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This is Carson and Mom on Christmas Eve. We had a blast with all our family and are looking forward to seeing them for ALL of January. One thing we have defiantly noticed is the cold weather in Utah! We have been sooo spoiled here in Las Vegas, and now we all hate being cold!
Carson however... loved it!

Christmas in Utah

Christmas in Las Vegas

We had so much fun! Our usual routine in the evenings is rather boring. Most nights we just run errands, eat diner, watch tv. Wednesday we went OUT! with nothing to do but have fun. I heard from some friends that we could see some Christmas lights at the cactus gardens, and that the Bellagio had its usual display area decked out in holiday decorations. First off... who's idea was it to put lights on the cactus? of all the crazy things. It is painful enough putting lights on a pine tree...but a cactus!!! Several of the plants have sooooo many needles they look fury, and yet some crazy fool wrapped lights around it!! We all enjoyed the gardens and especially the chocolate from the Ethel M Chocolate factory. I really dont like the casino atmosphere, so I was a little reluctant to go down the strip, but now I am glad we went. Carson was amazed by the size of the Christmas tree at the Bellagio, not to mention all of the other cool stuff. Curtis and I were both excited to show Carson the Water Fountain, plus we like it too. They played the "Hallelujah Chorus" with the show. I was truly almost in tears, it was unbelievably touching. That is such a powerful song, I just never expected to feel the spirit so strong in that environment.

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Balloons

Balloons. Carson loves balloons. I have tried to chance this fact several times. He especially loves to have a whole family of balloons, and frequently requests that I blow up another 'baby' balloon. Currently we have a family of balloons spending the night in our living room. There is the "mommy" (big and pink), "Daddy"(big blue), two 'baby' balloons (pink and blue, and as small as I could make them), and of course "cousin" balloon ( slightly larger than the baby balloons). I secretly refer to the "balloon family" as our unwanted relatives that have to go everywhere we go. I feel mighty silly walking to the mailbox carrying an armful of balloons, thankfully most of the time I can persuade Carson to leave the balloons in the car. So if you see us without them... fear not! they are probably waiting in the car.
Carson is trying to ride the scooter and carry the "baby" balloons

Sports Day!

Carson gets so excited about Sports Day. Today we played kick ball, or at least we tried. I spend most of my time trying to keep Carson focused on what he is suppose to be doing. He gets distracted so easily I start to think he isn't having fun, but then he talks about Sports Day all week long. Today was our turn to bring treats. Carson just loved the cookies and juice, he even declared that I was the "best Mom ever". Yes!! My son thinks I'm cool!

Christmas Cookies!

Thanks to all our friends who have brought us sooo many tasty treats. Carson and I have had far to many sweets lately!


And... I wanted to show you my leg. Sexy, I know. Have you noticed the yellow bruising around the stitches. Ouch! I would just like the world to know that I once had the best pair of legs around. But... that was a while ago.
Lat'r alligator

Yes. We are home...kinda.

Yet another long "vacation" away from home has come to an end. We had a great time in Phoenix and Layton. Almost all of our time was spent visiting with family. Thanksgiving was especially fun because Curtis was with us (a great surprise!). I was able to keep the tradition of running the "Cold Turkey 6K" on thanksgiving morning, and yes it is always very very cold. Carson and I shopped like crazy while in Utah and now we are mostly finished buying Christmas gifts.
We have actually been home for a while now, but you wouldn't know it. Curtis was only home for 2 days before he flew to Maryland for more interviews. Carson and I have been home but running around the town almost everyday. On Tuesday I had another doctor appointment, where they attempted to remove the rest of the melanoma from my leg. I personally feel like they tried to remove my whole leg, and was frankly surprised to see they did not. I will probably limp around for a few more days. I have discovered a wonderful thing...drugs. No really! I had some pain killers left over from when I had Carson. Cool huh!
I think most everyone has heard the story one way or another, but I will tell you too. First. I have been told that I am not going to die. About 4 weeks ago I had a dermatologist remove a mole from my left leg. I then received a phone call while in phoenix from this same doctor. He told me that the lab report found melanoma on the removed tissue. I was also told that it looked like the early stages and that there was nothing to worry about yet. And!! then he seriously said "have a nice holiday with your family, don't worry about it now, I'll see you when you get back to Las Vegas." I think I was a little shocked, I walked out into the living room and announced to Clint and Natalie "they just told me I have melanoma". So now they have removed more tissue and we will find out if there is anything to really worry about soon enough. I also have the privilege of having a FULL body examination (yes! I am so excited!) and I get to wear the strongest sunscreen known to man every day of my life. Did I mention the fact that I will be seeing the dermatologist every 3 months for the rest of my life for repeat "FULL body exams"...I will never be shy again.