Merry Christmas 2008!

The holidays are always one of my favorite times of the year. This year, things are even more special as Carson continues to grow and interact more, and the wonder of Christmas becomes that much more magical. We had a 3-day Christmas Extravaganza with family that was very special and very relaxing. :)
Mike and Carson played a lot over the holiday break. They are such good buddies :) I hear Carson belly-laugh the most when he is with his Daddy. I get spoiled having Mike around so much during the break--it is always hard to go back after spending so much time together.

Here is that belly laugh I was talking about!

Carson was definitely in the Christmas spirit. He loves lights, the tree, christmas music--pretty much the works! He is looking at the Christmas Train that is displayed on the plant ledge in the dining room in this picture. We would just turn on the lights and watch him marvel and smile...

Cute picture...but not so cute that Carson is STANDING on one of Grandma Sue's presents. Yes, he wanted to reach the top of the railing, so he used the beautifully wrapped present as a step stool...

Sorry, Grandma--good thing this wasn't breakable!! :)

We all went to Mom and Dad Bedwell's house on the 23rd for a wonderful meal and some presents. Carson likes to sit at the piano and play some songs. He is quite a musical child, actually. We will see...

Dad put together an "old school" Bedwell scavenger hunt for Mom--and it was a huge surprise :). She had to follow 15 clues to find her present. Nice work, Dad!

Collin got introduced to the Bedwell Scavenger hunt by having a clue hidden in his shoe. He was a good sport and helped hide all the clues around the house:

Unfortunately, with my Dad's sense of humor--you had to know that a clue would be hidden in Carson's pants. It was a gamble, but everything worked out just fine. Carson was wondering why Grandma kept grabbing his butt, though...

It was a successful scavenger hunt, and Mom finally found her tickets to see the Tabernacle Choir at Red Rocks. I'm sure that they will have a great time at the concert!

One of the things that I received for Christmas from my Mom were some more chapters that she has written about her life. She is writing down her memories of each stage in her life, and it is really cool to read this. I have found out stuff that I have never known before, and she is creating a legacy for her kids and grandkids. I was very excited to get a few more chapters to put in the notebook!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Mass at 4 p.m. (was the Midnight Mass ever THIS crowded??), and then had dinner at Mom and Dad Lowe's house. Carson is sitting in an antique rocking chair that has been passed down through Bryan, Mike, Kevin, and Collin before it is now in Carson's hands. Billy re-finished the wood, and it is beautiful. :)

We headed home on Christmas Eve so that we would see what Santa brought to our house on Christmas morning. Mike and I have etched some crazy memories of trying to put together a child's toy on Christmas Eve...those instructions really suck! Oh well, we knew that we would laugh about it someday. ha ha ha

Carson slept in past 7 a.m., but when he got up and went downstairs, he did his infamous little gasp of amazement: Santa had come!!!

Kava was excited to get his brand new birdie :)

Carson didn't know what to do first--

He LOVES his Little Tikes Car...

and he loves his helicopter ball pit (thanks for the great idea, Cherish and Darren!!)

Keith and Debbie gave Carson a big Nemo, and he is giving Nemo a hug in this picture:

Collin and Uncle Kevin gave Carson the coolest elmo/cookie monster giggle ball!

Umm, guys--I think he likes it!

Everyone came to our house on Christmas day for yet another great meal and some Guitar Hero. Here are a couple of pics:

On Christmas night, Lindsey & Nick Fohr and The Hunters came to visit while Nick and Lindz were in town. They brought Carson the COOLEST little University of Nebraska @ Omaha MAVERICKS hockey jersey! It is a little big, but trust me--this kid will get a lot of wear out of this! :)

Daddy and Carson share a moment...

A few days after Christmas, Deven, LaNan, Alayna, Dallin, and Rhett came to Colorado for a visit. We were so excited to see them! The Denver Zoo Wildlights seemed like the perfect thing to do with visitors in town, so off we went!

It was still cold, mind you--but I admit that this was a little overkill where once again Carson couldn't move his arms because he was bundled up so much. :) I was laughing...

Here we are at the Wildlights. If you haven't been, it is really neat and some of the animal exhibits are still open. We went through our favorite Tropical Discovery area at night and it was pretty neat!

Here is Devin and LaNan & family...and a bear that wanted to take a picture with them. I think Rhett was wondering about that bear, but he was safe on Daddy's shoulders!

Kevin and Collin also joined us. I love this picture--are we sure that they are related??? heh heh heh. Collin is so grown up--it is crazy that he is in high school now...

We rode the carousel and the zoo train! Great picture, Rhett!

Alayna and Dallin are really into the ride--

Carson and Daddy took a spin--this time on a panda!

What a great picture! Carson with his "Mam ma and Bampa" :)

And now it is 2009--with so much hope and excitement for what this year will bring, I am feeling pretty blessed about my life and my family. What a great Christmas--with really wonderful memories :)