Happy Christmas!

Shea decided this year that he doesn't like to say Merry Christmas (no idea!) so Happy Christmas it is.
Happy Christmas!!!

We have had the most wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Christmas this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you Grandma & Grandpa for spoiling us rotten. We have had the best time eating and putting puzzles together and playing with grandma and grandpa and hanging with Jaimee & Nick and shopping and eating some more and laughing until we can't breathe and reading and just relaxing and pretending we have no responsibilities or cares in the world . This. was. much. needed!!! We've even enjoyed the freezing cold Michigan weather and tons and tons of snow (a change every once in a while is good, right?!) Tomorrow we're headed to Kirtland to check out some church history sites. Can't wait.

Her name is Xandra!

And she's adorable and takes THE BEST photos. Let me know if you want her contact info.
(Sorry in advance for posting this many pics - AND for thinking that my babies are THE CUTEST in the world but ... :-)

Shea's personalized message from Santa

We've been doing an advent calendar this year w/ the little man. I got this awesome little wooden green and red train from Target with little doors that open from 1 - 25, so we've been opening one each day. Only one little gift fit into the compartments, but every day "the elves" leave a little note for Shea to either do something Christmasy (put up the tree, make Christmas cookies w/ mom, look at Christmas lights, write a letter to Santa, read a Christmas story, watch a Christmas movie etc.) or go to the red bag and find a treat or a little toy. He has LOVED this and it's been super fun for us too. I found this on my friend Mindy's blog. It was to date, Shea's favorite thing.
It's a super cheesy, but really cute little video you can personalize and put a picture of your kid into so that Santa's talking just to them. Check out Shea's and make your own!:

Message from Santa

My little sheep

I can't believe my baby is no longer a baby and now participating in the Primary! program. Geesh! How did this happen? Anyway, that's another post. But last Fri he did get to be a little sheepy in the primary's rendition of the Nativity at the Christmas party. Have you ever seen a sheep this cute??





I actually got a little teary eyed as I watched him. We worked hard (and I mean hard) on memorizing the two songs they sang. And he got Picture a Christmas down pat! But Away in a Manger was still a little shaky. But we drilled it into him that he had to sing. (There are only 10 or so primary kids so they needed him! :-) So he gets up there and he sings his little heart out. When he couldn't remember the words he just sang gibberish, it melted my heart. And because he was a sheep, of course, he was supposed to stick "like glue" to his shepherd. This is John, my sweet friend Heidi's son. He was so cute w/ Shea who almost wouldn't let go of his hand and really, really stuck to him like glue. :-) I also thought it was adorable that he really got into the being sweet to the baby Jesus, just like his mama told him. What an obedient little guy. (That's him, bending down, petting Jesus.) :-)

...and resume...

life, that is.
I've finally finished this never-ending move. Ok, I have one last closet to organize and still need to hang pictures but I'm finished. WOW! That was a drag. And now I have oodles of hours to make up and oodles of things that I've not been doing to now get done so, off I go. Pics of all my hard work soon to come! :-)