Dad Bell! We can't wait!

So yeah......Please don't hate us! ;)

*Christmas Mash-up*

Wow, what a holiday!!! It is always crazy and hectic and too much going on and FUN! We always start it off with our Christmas Eve party with my mom's side of the family. We always have a little talent show after dinner, and it's so much fun. Then we all sing carols together and sing an arrangement of Silent Night that my grandpa wrote years ago...it's pretty much the most beautiful thing you will ever hear!

Matt was reading a story to my little cousin, Camri, and I thought it was the most adorable thing I had ever seen! And don't worry....this is only one of several pictures I took of it. ;)
And now Matt is being read a story by my other cousin, Gentri! Haha! That's Alex's hand making sure Matt was "comfortable." haha

Christmas morning!! This is the first year we had stockings of our own. I don't know why it took us so long....maybe because we never found any that we loved. Anyhow, I love the ones we got. They look like elf feet! And yes, Fergi has a stocking. She got special doggy treats dipped in special doggy white chocolate. She loved them.....

Wow, could we look any more tired!?! hahaha, sad! It makes me want to go back to bed just looking at it!

Ok, seriously.....see this dog?? she's going crazy on that treat! They're like catnip for pugs. :)

Oh yeah, I'm cheesin it. I got a couple new pans....and I can't even explain to you how badly I needed them! Thanks lover!

I gave Matt some sweet-A weight lifting gloves. He has used them several times now, and loves them! Hooray!

My mother-in-law got a gun.....look out! haha!

My nephew, Makai, got a TRUCK!! He's a little scared of it when it actually moves...haha! I'm thinking that won't last too much longer. Before long he'll be running us all over with it!

LOOK! I got a picture of Adam opening presents on Christmas! It's been a couple of years since I've been able to do that. Great to have you back, and even better that you're married too!

Matt and I gave my parents the book of the latest Reflections of Christ pictures called Another Testament of Christ. They're pictures that this photographer took depicting Christ's visit to the Nephites. They are so stunning, and it's such a great book. I think my mom likes it!

We had a big sleepover party on Christmas night. It was so much fun! We stayed up late and watched christmas movies and played Rock Band and laughed our butts off.....seriously, it was a blast! We have decided that it will be a new tradition, and I can't wait until next year!

I hope everybody had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did. Time spent with family and memories made are the BEST part about it. I love my family dearly and am so grateful that we are so close in so many ways. I love you all so much!!!

Oh yeah, and happy 2010! Pics will be coming of that party in the next few days....