The SMELL of Christmas!

I just LOVE the smell of Christmas ... well Christmas trees to be exact! I'm so glad my "smeller" is working again! I was thrilled when I first smelled our tree!

Our tree this year is a little smaller than last year, but I love it just the same! The place we got our tree last year - wasn't there this year! We loved getting the tree together - Jonathan mostly just chased Benjamin around - and I picked out the one I liked! The guys at the tree lot tied it to the top of our car - and we headed home - tree atop!

Benjamin helped Jonathan get it in the stand AND helped get the net cut off (note Benjamin is using SAFETY scissors)! It was a "process" to decorate it - because we got it when I was so sick. I was so excited to decorate it once my energy was back! I love all of the memories that putting the ornaments on the tree brings. When I was growing up - I always said I'd have a tree with a "theme" - not one like my mom's tree with random ornaments. And what do you see - an "un-themed" tree ... with all the memories a tree can hold - and I LOVE IT! My mom gave me this little mouse ornament - that she made for one of her first Christmas's when my roommates and I needed ornaments for our tree! Now it is PERFECT for little hands to move ... wherever they so desire for it to be on any particular day/moment! Somethings that may have seemed so "dated" when you were growing up ... become TREASURES!

I LOVE my house being decorated - and having the stockings (or Santa's BOOTS, as Benjamin calls them) hung! I love the smell of Christmas cookies, treats and the sounds of Christmas songs! I love all of the traditions and talking SO much about our Savior and remember the story of his birth and life! I wish we could celebrate TWICE a year!

More Christmas to come...

Nephite Christmas!

Benjamin and I went to our ward Christmas party last weekend. Jonathan was busy studying for his boards! We had the choice to dress up like people in Jerusalem OR Zarahemla ... so we chose to be Nephites!

Benjamin is wearing a costume that I wore in 1st grade ... and I'm wearing one that I wore my Freshmen year of college! We had lots of fun ... and especially taking pictures when we got home!

Tiny little feets!

Tiny Little Foot:

We are thrilled to "announce" that over the last couple weeks ... I've started to feel tiny little feets kicking away inside my tummy! We are so excited for Benjamin to have a "BRUDER" and can't wait to meet our new little boy! We were able to see him ... and all of his little body today. My favorite are the little fingers and toes! He hid his face as LONG as possible, but finally showed us just before we headed out! We LOVE him already and can't wait to meet him! He should arrive sometime around MAY 3rd ... although we are hoping that maybe he'll wait a few days so that Jonathan can graduate on May 8th! We'll take him anytime he is good and ready!

Still Thankful!

I'm a little behind ... and still haven't uploaded all of the pictures from Thanksgiving! Other than being really sick for the past two weeks ... well sick for a week and a half ... and then getting better, we had a GREAT Thanksgiving! The upside to being sick on Thanksgiving is ... you don't eat as much! Thank goodness for antibiotics!! I will try and upload our family "group" picture... and the picture of me and my brothers/sisters!

Here are two pictures from our attempts to take family pictures on Thanksgiving Day... I'm not sure if I'll ever get these two boys of mine smiling at the same time in a picture ... for no good reason (taking family pictures)! We did have fun walking through the woods - and I LOVED climbing up to the hay-loft in my parents barn ... somewhere I haven't been in probably 10 years ... but spent so many summer days playing "house" in ... searching for newborn kittens, and having the time of a little girl's life!

Christmas pictures and MORE (wink ... wink ...) coming in the next few days ... I'd love to say TOMORROW ... but we will see!