Opening Presents!

This year I did Christmas in a way Jared calls "Hanuka Style". We opened presents with just our little family on the 22nd, then Jared got me one more present that I opened on the 23rd, we went up to Idaho and had Christmas celebrations on the 24th, and opened presents again on the 25th. That is a strange way to do it, and it wasn't exactly planned like that, but it was good and fun none the less! We opened presents on the 22nd because they were driving me crazy. Not because I wanted to know what was in them (bc I knew what they ALL were) but because they were taking up room in my house and making it look dirty. I just wanted to be able to put all the presents away int here places and have a clean house! haha And these presents were the ones that we were not taking up to Idaho. Because lets face it, thats a lot of effort to pack up all those boxes just to open them up there and bring them back home. We took just 2 small presents each to Idaho. These are the pictures we took that first present opening night (22nd)..... and yes there are lots because I have the cutest daughter in the world, and its her first Christmas! hahaha


Paige opening her first present EVER! She was more interested in opening the presents when she wasnt supposed to and now that she could, she didnt really care. haha

 

Once the present was opened Paige went right for the wrappings.=>



On Paiges second present she did better. She ripped open half the wrappings by herself, in order to eat them.

She almost looks like she is guilty haha. But just enjoying the wrapping paper



Paiges 3rd and last present for the night. Baby Einstein music toys from Mimi and Pappa (my parents)



Paige was ADORABLE with this toy! She kept looking up at us and smiling then leaning over to check it out!

Look at that smile, she just loves that toy and she haddnt even played with it yet. haha



Her hand must have been on it for 15mins, she was not going to let us take that box from her!



Paige was having ablast with all this Christmas stuff, even tho she didnt really understand what was happening. haha

Jared and I were consentrating on one of his presents he just opened (nice shirts and ties) and we look over and see Paige like this. We laughed pretty hard and it scared her off but before that she was super consentrated on eating the box. haha

Caught in the act of attacking the paper. haha

By the time we were done this little girl was all tuckered out, and she just layed down in the wrapping paper.



Our little one is all Christmas-ed out for the night haha

 It was fun to open presents with our little family, but both Jared and I agreed its more exciting to open them with more people. Maybe once Paige knows whats going on it will be more exciting. haha We love Christmas and we love presents! haha

Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas time! And I especially love all our Christmas traditions! A little while before Christmas my family and I (the ones that live in Utah) got together and had our Family Christmas Party!

First we have a family gift exchange. How we do it can vary year to year from white elephant, to "pass the gift" story, to assigned people. This year each kid got assigned another one. Even Paige and Kylie got to join in the fun!

 Next it was time for the Nativity play! This is the BEST Christmas tradition ever! We have a "script" that mixes scriptures to tell the nativity story and Christmas songs to emphasise the points. Oh I just love it!!


Paige was the sheep! So ADORABLE!




Sydney was our Angel! Beautiful!




Love how the shepherd had to get bribed with M&Ms to sit in place.




The sheep wasnt too interested in what the Angel had to say, but Mary was. haha




Raygan was an Awesome Mary!




Now Paige is interested. => I just cant get enough of this baby!




Pretty soon after her "part" Paige discovered the Christmas tree lights and could not get enough of them




Brooklyn was a GREAT wiseman!

  I love Christmas and I am so glad we were able to get together and had a fun night of celebrating Christ! Normally we do all this and a little more on Christmas Eve, but it was GREAT to be able to think of Christ, and center Christmas around Him even more! Merry Christmas! =>

Christmas Cards

I LOVE getting Christmas cards in the mail! So I decided this year I will return the joy and send them out to everyone. Well, I got almost there. We had family pictures taken (like we do/will do every year) and I made these cards in Photoshop, but there were some snags. I couldn't decide which of my favorite two I wanted to send out (I made lots alots of different ones), I also didn't get everyones addresses that I wanted to send them too, and it was getting too close to Christmas! All of this and add on postage, I decided this year I will just send them via email and post on my blog! => (Thats the lazy in me kicking in).
So to all of you: We love you and hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Family Pics

K, so writing what I am thankful for every day didnt work out so well. haha But I was thankful for things all day long! => Two things that I am EXTREMLELY thatnkful for are: my husband and my daughter!

Jared is such a WONDERFUL man! He is loving, pacient, understanding, analitical (its a good thing a lot of the time haha), works SO hard to provide for us,...... trust me, I could go ON AND ON about him! But I doubt any of you really want to read about Jared for hours. => Just know, I LOVE HIM!!

Paige is an amazing little blessing in our life! She bring so much joy and perspective to many things! We are so incredibly lucky to have been blessed with her!

While we were down in CA for Thanksgiving we got our family pictures taken! These ones were taken by my aunt Jenny, and she gave me the SOOC (straight out of camera) shots and I edited them. I LOVE editing pictures!! These are not even close to all of the pictures, and I will surely (try) to put more pics on as I get them edited. And you will probably see some of the same ones edited in different ways, because I am never fully satisfied with them .haha

Look at my cute family!! I LOVE them!

Paige did not really smile in any of these pics, she was NOT in the mood
for pictures. haha But she was cooperative most of the time.

I always loved these types of pics! Love it!

It was so fun to shoot with Jen! We just had a blast!





These two were just too cute NOT to do both! I love Paige's innocent look in the first one,
but I love her smile in the second one too! We have one CUTE daughter!



Jen even took pics of just Jared and I! I LOVED that! And this pic was so fun to edit! Yes, I cleared a spot
on the tree and "carved" our names on it! Oh, just LOVE this pic!

 I LOVE my family! They are one of the GREATEST blessings in my life!!
And thanks so much for taking our pictures Jen! They are AMAZING!