Last post of the year!
Well, as I reflect back on this year, there have been some really fun times and recently some really sad times in our little home. I am so lucky to have little Carter and to have a Husband who cherishes me, who loves me, who respects me as his Wife, a woman and the mother of his baby boy.
I am blessed. This year has been good, but like most people.. I am excited for a new year to come. I am ready for the challenges it will bring and the happy moments that we will cherish forever. I am excited for 2012.
But before the New Year, I thought I should write about the end of this year! Christmas was amazing. It usually is, but this year was so much fun with Carter. The anticipation on his face when he was opening his gifts was priceless. Christmas truly is for Kids!
A couple of days before Christmas we had our friends Zach & Sarah over for a date night! We had pizza, played with Carter before bed and then we decided to make a gingerbread house!
The guys pretty much just did the structure of the house... which wasn't really that great (haha)
so... Sarah & I finished off the decorating!
We weren't really perfectionists but we had a lot of fun! And personally.. I would live there...
Zach & Sarah are living in Edmonton so anytime they are in town we love hanging out with them! What a fun night you guys... and for the record.. Sarah and I mastered the house!
The next day was Christmas Eve! Brian had to work until around 2:00pm and then we headed straight out to Carter's Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa Reed's house for the evening. We enjoyed a delicious Prime Rib dinner and were able to spend time with most of the family. It was so much fun. We headed out around 8pm and went to my parents house for a quick game of "preference" before heading home for the night. Once we got home, we made sure the outside lights and our Christmas tree was on for Santa and took a quick family picture before bed (Im sure this will become a tradition lol)
We left some cookies and milk out for Santa...
... and as we expected.. he Loved them!
We made sure to take one quick picture after Santa had been to our home and filled our tree and stalkings.
Carter was SPOILED by Santa, us and the rest of our families! I can't help but feel so lucky. I know that there are so many people and so many kids who spent Christmas in the hospitals or sick... I count my blessings everyday and I pray that those who were not at home for Christmas still enjoyed it as much as they could.
Christmas Day was C.R.A.Z.Y ( as always). We woke up at 5:45am got ready.. opened our gifts and headed over to Mom & Dad Reed's house at 7:30am. Steven (Brian's brother who left on his mission at the beginning of August) called at 8:00am our time from France! It was forsure the highlight of our entire Christmas!! He sounds like he is doing amazing and truly loving serving the lord and the people in France! Oh Goodness how we miss him! And I secretly am SOOO excited for him to be home in August 2013 but until then its incredible emails, letters and videos!
We went to Church with Brian's family at 9:00am on Christmas Day. It was really nice... and hung out with them for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. Around 2:00pm we headed out to my parents house for the evening. We had a ton of fun.. eating turkey dinner, playing games and yet again watching Carter open all his gifts. What an amazing day it was.
I was spoiled too... I got lots of clothes, jewelry, makeup, tights ... the list goes on.. but my favorite gift of ALL was this...
BRIAN PRINTED MY BLOG FOR ME!! Its exactly what I wanted for Christmas! Actually it was an "early" christmas present.. he got it in the mail... looked at it.. then ran downstairs to tell me that he was to excited and it turned out to good to wait lol.
It is so much fun! Its a hardcover Book with every single post in it from the day I started my blog to Carter's first birthday!
He made it "1st Edition" so that we could print it each year.... as the 2nd edition... 3rd edition... etc! Perfect! What an amazing treasure to have not only for me and Bri but for all our kids to see themselves growing up!
It even has a table of Contents for each post!
Thank you Bri I love you so much!! It is PERFECT! There is 271 pages of pure love and amazing memories! I couldn't have asked for more.
By December 27th, Christmas was all packed up, the house was clean and the toys were all organized. It felt wonderful! My sister Amanda and her husband Logan are still waiting on the arrival of their little boy, Taytum. He sure likes it in there! Her due date was December 26th.. which makes her 3 days late today and still no baby. I can hardly wait to meet my nephew! We decided that since he was staying in there at least another day .. we would do one last quick photo shoot! Maybe thats all he is waiting for...
xxooxox Have a Happy New Year.