Our Dreamy White Christmas

How could Santa resist milk and cookies from this adorable kid! Not to worry, he seemed to enjoy all the treats Eleanor left him, especially the fudge!
And sure enough, all our wishing came true and we had a beautiful white Christmas. One of only 13 in 100 years or so. It was the perfect day to stay warm and cozy at home!

Now, honestly I think Eleanor was just as excited to get a candy cane in her stocking as any of her other presents. She seems to think this is the real proof of whether Santa thinks you've been naughty or nice. It's a good thing Santa remembered, so I could catch a picture of that sweet grin.

Here's Gavin enjoying the ramekins from his stocking. He'd been saying lately that he's going to make the perfect creme brulee. Who am I to stand in the way of such progress! I'm looking forward to the practicing.

Eleanor got this super cute pillow and princess blanket from Grandma. Can you tell that she likes it - just a little? This little girl is all into princesses at the moment. We're looking forward to taking her to Disneyland where she can meet some very soon!

All in all, it was a fun Christmas. We're looking forward to spending some good quality time with family and friends over New Years.

Getting in the Spirit

Sometimes the holidays seem to pass by before I've really gotten into the spirit of things. I didn't want that to happen this year, so I planned a few things that I thought would really help to get into the Christmas spirit.

First, Eleanor and I started a new tradition this year with a date to the Nutcracker ballet. I think this was the first stage performance she's seen and she loved it.

Second, we also started a new family advent tradition. We've been collecting Christmas books (thanks to some good friends for helping with that too) for awhile. So, I wrapped them all up and put them under the tree. Eleanor loves opening a new Christmas book every day. I do too, since it provides some new reading material for bedtime stories!

And speaking of Christmas books, I decided to read Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" this year. I don't think I've actually ever read it before. It was excellent. A beautifully written lesson of how to feel the real spirit of Christmas.

Here are a couple of my favorite lines, "[Marley's ghost to Scrooge] Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business! ... Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode? Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!"

I also planned early to take our own family Christmas picture. That's a fun adventure that involves the tripod, timer and lots of running on my part! Hope you enjoy the result.

To continue one of my family's oldest Christmas traditions, we'll be making Graham cracker houses tonight. So, look for pictures soon! And here is a picture of Eleanor's visit to Santa today. Not sure he knows what a Sleeping Beauty Polly Pocket is, but I'm sure the elfs can help him out.

With lots of Christmas music, cards, secret Santa-ing, snow, parties, lights, etc. it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas this year. I'd love to hear what you do to get in the Christmas spirit too.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I love the kind of snowstorm that covers all the branches with ice. It makes me want to get outside with my camera as soon as possible. So, this morning I took a walk in a winter wonderland. Here's a few of my favorites from the day...

Can anyone explain this?

Above the Clouds

Flying to Utah this weekend for my youngest brother's mission farewell gave me the opportunity to relax a bit. I love flying on a cloudy day - ok it was snowy and icy too. Within minutes of takeoff you're above the clouds surrounded by sunshine and beautiful blue sky. The clouds below look like warm down comforters (especially nice since it was 17 degrees when I left). It's an incredible lesson in perspective. Just a few feet above that all-encompassing cloudy sky is this majestic view.

So, while I enjoyed the view I pondered how I can apply this lesson to my life. There are so many times when I'm in the midst of a difficulty of some kind that it seems to completely surround me. No sunny thoughts or wise perspective to be seen. Yet, if I apply this lesson in perspective I would know that better, clear, sunshiny days are just ahead. The sun is always shining just above the clouds! Look for that to appear on my wall sometime soon! And thanks for letting me share a cheesy inspirational thought for the day.

Some Inspiration

I happened upon this super cute online magazine today. http://smallmagazine.net/issue.asp
I know it's not too hard to find plenty of cute stuff for your kids, but here is some inspiration if you need it!

Her Dimples How Merry!

I'm going to use that as a Christmas card title one of these years... I love that Eleanor still has the adorable dimples she's had since she was a baby.
My only day-after-Thanksgiving shopping venture was to get a 4GB card for my camera. It was a steal-of-a-deal! So, now I can take 450 pictures at a go in RAW. Here are the first couple...

A New Photogenic Spot

You know I'm always on the lookout for a new picture spot. This fall I tried out a new park - thanks Jen for finding it! Willow Farm Park in Longmont, which hides in a neighborhood behind JCPenney, has some very cute spots. Maybe I'm totally out of date posting these now, but I'm loving these fall pictures. And if you happen upon a spot that looks like it might be photogenic, please let me know!