Family Vacation

This was the last Christmas that my whole family will be together for quite some time since my younger siblings will be serving their missions. We decided to do something fun as a whole family. We all took a vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and rented a condo. It was such a fun time. Here are some pictures of things we did.

We took pictures under the famous Jackson Hole Elk Horn Arch

(it was really snowing)

This is my oldest brother and their cute family

My nephew, Tayson


We took a sleigh ride pulled by horses through the Elk Refuge

It was freezing cold...we all bundled up

We saw a coyote

And of course the elk

We had snow ball fights!

Some also went snowmobiling, which unfortunatley I didn't get any pictures of.

But most of all, we spent lots of time as a family and with those we love. It was a great vacation. Thanks mom and dad!

April

Tomorrow (Wed, Jan 12th) my sister, April, enters the Missionary Training Center to serve as a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. She will be serving in the San Jose, California Spanish speaking mission. I am so proud of her, but will miss her tons. Go spread the Gospel, April! I love you.

Christmas

(I told you pictures were coming...here they are. And there will be lots more coming this week so check back often.)

Christmas Morning

This Christmas was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the excitement of my children (mostly Celeste) and buying for those I love. Here are a few pictures from our Christmas Day.

We did Christmas morning at our house and then went to my parents for Christmas dinner.

Grandma Mikesell got to come spend Christmas morning with us. We had Christmas Eve dinner with Ryan's Mom and Grandma.

I admit it. One of my biggest weaknesses in life is buying stuff for the people I love most. I can't stop myself. It's almost embarrassing how much stuff my kids got for Christmas! I will try to simmer down next year. :)

(Ryan set out Celeste's loot and spread it out a lot more than Caleb's. I just piled Caleb's on top of each other. Still....lots.)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did.

Update

Here is the Mikesell Family Update...

Caleb: He got his 6 months shots on Wednesday and only whined for about 10 seconds. He was a trooper! He's so easy going and happy. (What a blessing!) His first tooth popped through today! Kids grow too fast...

Celeste: She got to have her first sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house Wednesday night while Ryan and I took a quick trip to Casper (details below). It was also her first night away from me (besides the 1 night I was in the hospital having Caleb). She loved it and had Grandma and Aunt April rolling in laughter. She's a character and says the funniest things.

Ryan: Injured his back again in November. He was doing great, and then Sunday morning while trying to get Celeste dressed, he hit the floor in pain and practically stayed there for days. I drove him to Casper (2 hours away...the closest doctor that will look at backs) on Wednesday night. Thursday morning he had an MRI, x-rays, and a visit with the doctor. We found out he has a 1 cm chunk of disc that has come off and is floating around in his spinal column. It was fighting with and bugging his nerve. Luckily it's shifted and not bothering him as much anymore. Only time will tell what they're going to do with it.

Melissa: I'm hiring for a cook at day care and can't seem to find one. Therefore, I'm not only doing my job, but also cooking for all 80 munchkins. I am VERY grateful I've have my husband back the last 2 days back to help me with the house work. Because of all this, I'm tired, exhausted, and don't have time to post on the blog. Sorry! The pictures are coming. I promise. But as for now, good night. :)

Christmas Cards

I love Christmas cards! And I'm getting ready to send them out. Please e-mail me with your address if you have moved or if you don't think I have it. melissamikesell@hotmail.com

Thanks!

P.S. I haven't received one yet this year. :(

5 Months

Time goes too fast and I missed Caleb's 4 month picture. But here's a picture I captured last night in our quick photo shoot.

I just love this smiley boy!

Cereal

On November 8th, Caleb got his first taste of Rice Cereal. I wasn't quite ready to feed it to him but he was ready for more! And I was ready to sleep through the night and was hoping this would help. It has helped a little. As the week's gone by, he doesn't seem to like the cereal as much. I think he wants the flavorful yummy stuff!