Happy New Year

Who doesn't love a fun New Year's Eve party? Our party started early and ran late. Okay it ended when the girls went to bed at 8:00. But it did start early at 3:00 pm. I wanted the girls to have fun, so I filled a bunch of balloons with activities, and on the hour, we popped them to see what fun we would have. We watched a movie, painted our toenails, played a board game, and of course counted down the New Year....at 7:00.  Outside we blew our New Year's horns and waved our sparklers to celebrate the New Year.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Christmas night was peaceful and lovely. My babies were sound asleep from all the excitement of our beautiful day.

All I Want for Christmas

What is it about Christmas?  Do we really get that excited about getting presents or it something more that makes us feel such joy?  This year I felt it more than usual.

Brynnlee woke up early that morning, went to Kevin, and told him that she wanted to see her new Barbie house. How did she know that she got one? "I asked Santa for it."

While we waited for Pressley to wake up, we had our traditional gingerbread pancake breakfast. But this year I changed it up a bit...we had snowmen pancakes with bacon scarves and whipped cream buttons. Yes, they were delicious.

Pressley woke up with wonder and awe. She was so excited about her gifts too.

We had a fabulous Christmas. There was so much joy in watching our girls open their presents and discover their new treats. We are so grateful to have a Heavenly Father who blesses us so much with the things we need and want and with family who will help us out along the way and love us every minute.

Christmas Eve

We love Christmas Eve pajamas around here. Growing up, I always loved Christmas Eve more than Christmas. Maybe it was the anticipation that I loved. My family always went to a movie and had a special dinner together. I miss that a lot. I have struggled to create a Christmas Eve that made me feel as happy with my own family. So far we have done something different every year instead of tradition activities.

I asked the Sister Missionaries over for lunch this year. I hoped to make sure the girls understood that meaning of Christmas and thought they could help us. After our meal, we read the Christmas story from the Book of Mormon. I want the girls to understand how people knew the Savior was coming and that they knew how important this time was.

Then we opened Christmas jammies, of course. This year Grandma Eames added a special something to the girls pajama presents....hot chocolate mugs. The girls love to drink hot chocolate and loved to open their own mugs. We opened presents, warmed up in baths, made hot chocolate, and cuddled up to watch The Polar Express. It was a magical way to get ready for Christmas.

Santa Visit

We were so lucky to get a visit from Santa this year. The girls were crazy excited that he came. We were a little worried that Pressley would cry when she saw him, but she talked to him and climbed up on his lap. Santa even brought them special presents early.

One of Kevin's co-workers owns a Santa suit. He volunteered to come to homes and visit the children. He just did it because he loves Christmas.

Christmas Dresses

Finding Christmas dresses for my girls is always one of my favorite things to do. I don't like to put them in the same dress, but I like them to coordinate. This year was a little tough because Brynnlee became a picky little dress wearer. But finally we found the perfect dresses that look perfect together.

There is Beauty All Around

One day I saw a friend's picture post on Facebook. It was a picture of sunflowers. She mentioned that there was a field of them close to where we lived. I grabbed the girls to take a look. What we saw was breathtaking. None of these pictures capture the beauty of the sunflowers, and I don't have the words to express how blessed I felt.  .