Christmas 2009

Christmas was a wonderful day filled with family and fun!!! We woke up and enjoyed Christmas morning as a family. Then headed to Evan and Kelly's for Christmas breakfast. We rushed home for a quick nap and headed to my Mom and Dad's for Christmas dinner and the Mickelsen family program. It was such a special day and was filled with magic and joy!

Dorothy's list to Santa:

Hair salon

Cash register for said Hair salon

Twin babies

Dorothy who had a really HARD time posing for this picture because she was SOOOOOO excited about playing with her hair salon!


Preston's list to Santa:
Mickey Choo-Choo
Zhu Zhu pets drive car
(thank goodness Santa scored some of those in October on a whim?)
Rocky robot truck

Pressy in front of his presents!

.

Violet's list to Santa (according to Dorothy):

Rose petal castle

Baby doll

Zhu Zhu pets?!

Violet in front of her presents!

Playing with all the loot Santa brought!

Daddy and Pressy!

The girls (Violet had no clue what was going on and was more interested in playing with EVERYONE's presents but her own!!)

Pressy happy as a clam with his Mickey choo-choo!

Someone may or may not have read the warning all over the Zhu Zhu pets to KEEP AWAY FROM HAIR!!! It had to be secretly extracted with scissors!

Grandpa and Aleeya!

During the play!

The cast of the Nativity!

The girls before the Christmas feast!

The girls worn out after a wonderful Christmas!

A very sleepy and happy little Dorothy off to bed!

Twas' the night before Christmas...

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. We had a wonderful dinner followed by parlor games, a Christmas program, and a white elephant gift exchange.

Me and little buddy on Christmas Eve!

Hanging out! Doesn't Preston just look like he's having a BALL!!!

Lillian and Dorothy singing "Silent Night" while Alex played!

During the white elephant gift exchange!

Eating 'tear jerkers' after the game! (notice Jon crossing his eyes!)

My Mom pretending to be a reindeer!

Jon's with his new specs!

Happy Anniversary!!

Eight years ago today I married James in the Boise, Idaho temple for time and all eternity!! In those eight years we've been through... 8 years of school, 7 new cell phones (including 3 iPhones oops! sorry!!) 6 moves, 5 different cars, 4 TVs, 3 children, 2 Post-grad programs, and 1 dog named Pretzel!

If I could go back and do it over again. I would in a heartbeat!!

I love you James!!!

Gingerbread houses!

We decided to invite the cousins over for FHE last week to make gingerbread houses! I am pretty sure they ate more candy than made it on the houses but that's half the fun!!

I took a picture the next morning of the finished product before they ate all the candy off!

Goofing off during the party!

Making the gingerbread houses!

It was a love hate relationship between these two during the house construction!

Fun making houses!

Jon and Conrad goofing off!

Sareya holding Violet (aka grabby fingers)

Preston took the camera and took some pictures here is one of me doing my favorite thing... eating!

Christmas lights!

Everywhere we go at night during Christmas, Dorothy and Preston take turns yelling "Christmas lights!" Since the city puts on an impressive Christmas light display we decided to take the kids to see it! They each choose a favorite light and made us drive around the loop 3 times to see it again and again!

Pressy got to drive us around with Daddy!

Enjoying the lights!

Preston's favorite was the dinosaurs!

Dorothy's favorite was the dancer!

Violet's favorite according to Dorothy was the ducky!

Nutcracker Suite!

Since I was a little girl, my Mom would take us to lunch and then to the Nutcracker ballet every Christmas. It was one of my favorite holiday traditions. This year was no exception and we took our little girls!

Dorothy and I all dressed up and ready for the show!

Lunch with the girls before the show!

Dorothy and Mommy

Dorothy with the nutcracker!

Grandma and the girls!

Temple square!

Last weekend we headed to temple square to see my Mother-in-law sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert. We enjoyed dinner with the Thomas family and then headed over to the concert. It was such a beautiful concert filled with the spirit of Christmas! This year I have felt like Christmas is passing me by with all the packing/unpacking going on. But last weekend after listening to that amazing music (kid free!) and walking around temple square... I was filled with the spirit of His Christmas season!

James and I at the concert

The amazing show!

James and Coley

Freeeezing but having fun!

Look at those amazing lights behind us!!!

Walking around after the concert !

It is so beautiful there!!

Christmas pretties!

Here are the three little kiddo's all dressed up in their Christmas pretties (that's what Dorothy calls them!)

The three kids all dressed up for church!

Little VJ

Can't you see how naughty he is!

Dorothy all dressed up for church!

Daddy and his girls!

Pressy and Mommy

Little walking Violet!

When you are all ready for church...

go play in the snow!!!