Christmas Morning

Christmas 2009

I don't even know where to begin! We had such a perfectly fun Christmas. Some of the highlights over the holiday...
*Christmas Eve with just our little family. A favorite tradition of ours!
*Christmas morning of course! Lilly was a little bit of a monster, but still cute none-the-less. I think it is safe to say that she enjoyed Halloween much more than Christmas. Silly girl.
*Lights at temple square.
*Lilly getting to play and play and play. I think she has worn herself completely out. She loves her cousins.
*The incredibly thoughtful gifts from Anton. He always amazes me.
*Delicious food!
*The parties.
*The White Elephant gifts. Why do those always make me laugh so hard?!
*Spending time with family. This year we were able to spend time with both sides of our family. Antons family traveled up from St. George - it was so fun to spend time with them. Lilly loved playing with her cousins she doesn't get to see very often.

Here are some pictures from my parent's Christmas Party:

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

This is such a beautiful time of year. I have really tried this Christmas season to remember what it is that we are really celebrating. I have felt a real change come over me this year. I don't feel the need or want for "things". Presents haven't been as important as in years past, the stress level isn't as high, and all I really want is to be with my family, to create and share sweet memories. Being pregnant this Christmas, I often find myself thinking of the conditions the Savior of the world was born into. It is deeply humbling and very tender to me. I hope to remember these feelings all throughout the year. So, at this time of year, I wish you and your families peace and happiness!

Merry Christmas!

Santa & A Party!

We went to visit Santa yesterday, and Lilly turned out to be a big fan of Santa. She didn't get off of his lap for about 30-40 minutes. At first, she was a little hesitant, then warmed right up to him. In fact, she loved him!!

After our visit with Santa, we headed over to my parents house for our family Christmas party. It was so much fun, as always. Lilly is getting old enough now, that she can really play and interact with all the cousins, so she had a ball! The Nativity which was acted out by all the grandkids was great, the food was amazingly delicious, the conversations were funny, and the gifts were so thoughtful and generous. I always look forward to my parents party, and each year it never disappoints. It is such a fun tradition! Pictures soon to come.

Reminded

Over the last few days, I have been reminded several times just how blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life:

This Weekend, I received a very special package in the mail for Christmas, and the card immediately made me cry. It was one of the most touching, sweet things I have ever seen. I will cherish it forever.

Today was our traditional "siblings" lunch to celebrate my two brothers birthdays. Even though Lilly was very much a little pill, it was so fun to get together with my siblings and parents and catch up. The conversations are always so funny. I feel so lucky to be in such a neat family.

Tonight, I was lucky enough to have two darling visitors. The first, a friend who wanted to catch up and also to tell me how darling she thought Lilly looked at church yesterday (she wore her new Christmas dress). I thought that was so sweet, and it was so fun to catch up with her! I am lucky to have such great friends. The other visitor came at just the right time. I was so worn out from my teething daughter, my dinner was a disaster, and was grumpy from being so tired. Seeing her cheered me right up. She came bearing gifts...delicious cookies, the most adorable gift for Lilly, and had written one of the sweetest cards. It lifted my spirits immediately. Anton and I both commented on how adorable this girl is. I hope that Lilly grows up to be as sweet and darling as her. I love her!

I feel very blessed tonight.

Festive!

It is getting rather festive at our house! This past weekend the tree went up, Christmas lights were hung, our village was set up, and the Nutcrackers were put on display. It is amazing how cozy a house can become when it is decorated for Christmas. Our tree is a wee bit large for our small home, but I still love it, and it smells sooo good. Lilly is loving this whole Christmas thing. She is obsessing over Santa right now. I can't wait to take her to go see the 'real' Santa! She had a lot of fun when we were decorating the tree. She mostly liked playing with the beads on the tree...which we thought was just a disaster waiting to happen. So, we put the "over-under" at 4 broken ornaments, and so far....we don't have a single one! Although, we do have some mangled Christmas presents. That's OK though. I can tell Christmas morning is going to be a fun one at our house. I can't wait!

A Real Pain

My dear husband gets to prick me with this needle once a week for the rest of my pregnancy. Lucky us.

And, I can't help but post a picture of Lilly!