Leeper Christmas

I love being part of two families! We are so blessed be able to spend time with both the Leeper side and the Amador side during each holiday. But Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without spending Christmas morning at my parents' house! When I was a kid my sister and I used to wake each other up and run downstairs to see what Santa brought us during the night. Since my sister isn't able to come home each Christmas these days and since so much has changed now that we're older, I'm holding onto every other Christmas tradition I still can!

My mom's Christmas tree full of fun family memories

Family stockings all hung in a row

One tradition we've still been able to keep over the years is having Monkey Bread for breakfast! So yummy! But the tradition has changed a bit from my childhood... now I'm helping to make it! =) 

Making Monkey Bread in my PJs

As a 'rule' the 'kids' have to wear pajamas on Christmas morning! I think I will always open my presents from Santa in my pajamas (and no, I don't plan on outgrowing Santa either)! Miguel's pajamas were extra special this year! Miguel's brother, Juan, gave him some Mario pajama pants and matching Mario shirt for Christmas and Miguel has worn them every night since. No seriously. Every. Night. Since. =)

Awesome. Just so awesome.

After we open our stockings we take turns opening our gifts to each other while we snack on Monkey Bread and sip our coffee.  Miguel and I gave my mom a season of Glee and a keyboard/docking station for her iPad. We gave my dad some sound eliminating headphones and I made him a book telling him why he is my hero. 

Yay for Glee!

Miguel showing my mom how to use the iPad thing we got her... I say "we got her" but of course Miguel picked it out!

Dad testing out his headphones

My parents are so generous! Some of our favorite gifts included a Keurig coffee maker and some tools for Miguel! But hands down the best gift given and the best reaction of this whole Christmas came when Miguel opened a gift from my parents. During our family vacation this summer Miguel started reading an autobiography by Eisenhower that was in the house we rented. We teased Miguel the whole week we were in Montana because that book went everywhere with us. It was really cute. Like a little kid and his blankie. Miguel was so sad to have to leave it behind when we came home to Savannah. Well my mom remembered that book and purchased a copy for Miguel. He was so genuinely surprised and pleased. It was so fun to see how happy Miguel was when he opened the book! Especially since he's not one to really show much emotion when he opens gifts. He even hugged it!

The only gift I got a picture with was a surprise gift that my best friend, Sarah, left for me under the tree. She thoughtfully gave me a cupcake holder and I can't wait to use it the next time we entertain!

Thanks, Sarah!!!

After we open gifts from each other we clean up a bit, change out of our PJs and get everything ready for Christmas supper. Which of course, in the South, means eating around 2 PM. Though this year I cannot take any of the credit for getting supper ready. I completely passed out in a wonderful, deep nap until we ate. I was extremely exhausted from our late Christmas Eve celebrations from the night before at the Amadors (blog post coming soon). So snaps to my talented mother. She always makes such beautiful table settings and meals.

My beautiful mom and our yummy Christmas supper.

Thanks, Gramma, for the yummy deviled eggs... wouldn't be a family holiday without them

Yay for Christmas plates and sparkly chargers!

My Uncle Peter, Gramma, Mom, Linda, Daddy, and Miguel

One of the BEST Christmas traditions we have is signing the table cloth each year. We sign our names, sometimes write a little something that marks that year as special, and date it. I love looking back and seeing who dined each year and the momentous occasions that have come and gone. 

Four very special signatures were missing this year =(

After eating we exchange more gifts while we digest so we can eat some delicious desserts. My Uncle Peter and Linda give the most thoughtful and yummy gifts! So wonderful that we don't want to share with each other. My Grandma was especially unwilling to share her homemade cheese straws!

Of course we badly missed my sister, Sarah, and brother-in-law, Jared!!! It just isn't the same without them! I'm so thankful for all the technology we have access to these days because we were still able to chat with them via the internet. Not even close to having them here though! We got to see Baby Ray's nursery and their kitties, Milo (who is 17 lbs!) and Busby (who was less than pleased to be wearing holiday antlers)  ;)

Hi, Sarah!

You know you had a satisfying Christmas when you find this on the couch after everyone else has left and things have been put away:

Night, night, Miguel.

As far as the dogs, Luke's Christmas was pretty much the same as last years, Bailey participated in opening gifts, and Emma and Jack were locked up in our room just to lessen the chaos! But every dog got a Christmas, candy cane bone in the end! 

 

Love, love, love Christmas at my parent's! This Christmas holiday was just way too short, that is my only complaint! Thanks Mom and Dad for always making it so special!

Glacier National Park

Sooo back to Montana... the middle of the week we headed up to Glacier National Park. Here is a map so you can get an idea of where we stayed and went and where the park is. 

Okay so the star up there at the top is Kalispell and Glacier. We stayed in Kalispell for two nights. The first day we took our time driving there and had lunch and checked out the city. The next day we got up early to head up to the park which was only about 45 minutes away. We had to be there before 8 because we had to catch our ride... a 1936 red tour bus. These tours have been said to be the most relaxing and enjoyable way to experience Glacier National Park. They have canvas tops that they roll back at the very beginning so that you can have amazing views and really experience the park. They are cherished, elegant icons. Each touring sedan carries 17 passengers and runs on propane... so they're green too! I also thought these buses were a great way to tour the park because there was a professional driver who a) could drive the steep and curvy road better than us and b) would let all of us focus on enjoying the scenery rather than driving and c) would tell us all about the park and what we were seeing as we were seeing it as well as important things like bear safety tips! <-- which was important to me! I was terrified of bears!

This just lets you get an idea of how steep the roads we traveled on were
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One of the things our tour guide and drive, Clair (spelled with out the e btw), told us about bears is that they best defense against them is our own human voices. He said if you are out hiking to make loud human noises, especially if you are about to go around a bend in a path. The rest of the trip when we were walking around out in the wilderness I was sure to loudly sing "Human Voices". We didn't see a single bear! And just so you know... the next day a hiker was mauled by a bear... obviously he wasn't making human noises. Oh, he also had bear spray... didn't do him much good did it?

Our ride started in the morning and lasted eight hours. When they rolled the canvas top back it was early in the morning and it was soooo cold! It was under 40º! Brrrr! We bundled up fast. The bus also had big blankets that a whole row of passengers shared. 

My daddy and mommy!

Miguel stole my hat!

It was really neat seeing the park in the morning. It was so peaceful. I got some really good pictures. The water was still calm and the air was crisp. I even got to see a deer and her fawn grazing. It was precious. I wish I had had a different camera lens with me else I would have gotten a good picture of them. Sorry if you don't like nature pictures because this post is full of them!

So pretty isn't it?!?!

We learned so many interesting things about the park. One of the cool things we kept seeing was the debris from avalanches that had just happened this 'winter'... so they could have happened in say April. Ha!

Avalanche debris

It was really amazing getting to see the scenery from these open top buses. The beauty of the park was just really breathtaking. It is so apparent to me that there just has to be a God when you see the grandeur of these mountains. The road we took was called Going-to-the-Sun Road. At some points it really did feel that way!

Look how cold we were! That's right it was around 40º where we were and in the high 90's back home in Atlanta and Savannah! Crazy.

Most of the snow was gone when we toured... obviously they wouldn't be able to drive up the mountains with lots of snow. Interestingly, this year was the latest park opening since the park road opened in 1932. It opened July 13th. They also told us they expect the first snow fall to be around August 25th. Can you imagine?

This mountain peek is called The Bishop's Hat. =)

One of my favorite parts of the day was when we saw these mountain goats! Look at the little guy! Miguel named one of them Samuel. He got pretty close to us and just gave us a look as if he were saying, "What? What do you want? Mmmm." =) If he had had a thumb he probably would have waved it at us and snapped it while saying this.

I also loved all the many, many waterfalls. Clair, our driver, said that every day when we drove he would see new things, every day the scenery changed... new waterfalls would pop up and old ones would disappear. 

After a few hours we reached a place called Logan's Pass. Logan's Pass is 6646 feet high on the Continental Divide and is the highest point on the breathtaking Going-to-the-Sun Road.

This curve shape is caused by a glacier and is called a glaciated valley. It is so crazy that a glacier was there once and carved that out. There are lots of big snow valleys but to be considered a glacier it must be moving. 

I have to post a picture of what the glaciers used to look like when the park opened in the 1930's and what they look like now. They obviously have been declining. There is some argument among scientists today, however, about whether or not they are coming back or are continuing to decline. 

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Later in the afternoon it warmed up and we were piling on the sunscreen. The temperature differences in one day were just amazing!

Hey, Daddy!

This waterfall pictured below is called The Forgotten waterfall because no one ever looks at it because to the left is one of the biggest glaciers you see on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

After we passed the lake area pictured above we were on the Eastern part of the park. The landscape and vegetation changed. Instead of steep hillsides covered with tall winter looking trees there was more bright green and shallower slopes.

Pretty wildflowers

We went to this lodge for lunch and the views were a.m.a.z.i.n.g!

Our view at lunch

Panoramic view of our lunch scenery

Glacier was definitely one of my favorite parts of our trip. I just want to take a moment to thank my parents for such an amazing trip! It will truly be one of those memories I will never forget. My daddy and mom are so generous! Thank you for loving us so much and for allowing us to share these experiences with you! Love y'all!