Christmas Time

December's here! Yippee! 

Christmas cookies! Someone snuck into the melted chocolate....

 We started the month off by putting together a little Christmas Bash for our 1-2 playgroup. Laila took full advantage of the cookie decorating station....going straight for the frosting!

Off to Utah ! With the help of some close friends to watch the building we apartment manage, we ran away to Utah to spend time with both of our families and find ourselves a white Christmas.

Family Gingerbread House Making

We threw a small party for Carianne to welcome her into motherhood! 

We put on a movie for the kiddos so us ladies could spend some time making up all these baby onsies...who knew we'd entertain the men with the children's movie as well. 

Posing with daddy 

Christmas Eve. Reading and singing through the Christmas story.

Christmas PJ's

Coming into the house Christmas morning. 

Celebrating Christmas at Grammy Joan's 

Cousin bath time

Playing in the snow, yet again! 

Cousin time

Laila, Opa and Great Grandpa Alberts

Happy New Year

Thank you to Brandon and Michelle Garner for putting up the family for the holidays! It was quite the party and a full house for Christmas! It was so fun to spend time with them and their cute family and get to crash at Bronson and Lara's too - cute new home owners! Big thank you to Grammy Joan, our own Hotel Utah. That place just has the best feeling about it. Will always be one of my favorite places in the world! Thank you to all of our families... they made the holidays a wonderful time for us. 

It was so nice to spend time with Cam outside of school...without the crazy pressure of exams and such, it is almost like he is a different person during the holidays. Like some giant load has been lifted :)  Back to the grind again! For bigger and better!

Happy New Year to all of you! 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year !

Turkey Day

We took off to Portland for Thanksgiving weekend and finished up in Salem. It was such a nice break to spend some time with family. We are so spoiled and so lucky.

Thanksgiving breakfast at Opa and Lala's with 20+ missionaries

We shared a Thanksgiving feast with our dear family friend's, the Stahr Family. We have been so fortunate to have been adopted into their family. And I was so grateful to spend the holiday with a full house! Exactly how the holidays should be spent!

Its interesting... celebrating the holidays as an "adult", even more as a mother. Christmas particularly. I felt like it was so easy to become lost in thought. Especially where we are at in our lives right now, Cam being in the middle of grad school and such. I look around and feel almost overcome.... we live so comfortable and have been so blessed. There have been moments where things have just fallen into place to work out just perfectly. Its been incredible to see how much the Lord has truly blessed our lives and guided us. Even in the those moments when I doubt.... At Thanksgiving I was overcome with gratitude. Gratitude for my parents and Cameron's parents for the people who have paved such a legacy before us and sacrificed so much for our happiness. And the magic of Christmas through your own child is perhaps one of the best things in this world!!!! The MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Catching up with the Salem Garner Clan :) 

Well two years in a row Santa strikes out! But by the time the 25th of December came around, I think she might have warmed up to the idea. She feel in love with Frosty the Snowman and loved to point out any picture of Santa she found. 

Carasol was a big hit though :) 

Thanksgiving has come and gone, bring on Christmas!