Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Here's a little peek into our Christmas. Unfortunately, this year we were all under the weather (thankfully the little boys took the brunt of it earlier in the week) but Christmas still went on! Thank you to all our family who sent gifts to us. As you can tell, Carson and Jensen were pretty pleased with everything. And we hope all our blogging friends had a wonderful Christmas, too.





And my apologies to my family who I didn't get to talk to. I seriously have no voice, and pretty much spent the day sleeping on my in-laws couch- I will try to call you all this weekend!!!

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

(Which is totally one of my very favorite Christmas songs, by the way.)
8 years ago today we were here.

And at the risk of sounding cheesy or cliche, I'd have to say, much like a blooming rose, it has been a wonder and a great deal of work.

And we're still here, just slightly aged and with a few more pounds... and with a couple more little hands to join ours.

Happy Anniversary.

Merry Christmas Darling

My friend Steph was over today and she snapped this little video of Jensen on her phone. My kids have seriously watched it a million times already. (Thanks Steph, this is a sweet memory to preserve!)

Hard Candy Christmas

There's nothing quite like a mid-morning candy cane snack. (And nothing quite like watching the sticky mess...eh...enjoyment on their faces.)

Away in a Manger

I love nativities. (Carson calls them "activities"...) I have several which we regularly display at Christmas time. (I was especially stoked to find the most beautiful stocking holders this year. Each one features two or three characters of the nativity.) Anyway, today we received our first Christmas package in the mail, and one of the presents said, "Open Right Away!" We waited until Dustin came home, but the kids and I were excited to find a very special nativity from Grandma Jensen.
We used to have one of these when I was young. The heat from the candles makes the blades on top spin, and the nativity slowly spins around.I especially love the two different scenes displayed. One is the traditional manger scene with Mary, Jesus and Joseph. The inscription below them reads, "For unto us a child is born" - Isaiah 9:6. On the opposite side there is a scene with a man praying under a tree and a star, with the inscription, "This night shall the sign be given." - 3 Nephi 1:14. It is a story in the Book of Mormon, when a prophet named Nephi, seeing that his righteous followers will be destroyed, prays that they will be saved. They believed in an earlier revelation that the Son of God would be born, and that his birth would be marked by an entire night where there would be no darkness, and a new star would appear. Upon his prayer the Lord speaks to him, reassuring him that the foretold sign would be given that very night. I love the intertwined stories of two continents shared by one piece of art. Thanks, Mom (and Dad)!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Actually, I'm not, but we thought we might actually see some flakes today deep in the heart of Texas. I know there were people who claimed they saw some this afternoon, but if it came down in Kyle, it must have avoided our house. That's okay. We're good without snow.

But it was cold, so we busted out these hats that Grandma Jensen made for the boys last winter when we came to Utah!Jensen's little face peeking out of this ridiculously cute hat just made my day!!!!!

And here's what Carson looks like without his hands over his face.(Now I'm really thankful he didn't have this shiner last week for family pictures!!!) One of my friends commented on how cute he looked with a black eye- funny kid!

And just for fun- A rare shot of me with the boys. I was reading bedtime stories and Dustin couldn't help taking a picture of the boys cuddled up with me.

Joy to the World

Doesn't this look like two little brothers who are joyful?This actually started out with Jensen hitting Carson, then upon getting scolded, J gave him a hug and said "sorry." The one hug led to 2, and then 3, and then the tackling ensued. They were both laughing so cute and I knew the moment had to be captured (for me, and for them!)

And I caught this on camera last night. How precious is this little boy arranging this little nativity? It makes my heart warm, and gives me great joy.I hope that I can slow things down a bit, and continue to find many more joyful "snap shots" in this special month.