Christmas 2011

If a tree falls in the forest, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

If a Christmas comes and goes, but no one takes any pictures, did it really happen? 

Well, this year it did. 

I did not take even 1 picture on Christmas day. I seriously can't even believe what a slacker I am!  Oh well- it is what it is, I guess!   I did, however, take a few pics of Christmas eve, and a few of the day after Christmas- so I'm not totally without memories. 

We spent this Christmas at my parents house in Helena and it was great!  My oldest brother Jeff and his family were there with their new baby boy, James.  He is darling pants, and it was SO fun to snuggle him.  Oh, how I love snuggley little new babies.  Yummy.

Here's the boys on Christmas eve- with red cheeks from playing in the mountain snow at Grammy and Papa's house.

 Here's our Christmas Eve cookie decorating fun:

Cecily used lots of sprinkles..... yeah, there's 2 cookies under there...

 Esther: Focused. Driven. Cookie perfection. 

 Cecily: HOLYCANDYANDSUGARANDCOOKIESWHOOPIE!!!!!!!!!!

 Sorry, Mom.  it was too great to not post.

 The day after Christmas my brother Jeff blessed baby Jamie. Awesome.  Loved it.

Here's my cute parents.   

 How cute is my nephew Stephen??????????

There's 6 kids in my family and my parents used to refer to my oldest brothers as "the 3 big boys" and then they'd refer to my sister Janet, brother Russ, and I as "the 3 little kids"

My mom thought it would be fun to get a picture of "the 3 little girls from the 3 little kids"

So here is Cecily, Rebecca, and June.

Daughters of Wendy, Janet, and Russ.

What I love about this picture is that it completely shows each girl's personality.

Cecily is the crazy "let's have fun!" chick, Rebecca is the sweet, proper princess, and June is the laid back, go with the flow kind of girl.

Nolan and CJ got pillow pets (along with a bunch of other stuff) for Christmas and have been loving all their new clothes and toys.  I'd say that Christmas 2011 was most definitely a success- with or without pictures..... And there's always next year for that!

Happy 6th Anniversary, Sugar Buns!

As of December 17, 2011:  Mike and I have been married for 6 years.  What the????  How the heck did we get 6 years in without me noticing?  Ok, kidding.  But for real, it seems really quick.  I guess that's what happens when you love the stuffin' out of somebody.

Our 5th year of marriage was a DOOSY! And, frankly, I don't think every relationship could withstand all the poo that was flung our way this year.  TONS of blessings as well, no worries.

Last January I downloaded the song "Hold On" by Michael Buble' and it's kinda been our theme song this year.  (Do you love what a mush head I'm being, Janet??)  This song pretty much perfectly describes the way our year has been. Not to mention I'm IN LOVE with Michael Buble's velvety crooner voice.  *sigh*  Makes me swoon.

 Here's some of my favorite, very applicable lines :

"We are stronger here together then we could ever be alone, so hold on to me, don't you ever let me go"

"Maybe all the plans we made might not work out, but I have no doubt, even though it' hard to see.  I've got faith in us, and I believe in you and me."

"There's so many dreams that we have given up, but take a look at all we've got.  And with this kind of love, what we've got here is enough."

That last one is my favorite.  Really, isn't the love that you share with your family enough to fill any gaps life may leave you? 

You can go here to watch it on YouTube. 

I sure do love my hubby Michael.  Even if his singing voice isn't quite as smooth as Buble's :)

  For those of you who don't know my husband- he's just a great man and a great father and a great person.  He loves me and I love him, and you can't ask for a whole lot more. 

To celebrate this year we ordered Chinese take-out, put the kids to bed early, and drank sparkling cider by (Christmas scented) candle-light. 

The Chinese food was actually really good, considering the place we ordered from wrote the name of their restaurant with a sharpie on a tarp and hung it with nails above their door.  CLASSY! What can I say?  Small town beggars can't be choosers.

So, anyway, happy 6 years to us!

Here we are, in all our skinny wedding glory:

I'll Be Back

Oh goodness. I'm typing this on my phone. We just moved and (because of the happiness of the new year) we won't get Internet at the new place until next Monday. It's rediculous, but I have about a million posts running through my head and I don't want to forget the little memories. So, I'll blog about my anniversary, Christmas, new years, our move, and how awesome my kids are next week when it doesn't take a bajillion years to type with my thumbs :). Hugs and love. Hope 2012 is treatin' ya right!!