Family Christmas Letter

This year we decided to do our "Christmas Card" via email. If any did not receive it I thought I ought to put it on the blog and apologize that it did not get to you for some reason.

This year has been a rather crazy year. Here are some of the highlights.Rob worked hard through the spring juggling both work and school but finally graduated BYU with a JD/MBA and continued working for vSpring capital. After graduation we were very fortunate and were able to take a cruise to the Caribbean, just Rob and I as a 5th anniversary/graduation present. We moved from Provo and lived in the condos by the Gateway in Salt Lake City where we house sat and took care of some cats. It was fun to live in downtown and experience a little taste of the city life. Eliza loved living right next to the Gateway Children's Museum which we visited regularly.

At the end of the summer Rob and I took a trip down to Monterrey, Mexico and considered moving down there but soon after felt that it was not the time to make such a move and found a home in Millcreek. Mexico is always on our mind and we'll see what the future holds.

While living in our quaint home in Millcreek Liberty has decided she wants to be independent. She wants to do everything herself. Going potty in the toilet is one of them (Yeah!) and pouring her own milk is another (boo). She is a lover and a hater. She has pulled out many a child's hair, loves to ride on babies like they are horses, and will bring out the teeth if she must. (Fortunately I think she is starting to catch on that these things are not OK. At least this is what I tell myself to keep sane.) But she is also the most loving little girl. She loves to snuggle and give hugs. She always is saying hi to everyone at the grocery store and her smile can light up anyone's face. Just a couple of days ago we went and visited a rest home and she went around and shook every person's hand and said "hi" and "merry christmas". They all loved it.

Eliza started going to a preschool this year and when we moved to Millcreek started attending a preschool called "Grandma's Garden". It is the best school I could have ever asked for. Her teacher is great and she has just taken off on learning her letters. She thinks it is the coolest thing that she can write letters and everyday she surprises me with the things she has learned. But she also loves the television. Brady Bunches is her favorite show and when she misses it she's pretty disapointed. We are happy to report though that while delivering Christmas gifts to our neighbors this year she yelled out with delight, "This is better than watching T.V.!" She is an amazing little girl, an awesome big sister, and a great example to me.

Soon after the move to Millcreek we were happy to find out that our third child is on its way and due to arrive the end of May. Eliza and Rob are sure its a boy! We'll find out in January.

We feel so unbelievably grateful for the blessings that God has given us this year and we are most grateful for Heavenly Father's most precious blessing, his son. For without him there would be no atonement. We are grateful for this Christmas season where we are able to focus even more on this gift. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Love,

Rob, Abby, Eliza, and Liberty McMillen

Hunting

Rob went hunting this year for a week up in Idaho with his Dad and Miller.


We joined them for the first couple of days. We didn't last too long because it rained most of the time we were there. But the time we spent there was pretty adventurous!

We found a snake down by the river and tried to catch it!

We had delicious fire roasted corn on the cob! (Libby's favorite)
Kaiden even hunted himself a squirrel! We feel strongly about eating what you kill. So Rob seasoned it up real nice with cayenne pepper and garlic salt. We all took a nibble. It actually was pretty good. Eliza really liked it. (Yes we may be considered W.T. now, but that's OK.) Rob also cooked some of the grouse that they brought back from the hunt (yes they were hunting elk but hadn't had any luck yet) and it was delicious!

Eliza got to get a little ride on the horse! And best of all we got to hang out up in the mountains. There is just something so peaceful about being up there. I love it!

Happy Birthday Rob!!!

It was Rob's 29th birthday yesterday! He is getting old. :)I feel so lucky to have such a great guy for a husband. When I introduced myself in Relief Society yesterday, a lady raised her hand and commented, "I just had to tell you all that I was sitting behind Abby and her husband in Sunday School and the nursery leader came in because there was some kind of problem with their daughter like a dirty diaper, and Abby went to stand up and her husband had her sit back down and went out instead. I just thought that was so impressive." All of the ladies were like, "oh wow." I said, "Yeah, he's a pretty good guy!" He really is.

He was a little tired for his birthday since he had been up really late the last 4 nights one night until 4:00 am, so the girls and I let him sleep in and didn't do anything exciting in the morning. During the day I sent him an email with some tickets to the BYU vs. TCU game. (I am always nervous to make these kind of purchases because while in DC I bought some NBA tickets that were really good seats but he didn't really think they were the greatest gift because of the price. Plus I'm not really an avid football fan so I wasn't really sure what the best game was, but I think it worked out this time!) Then when he got off work we went to eat at Market Street Grill and the girl gave him their gifts. When we got home we had some Cherry Pie. Rob kept asking if I had made it and I just moved on with out answering. Then a little later he asked again and Eliza gave me away and said, "Mommy didn't make this, we bought it at the store." How could she throw me under the bus like that! ;) We all laughed! Pies are just not my thing. But I did buy it with love and care.

Happy birthday Rob!

Eliza's crazy day!

So the other day, Eliza fell off the ladder going to our attic and hit her head (I think on a book case at the bottom). She knew she wasn't suppose to be up there so when I came running down she said, "I'm OK mom," but then started bawling. It was so sad. She had a dent in her head that I was worried about. She didn't have any signs of neorological damage though so I kept watching her. I kept just worrying about that dent though so finally in the afternoon I talked with Dave and decided to take her up to Primary Children's Hospital. We were so lucky because Uncle Adam was there to help us through the whole thing. I feel so lucky to have pediatrician brothers. Luckily everything turned out OK. All the x-rays turned out good. She was supposed to go on a football game date with her daddy that night so she was very happy that everything was OK.

So we rushed home, she put on her pink cougar shirt that her Maya friend gave her and some warm clothes and she was ready to go. Then her and Rob rushed to the BYU football game in Provo. She thinks this is so cool to do with her dad. And I think it is so cool that her dad is willing to do this and makes it so much fun for her.

While at the game she got some hot chocolate (her favorite) and was overly excited that she got to keep the mug...

... and then at the end of the game was able to get a photo with BYU player Harvey Unga!!!

Eliza is 4 years old!

There were lots of celebrations for this birthday. First we had a joint party with Kennedy up in Twin Falls the Saturday before her birthday.

Then we had a birthday party with the Stevenson family on Sunday.

Then on the actual day, we celebrated her birthday at Chuck E. Cheese in Orem. We thought this would be a good idea since with all the moving most of her friends were still in Provo. It was a lot of fun! Chuck E. even sang to Eliza. She seemed very happy and was glad to see some of her friends from Provo.





After Chuck E. Cheese's we went to Build a Bear where you were able to pick out a stuffed animal and some clothes. You picked a pink unicorn and a Tinker Bell costume for her. After that we dropped daddy off at a conference and drove up to Grandma Stevenson house. Eliza was so happy because she got to play with her other friends Emma and Alex Thomas. Then we had "breakfast" for dinner. It was a fun filled day. I love you Eliza. You are a such a loving and excited girl. I love that about you!

We moved! Yes again.

Yes we have moved again. I was counting the other day with some friends how many times it has been and I think it is at 13 times since Rob and I got married (5 years). Way too many.
We are really missing having Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson around to always help out and play with us, but it has also been nice to be in our own place and get back into a routine. We love our new little house here in Millcreek (still UT). It is very close to Rob's work which I love because it makes it seem like he doesn't work so long and the best part of the whole house is the yard. It is huge and gated and the girls love it.
There were a few surprises about this place though. When I was finding a place to live I was sure to ask my top 5 questions: "Does the place have a gated yard, disposal, dishwasher, washer/dryer hookups, and air conditioning?" I made sure I narrowed down my search really good. Well I found this house while driving to check out another place I had seen on Craig's List. I fell in love with it when I found out it was in our renting price range. I soon found out that someone else was interested in the place so I frantically bargained to get the house. I succeeded and the house was mine. On the first day while moving in, the place was getting pretty hot. I went to turn on the a/c and found out that there was a just a swamp cooler. Not a big deal, I could handle that especially since it was cooler months up ahead. Then later that day when I went to load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, I couldn't find it! I swear I had seen one when I looked at the place before. But to my dismay there was NO DISHWASHER! Ahhhh! What had I done to myself. (If you know me at all you will find this pretty comical, I am that person that puts everything in the dishwasher--pots, pans, knives, wood items. For me it is worth the risk that it might get ruined because I hate hand washing so bad.) I called and told Rob and he just laughed and said, "You think you rented the house a little too quick." We both laughed. He has been quite a trooper since and has really helped me out with dishes and I have to admit it really hasn't been that bad handwashing.
I hope to add a picture on soon.

Liberty's fishy face

I am very far behind and hope to get caught up soon. But real quick just wanted to post this picture of Liberty and remember this moment. She loves to do this fishy face. She often does it when we ask for kisses and it is pretty hilarious!

Eliza's without training wheels

Last Sunday Rob took off Eliza's training wheels. She was so excited and has been wanting to do it for quite some time now. However, I think some of the excitement wore off pretty quickly after she realized how difficult it was (and painful). We kept encouraging her and told her not to give up. When we went out for the second session of bike training a couple of days later she was begging us to put the training wheels back on. We told her she could have them back on once she was able to ride really well without them (gambling that she wouldn't want them back on after this, hope I'm right). She started off a little unconfident and kept wrecking on purpose onto the grass. Then Rob told her she could get an ice cream cone if she rode to a certain destination (like a post or a garbage can). This gave her the motivation and after several tries she did it. She then had to go even further to get a dollar. She ended on a good note and was excited about doing it more. Her and Rob went out a third time but I wasn't there, but he said she did great. I am so proud of her for not giving up! It's a hard and painful thing to learn how to do. I'm sure Aunt Sarah can relate.

Food Faces

Often when Eliza goes to visit her grandma Pigeons (Stevenson) she gets to have Food Faces for lunch/dinner. It is one of her favorite things and she thinks this is something special that only grandma can do. Well I decided for lunch one afternoon I would do them at our house. When I told Eliza that we were going to make them she said, "You know how to make them too?" As if we were going to be constructing a master wedding cake. She's so funny and I assured her I did. I made her lunch, she wanted me to make a face of myself, and she made a face of Liberty for Liberty's lunch. Lunch was a hit and I just wanted to give this idea out for any moms looking to make things a little more exciting around lunch time. It really wasn't any more effort, I just grabbed what I had from the fridge and it was almost easier because Eliza helped. Thanks Grandma for the fun idea.

Happy Father's Day

Since yesterday was Father's Day I wanted to write a little bit about why I think Rob is so great and the things I admire about him.
-His intelligence. He is such a great provider for our family and I'm so grateful to have a husband who values academics like I do. He also has the most amazing memory with numbers. He can remember numbers from a long time ago and it just baffles me.
-That he thinks he could wrestle anyone and win :) He's got me fooled and it makes me feel pretty safe.
-His testimony of the gospel. I have learned so much from him. He can recall so many scriptures and really tries to apply them to his life. He is firm in his belief and will bend for no one.
-He is a truth seeker. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks he just wants to know if it is right or wrong.
-He's close to the spirit. He always says, "wise as a serpent, and harmless as a dove". On many occasions he has realized way before I have that someone was trying to deceive us.
-His humility. Rob doesn't have the usual humble guy attitude, he definitely believes in himself. But if he realizes he needs to change something he takes every effort to change. When I tell him something I wish he would change he is so humble in his answer and says sorry, then asks for examples of how he did it wrong, and then truly does try to change. I am always defensive when someone tells me I have done something wrong. I love this about him and I feel like he grows closer to being a perfect person much faster than I do.
-His confidence.
-He is a hard worker. The hardest worker I have ever known. In wrestling he learned that your mind gives up way before your body. You have to take control of your mind. He always pushes himself so hard until he has accomplished what he wants.
-He is optimistic, always wanting everyone to focus on the positive and never on the negative. -His friendliness. Rob loves to make others happy. He wants everyone to feel loved.
-He loves his kids and makes his family a top priority.

I told Rob the other day that if a person wants life to be relaxing than they should marry someone just like them but if they want to learn a lot then they should marry someone opposite of them. I chose the latter and have learned so much. It is never a boring day. I love you Rob, thanks for your example!

Details of the Caribbean Cruise

CAYMAN ISLAND

Our first stop was Cayman Island. I think this was probably my favorite stop. Cayman Island is so beautiful and the people there are exceptionally nice. The place is a more well to do than many of the other islands so maybe this is why, but when we asked many of the people that lived there why people were so exceptionally kind they told us that it was because the island is so religious. There are all kinds of religions and we were even told that there were quite a few LDS people there. I like to think it was due to belief in God rather than the wealth.

We rented a scooter to ride around the island. We did this on the last cruise and loved it. It really is so much fun having the freedom to go wherever you want and stop whenever you see something cool. Like this beautiful beach.

However, it was a little bit more tricky driving in Cayman Island compared to Mexico. They drive on the opposite side of the road. (Yielding to oncoming traffic while making a right hand turn seemed totally crazy.) But we made it safe with my husbands expert driving and a great back seat driver.

Rob just got a kick out of the wild chickens that ran around on almost every place we visited. He would of course always ask one of the natives if they ever killed one and ate it for dinner. They would always answer no and laugh.

We drove up to a turtle farm. It was very exciting since I love wild life. You can't tell really in this picture but these are huge adult sea turtles about 2-3 feet big.

The turtle farm was just like the trout farm back home in North Ogden. They had many different pools and each pool they had different sizes. This was the pool with the baby turtles. We were able to hold the turtles in this pool if you could catch 'em.

The tour guide said that if you rub under their chin in calmes them down. So here I am of course, the next "Turtle whisperer."

Well there's nothing like holding the beautiful creatures and then eating them.(Kidding) After the guided tour we headed over to the restaurant in the park to have Turtle Soup. We also got some smoothies since we were thirsty.

Here's a close up of the turtle meat. Rob is pointing to the green fat. This being the biggest reason why I couldn't gobble down the Turtle soup. The meat itself is actually really good and had the taste and consistancy of beef. But the peices of green fat were really hard for me to eat. (I'm not sure if your computer is doing this picture justice, I'm talkin' it was green.)

After the turtle farm we went swimming with the dolphins.

I was so excited about this because I have always wanted to touch a dolphin to see what it feels like. It reminded me of a rain jacket or like those pictures that if you move it, it changes. It was smooth but had a little rough texture to it. Nothing like a fish, not slimy at all, but also not as smooth as a snake either. Anyways it was awesome.

Each person got to hold its fins like you were dancing, swim with it by holding on to its pectoral fins, and then pushed you through the water on a boogie board (it did this by pushing on your feet). It was totally worth it for me.

With only a small amount of time to spare we hurried and grabbed some food at a local restaurant that had been recommended by some locals. Rob had been craving fresh fried fish so it was a must on the list. He ate it with pure delight. I got chicken and it was great as well. Love the food in the caribean.

ISLE OF ROATAN, HONDURAS

We rented another scooter (the 2nd scooter is not mine it was someone elses taking the photo). I am not brave enough to do it. I just hold on and boss Rob around.

Rob found out about this great place where you can interact with monkeys. It only cost $2 and was totally worth it. He loves finding a great deal and I love that he finds them.

These monkeys were crazy. They were such scavengers. They would take everything. They undid my pockets and took my keys, undid my swimming suit ties, took Rob's hat and glasses. but fortunately if it is not food they just throw it back. They couldn't decide about the camera back since it was like leather. They chewed on it a while and finally threw it back. It was awesome and another activity at the top of my list.

At this area they had Cashew nut trees. Who knew that cashews grow at the end of a little yellow fruit? I didn't. This little guy is holding one of them. We asked the owner if we could try one and we did. The fruit was very juicy but afterwards would make your mouth feel really dry.(An astringent our friend informed us.) It reminded me of some plums I have had.

They had some other animals at the park. Including this baby monkey. It was pretty funny since Rob and I had a debate about the gender of this MOTHER. Yes I was right. No male carries around their child for days. There was also some deer, lizards, and cows.

After the monkeys we raced to our only cruise booked activity.(Which I would never do for those who hope to cruise in the future. At every stop there are all the same tours and you can get them cheaper.) We went Snuba diving. In case you don't know Snuba is snorkeling combined with scuba diving. You have a scuba mask that is connected to a small raft like boat. It was stormy that day and our tour guide didn't want to take us out on the big boat, so we just walked out from the beach. There really wasn't too much to see. A few fish but the water was pretty murky. Rob did feel some fire coral. It's red and looks like a bunch of bee stings. OUCH!

We also got pretty tangled with other snuba divers. Poor Rob, we did this because I was adimit about doing it.

With again just minutes to spare, we speed towards the dock and found this great restaurant. Rob just had to get some fresh fish again. We pulled in and there was no one there so Rob started honking. I was embarrassed, but sure enough some women came hurredly from their house next door. Rob asked, "Do you have fried fresh fish with rice, beans and plaintains?" and the woman responded, "You know I got it mon." In her thick Caribean accent. It was delicious. I had chicken again and loved it just as much. Loved the fried plantains too.

Here's me and our great cook!

What a great place! I think it was Rob's favorite place.


BELIZE

We rode 4 wheelers through the jungle and then went cave tubing. This was our only disagreement on the cruise. Rob wanted to wander and our guide wanted Rob to stay in line with the group on the tubes. It was a little odd though that everyone else was kind of relaxing down the river. Went with a couple from our table, Angel and Bill. Super nice couple from Florida. Then we went and did some bargain shopping.

KEY WEST


We took a moped (of course) and went to the Southernmost point of the USA. Then we hurried back to our Booze Cruise. Just kidding, kind of.
We thought we were going snorkeling but for the first 20 minutes all they talked about was the free beer. Too bad we don't drink. I was getting a little nervous that the snorkeling was going to suck. Just before they stopped they gave us the run down of how to snorkel. It was seriously the greatest snorkeling. It was on a live reef. There were so many fish. Big blue fish that were the size of dinner plates. Small bright yellow ones. Big schools of fish. The scariest moment was when I saw this group of 4 or so fish, but they were BIG. About half the size of my body. I don't know what they were, but I was scared and swam away fast. The snorkeling was SOOOOO awesome! I couldn't believe how many there were. I really wish we had saved the water camera for this instead of Snuba.

CARNIVAL VALOR (THE BOAT)

There were a few days spent on the boat during the cruise. Most of the time it just meant "relax day". We would sleep in and then I would lay out and read while Rob went and played basketball. We'd then watch a movie or something and then get ready for dinner. It might sound boring to some but I really thought it was enjoyable to just have nothing to do.

Here we are posing after one of the formal nights . Isn't the sunset beautiful.

Our dining room friends was one of the things I looked forward to every night, along with the delicious 6-10 course meal. We really had the best table. It was just made up of a bunch of easy-going fun people. We laughed a lot and everyone had great stories to tell. We loved chatting and always stayed later than any of the other tables. I man that sat next to us even came over and said, "Wow, you really have a good bunch of people here. You can tell you're always having a great time." It was really fun to get to know everyone at this table and I feel a bit of a special connection to them. I hope to bump into them again sometime in life.

We also met some other friends on the boat. Leiren,Chandler and two other couples who I can't remember their names now. We enjoyed many nights in the sports bar watching the NBA playoff games, and late nights playing cards. I also wanted to add the memory of singing Karioke, Rob totally out-did me. He was a much better singer. But I did out-do him on "Who wants to be a millionaire" game show. Yes me. It was rather amazing since common sense doesn't always seem to be my strength. But perhaps it is a hidden talent. There were also many opportunities to share about the gospel. It made for many interesting conversations. It also helped me realize how many good God believing people are really out there. One guy we talked to was so faithful to God, prayed and read the bible every day. When Rob started talking to him about the gospel it made so much sense to him. It made me realize that there are many people prepared to hear the gospel and I need to open my mouth more. I am greatful for Rob's example.And who's not to love the cute towel animals they always leave for you. It always made me think of Eliza.

It was a great trip and I hope Rob and I stick to our commitment of doing a trip as a couple once a year. I think it really helps nurture our relationship. I realized I really still am a fun layed back person, it just is a little bit harder when your a mom and have little kids always depending on you. Thanks for keeping me motivated about this trip Rob and reminding me our kids would be Ok, I Love you! And thank you to those who helped babysit. They had a great time!