Taking down the tree...and paying for our tickets

Shawn, Kyle, and our two cousins, Thomas, and Brighton were in charge of burning the Christmas tree this year (for those who live in the city, you may dispose of your tree in a different way). But here on the farm, it is always an exciting event to take the tree out to the burn pile and burn it (at least it always has been for my brothers).
The boys took the tree and dumped it on the burn pile, drenched it with gas and then started trowing fire crackers on it until it would start, and when it lit, the tree went up in flames and burned in seconds.
After the tree burning show, I went back in and the boys didnt come back in for awhile, but from inside the house all we could hear were very loud and illegal fireworks from Wyoming going off. Good thing Shawn was out supervising!

I was able to talk my parents into buying Shawn and I tickets out to Oregon for New Years, and told them that we would clean up and put away all the Christmas decorations for them to help pay for the tickets. They agreed and thats how we ended up going to both Wyoming and Oregon for Christmas. BUT...my mother loves Christmas, and she loves Christmas decorations. Lucky for us she didnt put up as much as usual, because the house is usually darned with 7 Christmas trees elaborately decorated, wreaths on every door, Christmas lights and Christmas tree pine wrapped around all the staircases, then there are all the stockings, dishes,Santas, snowmen, and her very large collection of nativities...everywhere! But the decorations, and Christmas music always playing and the delicious Christmas smells are one of my favorite reasons to come home and I look forward to it each year on Christmas!

Thanks mom and dad for the tickets, we loved coming home to Oregon!

Shawns new toy

I didnt take many pictures of Shawn and I at home in Oregon for New Years. But I did get a couple pictures of what Shawn did a majority of the time he was in Oregon...and that was play with his new remoste control car. On our second day in Oregon we visited with our aunt and uncle and cousins across the street and three of our little girl cousins got new remoste control cars, so Shawn and kyle played with those all night(finally until the little girls were crying and wanted them back). So the next morning my mom and I set out to go and buy new remote control cars for both Shawn and Kyle to play with, and that they did... in between football bowl games that is!