Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

Christmas was wonderful!

Todd's brother Mark and our sister in law Kristin came down from Provo to spend the holiday with our family.  We really loved having them here!  We played a lot of Settlers, ate too many cheese balls, and watched a lot of Fox News, it was great.  

Christmas can't get any better than when you have two cute little kiddos!  

The boys were SO excited about everything that the season brings, and it is so fun to witness the magic through their eyes.  This Christmas I realized there are only a choice few Christmases when your kids believe, and how special each one is.  I think we really fully enjoyed every minute of this Christmas season to the max.  

Christmas this year was extra special for me, I feel I have been blessed with an extra measure of peace and comfort this past year in 2011.  These last couple years have been tough on me in a very personal way, and I really feel so blessed that prayers were answered and the pain and discomfort that plagued me daily was literally taken away.  I feel comforted and content and also so, so grateful for all I have been blessed with.  More than anything this past Christmas I felt closer to my Savior than ever celebrating His birth, His perfect life and His infinite love for each of us.  

Christmas Eve jammies...

(we are trying to teach Thatcher how to smile "naturally" for the camera, mostly it just comes out like an evil villan!)

Christmas Nativity Puppets...

A family tradition!

Santa's coming!  Hurry up to bed!

Opening presents...

Christmas dinner...

I should have taken pictures with us all around this table!

We invited the Elders to join us for Christmas dinner...

I always get choked up having them over on holidays!  It didn't help that when they came in the house their eyes were puffy and red from having just talked with their families...

It reminds me of 10 years ago being a missionary myself and what that felt like being away from family at Christmas time.  Also, having a brother who is on a mission now and how much we miss him, and knowing that in a not too distant future I will have two sons on missions at Christmas.  

Oh yes, that last reason is the secret as to why I love to invite the elders over on holidays.  

It is really purely selfish.  

Hopefully it is a pay it forward so that my boys will have homes to go to 

and a dinner to eat on those Christmas days.  

And here is the first picture I took with my Christmas gift...

my new Mac Book Pro!  LOVE!