The New Year

Over Christmas break we enjoyed doing some fun things as a family. We went to the movies and saw Tangled, and even got popcorn and drinks, which was a real treat since it costs over fifty dollars for our family to go to the movies, and that's before concessions! The other fun thing we did is go skiing (all of us except for Merinda). The picture above is a really far away picture of the closest ski resort to us, "Perfect North", which is in Indiana (about an hour's drive). 

 Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me, so I am posting what few pictures Aubrey took with her new camera. Since it was the first time skiing for most of us (Brad's second), I didn't want Aubrey taking her new camera on the slopes. I think that was a good idea since every time I saw Aubrey she was on the ground trying to get up (she did much better once she got on the slopes, it was just standing in place that seemed to be the most difficult for her). Here is a before picture of Brittney who is all ready to go.

Here is the after picture of Brittney. She looks a little more serious, or maybe that's the look of pure exhaustion and bone-chilling cold. Christina, the girls friend, also looks a bit worn-out.

We went skiing with several families from the ward in order to get the group discount. Skiing is almost as expensive as going to the movies! Here we all are getting into our skiing gear, or at least here are all the guys putting on their gear. Good thing Aubrey has her priorities straight when it comes to taking pictures!

Here is the whole gang enjoying an authentic Mexican feast, just outside of Cincinnati. The warmth and food never felt or tasted so good!

For New Year's Eve we had a great time bowling with friends at Cosmic Bowling alley (the lights go off in the evening and everything, including the balls, are glow-in-the-dark). Here is our friend Mark Allen getting ready to bowl a strike (incidently, Mark and Bridgette's team won our friendly competition due to their amazing bowling skills).

 

We had a fun time the rest of the night just visiting, playing games, and snacking on good food.

Brittney made two dessert pizzas for the occasion, which were almost too pretty to eat (so I had to take a picture). And they were oh so yummy! We rang in the new year with a toast of sparkling cider and a game of charades (guys against girls). Surprisingly, the guys held their own and even almost won. It was  entertainment at its finest and the perfect way to start off the new year. We want to thank everyone who came and celebrated with us - it was a lot of fun!