Louisiana, Christmas, and Family Time - Part 2

Our Christmas ended up being a bit nontraditional   Because of work schedules and other variables, we decided not to do the typical "Christmas Morning" excitement. So...here's how it all went down for us:

Christmas Eve the girls got a present with new pajamas in it, and slept in those.  Then, on Christmas morning we let them celebrate a little by opening some of the gifts from family.  The rest of us just sat around and watched, happy to let them enjoy the magic.  After all, Christmas morning is most magical simply because of the little children who look forward to it so much!

The rest of our Christmas festivities would be put on hold until later that evening.  So, we spent the day playing with a few new Christmas toys....

...snuggling up on the couch and watching movies...

...decorating sugar cookies so that Santa wouldn't be disappointed...

...and setting the scene.  When everyone was finally around, and we had finished eating dinner, we put cookies and milk out for Santa Claus.

Then the men in the family took the girls out for a nice evening walk.  While they were gone, and the women blinked for a little too long, Santa must have stopped by!  He took care of stockings...

...and left a lot of surprises under the tree.  Looks like a spoiling!

The girls came home and they were excited to see that Santa had been there (although disappointed that they had missed seeing him).  They looked around for a few minutes, then jumped right in to the fun stuff.

Although it's hard to tell from the pictures, the rest of the family also enjoyed a lot of wonderful new gifts and fun celebration time....I just didn't take many photos of that.  :(

In all honesty, we were all pretty much spoiled rotten (especially Tylie and Kaelisse, who are incredibly loved little girls)!  We're thankful for the fun we had, the gifts we received, and mostly the family that we got to spend it with.  Holidays are so much better when you get to spend them with the ones you love!

Louisiana, Christmas, and Family Time - Part 1

We were very excited to spend this Christmas season with Brent's side of the family in Louisiana.  Brennon and Angie just had a baby, and Christmas was the perfect time and excuse to go see the little guy.  Luckily, Brent and I both had a long chunk of time off of work, and we were able to spend an entire week and a half hanging with everyone.  Here are some highlights from the first part of our trip.

Tylie and Kaelisse enjoyed sitting at the window when the dogs were outside and watching them run around.  I love watching them have these sister moments when nobody else seems to be important and they carry on long conversation and entertain each other.

The highlight of the trip for the girls (sorry family) was the visit to the horse barn.  The girls talked about seeing the horses for a month before, and they are still talking about it.  The first visit to the barn, we only looked and pet...

Climbing on the fences

 Chilling with Uncle Brennon

 Daddy teaching Kae the ropes

 With Daddy and Grandpa (or Grandpy, as we ended up calling him)

 Getting a closer look

I love how much Kae loves her daddy.  She has truly been a daddy's girl for the last few weeks or so, and I love that he's willing to let her drag him around a little bit.

This picture makes me smile so much.  I like the way Tylie is looking up at her Uncle Brennon with so much admiration.  She seriously adores that guy!

 Kaelisse cracking us up while she enjoyed her first corn on the cob.  She seriously dug into it and ate 2-3 cobs of the stuff.

 The huge rocking chairs were Kae's favorite place to sit.  She seemed so proud every time she was able to climb into them herself...which she got pretty good at.

Tylie hanging out with her Aunt Bonnie.  It was so great that Grandpy and Bonnie could make the trip and spend time with all of us.  The girls don't get to see them enough!

We missed having DJ and Karenna in the mix, but they were busy getting ready to bring their own little one into the world.

Teaching

Some people say that teaching is a thankless job.  Much of the time, I agree with those people.  But...I have to say, it's hard to feel that way when I work in an elementary school and Christmas rolls around.  These kids really have a way of making me feel special.  And it has nothing to do with all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts they bring (although I can't argue how great it is to receive candles, lotion, gift cards--the list goes on).  It has everything to do with the large smiles and bright eyes on their faces when they put it in my hands.  It reminds me what a unique job I have....with an incredible payoff!  The kids are the reason I put in long hours and exhaust my brain from day to day---in hopes that those smiles and twinkling eyes will carry with them for years to come.  Teaching rocks!

Annual Nativity Event

Every year, our stake hosts a nativity display that is very exciting.  There are hundreds of nativity sets displayed for an entire weekend and events include:  live music almost the whole time, videos about the Savior, activities for the children, a "dress up like a nativity" photo opportunity, missionaries to chat with, etc.  It really is well-done, beautiful, and fun for families and friends.  My girls, of course, especially love the children's room with a craft, decorated tree, and nativities that they are actually allowed to touch and play with.

 This year, they also really enjoyed the actual displays.  One of our girls wasn't feeling well, so we didn't spent a whole lot of time here this year, but it was still a fun day out for our family....and a great opportunity to talk to them about the reason behind Christmas and the One who our hearts and minds should be turned to at this time of year.

Family Pictures

I had intentions of paying for a real photographer to take great pictures of our family this year.  I really treasure pictures, and wanted them to be better quality.  However, I procrastinated long enough that it just didn't work out.  So we threw on some black shirts and jeans, loaded up in the car, and went to the park with a camera, tripod, and moderate expectations.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the results.  It's nothing fancy, but I feel like we were able to catch the spirit of our little family just fine.

 Tylie caught and was playing with a lady bug.  It was fun to watch her gentle concentration.

 Kaelisse went independently searching for a treasure...she found a lot to keep her occupied and entertained.

All in all, we had a great morning in the park.  Sometimes in the craziness of daily life, it's easy to skip out on those simple family excursions.  I'm glad we got out of the house together and spent that time enjoying our Heavenly Father's creations and the love we share as a family.