Leap year

 I couldn't do Christmas this year.  We did the decorating, the donations, charity items, programs, etc. I couldn't do Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my kids.  I know that sounds bad but the past few months have taught Adam and I a lot about parenting and free agency.  We have delt with some challenges that we never imagined we would face.  My kids have Aunts and Uncles that have made some really bad decisions and it is very clear how their decisions have affected their lives.  So when we see our kids choosing to follow those same struggles it make a parent wonder where things went wrong.  

To put the problems to the side and just enjoy the holiday, we went on a cruise.  We sailed out of New Orleans.  We had stops in Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.  Unfortunately we had some bad weather and we had to skip one of the stops but we were able to have some fun even in the the rain.  

Briggs spent most of the time on the ship instead of walking around the shops or going on excursions.  

Avram and I went to church in New Orleans for the Christmas program.  It was so fun.  It was shocking to see the culture shine through so strong in the program but even through you would never see a sacrament meeting quite like that in Utah, I still felt the spirit and the people were so welcoming.  

Avram and I went to the Audiban Zoo.  We took Avram to this Zoo when he was 4 months old.  New Orleans is such a fun place.