Christmas in Idaho

This year, we spent Christmas here in Idaho. This was our first Christmas since 2006 that we were able to be home on Christmas morning. It was also our first Christmas with having a kid. Even though there were no presents under our tree this year, we enjoyed it more than any other Christmas we've ever had. Instead of getting excited to open up gifts, I got up giddy to see our little one's gummy little grin and dress her up in her "first Christmas" outfit. We gave her extra loves and kisses and hung out at the house for a while before we headed off to see family. We started the day off by going to Dorsie and Terry's house and spending time with everyone there. Dorsie and Terry were very generous this year and gave us money to help us out at this time. Though Dorsie said that it wasn't a very well thought out gift, it meant the world to us this year. It is much appreciated and will help us out so much. Thank you Dorsie and Terry for everything. That evening was so special as we celebrated it with a Latino theme. We went around the room giving the returned missionaries a chance to talk about Christmas' from their missions, as they all served Spanish speaking missions. It was touching to hear of all of their sweet memories. Christmas Eve was also a memorable evening. Patrick and Ashley gave all of the grandparents a little book filled with pictures along with a DVD of pictures and videos of Preslee. We all sat in the living room and watched it together. As we passed around the box of tissues, I couldn't hold back the tears as my mind was flooded of memories of that little girl. Although we enjoyed time spent with all of the family, we also missed the presence of our little niece. It felt good to watch those videos and to hear her little laugh again and to see those big blue eyes. What a beautiful girl she was. We miss her dearly.

Christmas evening, we headed over to Michele and Layne's. Kash, Cara, and Hudson and Patrick and Ashley went over as well. We opened stockings, a tradition with Michele and Layne. I love how she has a stocking for every person in the family. When I walked down stairs, there was a stocking hung by every antler point, a total of 19 stockings! She even had a stocking up for Ivy. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. I love how she puts a orange in every sock representing the story of "The Christmas Orange." Ivy was given her first little doll, a cute pink outfit, pink sparkly boots, pink tights, and a teething ring! I got Bath and Body Works lotion and soap, and Jamie got the new Star Trek DVD. In addition to our gifts, I got a gift certificate to get a pedicure with Ashley and Cara and Jamie got some money to go skiing with his brothers (pictures and details will be posted in a different post). What a fun surprise! After we opened gifts, we had a fun time just hanging out and talking, and most of all being entertained by Mr. Hudson. He is one of the cutest little boys I've ever met! We couldn't help but sneak a hug from him every time he ran passed us! It's so hard having them live so far away. So, it's always fun when they come down. We can't get enough of them and enjoy all the time we can spend together.

P.S. Stay tuned for Christmas in Montana!