Christmas Memories

We had a wonderful holiday season and I enjoyed every minute of it! As always, we squeezed out every little minute we could, which means staying up until the wee hours of the morning and sleeping in whenever possible. Unfortunately, this can be difficult on me because I don't want to miss out on any action. I stay up late and then don't want to wake up in the morning (which is not all that unusual, I guess.) It's totally worth it, though, to have this special time with my family.

I feel such peace during this wonderful time of year. Life slows down (at least after all the shopping is done), people try to be kinder, we try to spend more time with those that matter most, and we put our troubles to the side, even if only for a time. It's amazing the happiness that comes when we focus on what matters most. This time of year, the whole world seems "right." I am so thankful for the season and the peace and hope it brings to my life.

Following are a few of our highlights caught on camera:

And others that may or may not have been:

food, family, and friends

snowboarding

Nutcracker

candlelight dinner

Daddy/daughter date - to dance performance and ice cream (Mom tagged along, too)

no snow = brown Christmas

new tradition - sharing the "light"

Tyrell's missionary farewell

no school/lessons/days off work

Maddy's own Christmas tree

late nights

Christmas Eve

Nativity pageant

new movies - Avatar, Inception, Prince of Persia, & Toy Story 3 (What would the holidays be without new videos to watch, right?)

chocolate!

good books

scented candles

no Christmas cards :(

weight sets

Just Dance 2 (Now THIS is what I've got to get pictures of! Watching people dance to the Wii game is hilarious! We had a blast and it was something everyone could do)

late mornings

And last and most importantly, celebrating the birth of our Savior and His gospel in our lives!