Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Christmas Chloe

Well, since our Christmas cards should have arrived at their destinations by now, I thought I would post the pictures we decided not to use. Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got everything they wanted and more (I did...but you'll have to keep reading to find out what it was).We started off Christmas Eve by going sledding with the Cummings. We went last year on Christmas Eve morning as well, so it seems like this could very well become a new fun family tradition. We had a great time this year except for when the wind would blow and our faces would get pelted with snow. Chloe didn't like that part too much, but she didn't seem to mind going down the hill...she didn't scream, that is.We spent the rest of the day with Aaron's family and it was decided to have a non-traditional Christmas meal...we went Mexican style and let me tell you it was delicious. That night, Chloe got to open her presents from Grandma and Grandpa Searle. They got her this fun table that has all sorts of buttons she can push and it sings songs and lights up. I have never seen her play with one toy for so long. She loves it.
On Christmas morning we packed up the car and went to my mom's house to open presents with my family. We wondered how Chloe would do, but she loved tearing into the packages, boxes and yes, she even loved playing with the toys that were inside of the boxes, too!
This year, my Uncle Darrell and his family came into town and spent Christmas here. This was a fun treat as we got to revive an old tradition in which every Christmas morning after we opened presents we would get together and eat breakfast casserole. It was fun to have them here with us.Santa brought Chloe a rocking horse and she loves it! The morning after Christmas she woke up and looked around her room and first she pointed to her pony and asked "What's that?" Then she saw her table that Grandma and Grandpa gave her and asked "What's that?" It was so cute to see how excited she was about her new toys. She also got 2 new pacifiers in her stocking. All day she carried them around and would suck on one for a minute or two and then pop it out and put the other one in.Most years, Aaron and I know exactly what we are getting for Christmas because usually go shopping together and pick out what we want. However, since it is always more fun to have a surprise under the tree, we always find a little something smaller to get each other as a surprise. Well, this year Aaron went above and got me a BEAUTIFUL diamond necklace! I was totally shocked. He asked me for a couple of ideas a few weeks back and I jokingly said a diamond necklace...well, I guess I have to be careful what I say from now on :).Overall, it was a wonderful and very white Christmas. I just love this time of year--the trees; the lights; the treats; the gifts; seeing family; and most especially, remembering the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope you all have a happy New Year!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

This past Saturday was Aaron's 27th birthday. We started the day with a delicious breakfast from Mimi's Cafe with Aaron's parents and ended it by watching BYU lose in the Las Vegas Bowl. We won't go into details of the game because we weren't too happy with the results. Oh well, that's life and there is always next season.

Chloe had a blast helping Aaron open his presents, which made us even more excited for Christmas this year. While we are on the topic of birthdays and Christmas, I want to publicly apologize to Aaron for his first birthday we spent together as a married couple nearly five years ago. I wrapped his birthday presents in Christmas paper instead of birthday paper and I found out the hard way that that was no no! I'd heard that people with birthdays close to Christmas could be a little sensitive about the whole merging of birthday and Christmas into one, and it turns out it's true. :)

I want to tell Aaron how much I love him and how grateful I am that he is my husband. The past four and a half years of marriage have been so wonderful and now that we are parents and I see what a great father he is, I feel even more blessed!

Happy Birthday, my love!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Chloe Meets Santa...

Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Get to Know You

My cousin Jen sent this to me in an e-mail and I was supposed to respond via e-mail, but I thought this would be more fun. So here is my Christmas Getting to Know You questionnaire.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for Christmas but gift bags at birthdays...I don't know why that is.
2. Real tree or Artificial? We had a real tree the first year we got married but our tree stand had a leak so about two weeks before Christmas we had to take our dead tree down, clean the carpet and find somewhere to get rid of the tree. We got an artificial tree the next year and that is what will stay (until our kids get older and then we might get a real one...nothing beats the smell).
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the first week of December. Any later than that and it just isn’t worth the hassle.
4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years.
5. Do you like eggnog? NO WAY!!! Aaron likes it...a lot, but it is not for me!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? One year my Mom got Tawna and I New Kids on the Block concert tickets. It was my first concert and I screamed every minute of it.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes- I have the Willow Tree one (you know, the statues with no faces...that's what Aaron calls them).
8. Hardest person to buy for? My dearest husband...he is very picky and if I do get something for him as a surprise he usually guesses it by Christmas. He knows me too well.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My sisters. I just find something that I want and get it for them instead.
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail for sure! I love getting cards in the mail so I figure other people must like them as well!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received. I am not sure, but my dad has given me some pretty creative gifts- Q-tips, tacks, etc…(I love you Dad!)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Babes In Toyland.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start in about October. It helps make December’s budget not look so bad.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep- but I’ll never tell what and to who!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sugar Cookies!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I'm a white lights girl!
17. Favorite Christmas song? I love them all but right now I am hooked on everything from Josh Groban’s Christmas CD.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? It doesn't matter to me where we are, I just want to be with family, all of them
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Always on Christmas morning.