'Tis the Season

There are so many things that I just ADORE about this time of year. All of them have to do with being around FAMILY.

We took our annual trip down to Temple Square to see the lights. I LOVE the lights! They are so pretty, and really put me in the Christmas mood. We took TRAX downtown so the kiddos could ride the train. It was convenient to avoid parking, but sure did take a while to get to and from...

Here is a shot of us.

The little buddies, Derek & Hailey

I LOVE this picture of Hailey & her Papa (Dave's dad). Hailey loves spending time with Mimi and Papa :)

One of my favorite traditions is going to see the Forgotten Carols. I love to hear the carols about the Savior, and especially I love feeling the spirit so strong.

At our trip to the mall to see Santa, Jenna & Derek were most excited with the Carousel :)

We hosted my family's Christmas get together this year. We had our traditional Mexican fiesta, rice pudding (Cami- my niece got the almond), our gift exchange (everyone draws a name prior to Christmas, and that's who they give a gift to, AND -- the family nativity. This year, Hailey was Mary, Derek was a wise man, and Jenna was an Angel (She was very sweet, but had moments that were more representative of hell's angels...:))
I love doing the nativity with all the kids, it's so special for them (and us) to take some time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.

THIS, is a captured moment that represents a FAVORITE part of the holiday. I love "catching" my kids doing nice and sweet considerate things for one another without being asked. This morning, I caught Hailey sitting and reading stories to Jenna (Her favorite activity (next to singing)). They sat up there for quite some time, Hailey reading one book after another. It warmed my heart to see the love she has for her little sis.

There are many, many more things I love about this season -- baking, singing (and more singing), visiting with friends old and new, and hearing updates of the lives of people I love.

I hope you all have a very Merry CHRISTmas :)

Awesome Christmas Cards!!

Okay, so I know some of you who already utilize the wonderfully simple way of doing online Christmas cards. In the past I have done all sorts of methods -- made cards, bought cards, had cards printed etc. But this year I am going to use Shutterfly, so I can get all my cards done without having to go ANYWHERE! And better yet -- there is a sweet promo going on right now.

So - if you haven't checked their holiday stuff out -- here are some links to their products:

For Christmas cards:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Calendars:
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars
*** I LOVE doing calendars for family members who are far away, and I include pictures of my kids, so they can look at them all year! You can also put in pictures of people for their birthdays, this is my favorite thing! The relatives LOVE it!

If you're having a Christmas party or event that you want to send out invites to -- they've got those too:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations

This promo they are doing, you get 50 free cards. That about covers the majority of my Christmas cards for the season! I hope you all go check out their website, and score the same awesome deal too! I love a free deal... it's the best kind.

Hurry and check it out, because it is only available for another week or so... here's the link for the promotion :) http://bit.ly/sfly2010
Happy holidays!