2008 Christmas in Utah-Part 2

December 26th-Having fun taking pictures in the snow.

We put Rainny's Mickey Mouse in the snow and took a picture. Notice something is missing? One of Mickey's eyebrows...heehee! One day Rainny was playing with her Mickey Mouse and she ripped off one of his eyebrows. Then I told her Mickey's got an owie and she just started crying because she really thought Mickey was hurt...haha...kids are just so funny! Mickey has since then become one-eyebrowed Mickey. (I still keep the other eyebrow but just never remembered to glue it back...) Believe it or not, this Mickey Mouse was a gift from my dad when he went to Disneyland 20 years ago!!! And now this antique and hand-me-down Mickey Mouse has become Rainny's best pal ever! : )

Rainny looks so tiny standing behind the big pile of snow!

The Christmas tree popcorn eater Sassy sleeping cozily on Rainny's baby blanket.^0^

December 29th-Going sledding with Angie and Craig!

We went sledding with Angie, Craig and his two little girls in a nearby park in Logan. Adam had been so excited about taking our little family (first time going sledding for Rainny and I!) to go sledding on this trip. We first tried a small and more kids-friendly hill and Rainny really liked it, but after going on a bigger and steeper hill, Rainny just didn't seem to like it that much and didn't want to sit in the sled anymore (I guess it was a little more scary for her)...and later all she only wanted to do was to walk up and down the hill...hahaha! I never knew that sledding can go so fast and get so...well, out of control! But it was really so much fun!:)

December 31st-New Year's Eve party in Salt Lake!

Our good friends Shwan and Amei invited us to their New Year's Eve party. It's always so much fun hanging out with friends! We ate a lot of good food, played so many fun games and just partied and partied all night until it was time to count down the New Year!
This was definitely the highlight of the New Year's Eve party! All 7 couples celebrated the New Year with lots of kisses and kisses and kisses!!! ^0^ (P.S. Rainny celebrated her 2009 New Year by watching more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse upstairs! Hahahahaha...)

2008 Christmas in Utah-Part 1

After two long layovers and connecting flights in Tokyo and San Francisco, we finally arrived in Salt Lake City on Monday December 15th. Before we took off in Taiwan,We kinda prepared ourselves for the freezing cold winter in Utah, but I guess we couldn't know and feel how COLD it actually was until we walked out of the airport to the parking lot. After living in Taiwan for a year, I sort of forgot what the winter in Utah is supposed to feel like, but as soon as I took a first deep breath and felt that freezing cold air going into my lungs, the familiar smell of Utah winter came back. Despite the fact that I don't like being in the cold, I actually do miss that smell...weird huh?
December 18th-

Going for a ride in the car...Rainny still had jet lag. She fell asleep while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her best pal Mickey Mouse...hahaha...

December 19th-Joey and Jamie came over to hang out.

Look at our cute little nephew Miles! He's gotten so big since last time we saw him in May 2008. It's incredible how fast babies grow and how much they've changed in only 6 months!
Rainny having some play time with cousin Miles, which was a very good opportunity for her to learn how to share toys and play nice. In Taiwan, she rarely gets to play with kids her age (except in the nursery on Sunday) because most of my friends are still unmarried and they don't have kids...Here is a quick shout out to my college friends,"When do I get to be invited to attend one of your weddings? Rainny can be a pretty good flower girl if you guys ever need one...hahaha! ^0^"

December 20th-Going to see Ginger's Hi-Lo's dance competition in Bountiful.

In the afternoon, our good friends Shawn and Amei treated us to Texas Roadhouse for lunch. Yum...

December 22nd-Shopping for Christmas gifts!

A multi-tasking Adam carrying Rainny in one hand and a bag in the other while trying to keep snow from getting in his eyes. It was snowing a lot that day and Adam obviously didn't know I was taking pictures of them crossing the road...heehee...and it turned out to look like one of those paparazzi trying to get a close-shot of some kind of Hollywood celebs...haha! :p

December 24th-Christmas Eve dinner.

This year, Grandpa and Grandma Hislop got a real Christmas tree. Nikki, Ginger and her friends decroated the tree with lots of gingerbread cookies and popcorns! Yes, they are real edible popcorns!!! But about a week later, one day Sassy started eating and chewing on part of the popcorns at the bottom of the Christmas tree...hahaha! ^0^

I've never seen Rainny shoveling food in her mouth like that. She had a really good appetite that night! : )

December 25th-Opening Christmas presents!

This Christmas, Rainny was spoiled with lots of Dora presents! A talking Dora that says Rainny's name, Dora shower set, Dora photo album, story books and hinged banner...America is like a Dora paradise for Rainny! They've got almost everything you can think of with Dora: Dora canned soup, Dora tooth brush, Dora toothpaste, Dora diapers, Dora toilet seat cover,etc...so many!!!

December 26th-The Esplin Family came to visit from Pocatello.

We didn't get a picture of the whole Esplin Family, but we got a picture with Rainny's 2-month-younger cute cousin Sophi!
Nikki standing outside the house, showing us how much snow we got just OVERNIGHT!
It's crazy!