looking forward: christmas time

alright - i have got to get a blog in about our christmas before the new year! i'm always tired after holidays, and think i'll blog about things soon, and then it never happens. like thanksgiving. we had a great thanksgiving and it was the first one at my house. but did i blog about it? nope. time got away from me and then christmas was here and blogging about thanksgiving felt weird.

soooo, after all that ~~whining~~, i'll get on with it.

we had a wonderful christmas this year! lots of time with a lot of family.

that's the infamous uncle tom on the far left there. we call that pose, the totem pole...=)

this was the first leg of our trip. the beginning of 6 days of traveling. and we always get a lot of random goodies here. perfect for some interesting pictures...

does C have the coolest uncle, or what?

little diva!

this is a picture i will cherish. i'm going to make it black and white to add to our photo wall in our kitchen. C and i are so blessed to have such wonderful family around us. 4 generations and still going strong!

i'm good at getting pictures with my family. not so much with shaun's. i hate that. i'm sorry for that. it's probably because my mom is always asking "did you bring your camera?" shaun's family is never asking that... i guess it's their fault then...;)

one of the most important parts of christmas since we've had C is being very intentional about celebrating the real meaning of christmas. we were home again this christmas morning. just the 3 of us, at first. we woke up, started some new family traditions, and took it slow. we read from luke 2, then read a children's book about baby Jesus' birth. we watched the excitement in our little girls face as she got her presents, and started the tradition of only giving her 3. Jesus got three presents, so that's what our kids will receive too. from us at least. this includes 1 big one.

i KNEW she would love it. i couldn't wait to give it to her. and i'm so glad i got to capture the moment!

after our little family time, my mom, brother and sis-in-law came over. i love having christmas at our house, and i love that my little bro is a chef! that french toast pictured below was amazing!!!

he added a little orange juice to the egg batter (only because we forget to zest the oranges). it made it so sweet and yummy!

even kona got some good treats!

we ended the night at my dad and stepmom's house.

my dad always loves to play christmas carols on christmas. sing-a-longs are encouraged and it always starts the conversations of a family band.

C got to play along this year! a little guitar just her size. oh sorry dad - not guitar, ukulele... =)

the day ended well! lots of family time, lots of food, laughs and fun. last year i was sick on christmas. this year i am so thankful we were all healthy and happy and safe.

the night ended with lounging in front of the fire.