Jessica's Birthday and New Year's

My birthday was December 31st, and I turned 30 this year. It's funny because I don't think of other people in their 30s as being old, but when it's me...

We had a small party at home on my birthday. Hyrum and Emily got me a necklace. Mike got me some gloves, a hair dryer, and an antenna for our tv. The best part of the day was when I went to see my mom at work and my step-dad was there. You'd think my kids would know Sherwin well enough to know that he loves to tease, but I guess Emily is just too gullible. For your enjoyment, here's the condensed conversation.

Sherwin: Well, it's your mom's birthday. Should we give her birthday spankings?

Emily: NOOO!! Don't give her spankings! She'll be good and happy, so please don't give her spankings, Grandpa!

Everyone in the credit union could hear her panicked yelling. One guy in the corner was trying to pretend he wasn't eavesdropping, but his whole body was shaking from suppressed laughter. Most people openly laughed and commented on how cute the kids were. It made my day.

New Year's Day brought with it a lot of snow. In response to this, my mom issued a challenge to all her kids and some of Sherwin's. The contest? Who could build the best snowman! We took on the challenge along with Mom and Sherwin and Dale. I was jealous of the kids' new snow pants and grateful for my new gloves by the end of the very cold and wet day. As always, if you want more pictures, they can be found on Facebook.

And the finished product:

Ta-da! It's a cat, in case you were wondering.

Meow!

Now, lest you snowman purists out there say, "That's not a snowman, it's a cat!" yes. We know. However, it was constructed in the traditional 3 part fashion. The hind quarters were the largest ball, the medium one is the shoulders, and the smallest is, of course, the head. Mike named him "Dave" since his brother loves cats so much. Here is my mom and Sherwin's entry.

RAWR! It's a bear.

...with a golf club.

I'm guess the bear didn't have a great game. He looks a little upset. Dale had piled up some snow to make a sculpture, but hadn't gotten any farther before the deadline. So, who do you think won? Comments?

Although this didn't happen on either my birthday or on New Year's, it's still worth mentioning. Dave and Hilerie, if you're reading this, you might want to skip down to the next part. BSU beat TCU in a great Fiesta Bowl! Congrats Broncos!

Well, now the holidays are over. Hyrum is back in school, and Mike and I start the semester tomorrow. Wish us luck!