Lights at Temple Square and Fun with Friends

Last night, we got together with some of our friends in Salt Lake and we had a blast! We all met up at our friends Cam & Lindsay's house and had tasty soup & bread bowls for dinner & a GREAT cheesecake dessert. Then we left their house and headed up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights!

It was pretty cold outside, so we had Ellie bundled up as much as we could.

We stopped at the Visitor's center first to see the Christus Statue, and Ellie loved the mural on the walls and ceiling. She just kept pointing to all the stars, clouds and to the statue of Jesus. It was super cute.

Then we bundled her back up in the stroller and headed outside. She loved looking at all the lights and was pretty well behaved the whole time.

All bundled up with a cold nose!!

Our little family!

This was just 3-4 weeks before Ellie joined our little family! Crazy to see how much has changed in just one year!

Picture of the whole group!

Comparing December 2010's picture to this year's is crazy (though we did have an extra 2 couples which made this year's picture seem even bigger!)

Once we finished looking at all the lights, Ellie started to get a little ornery, and I think it's because she wouldn't keep her hands inside her blanket, so her fingers were FREEZING. So, David quickly went back to the car with her and I walked back with all of our friends. We got to the car and it was super toasty, which was nice. Then we changed Ellie and put her in pj's so if she fell asleep on the way home, we'd just have to put her in bed. I fed her before we left, and she fell asleep about 5 minutes into the trip. When we got home, she woke up but went right back to sleep once we got inside and put her in her bed.

Thanks for a great time, friends! It's always good to hang out and visit! Seeing the lights on Temple Square is one of my favorite Christmas Traditions, and I'm happy that we were able to see them this year and take Ellie with us!

Christmas time

This time of year is my favorite for many reasons, and I am so happy that I've got 90% of my decorations up! The only thing missing is a tree. This year, we're opting for a small 4 ft or so tree to save money, and because we're going to be in Roosevelt for Christmas.

As I have grown older, I have realized more and more the importance and true meaning of Christmas and I can't help but say that I feel I have been blessed beyond all measure throughout my life. Even when I feel like times are tough and I may not be able to have everything I want, I am so thankful to have the basic necessities of life. I have definitely taken this for granted, and I hope that as I continue to mature and age I can realize the tender mercies and beautiful blessings around me more.

One thing I am extremely grateful for at this time of year is my family. I am so thankful to have all of my family within a few hours drive. It brings about a sense of security that I didn't know I had until we moved all the way across the country for the summer.

Our future is very much up in the air right now and I want to be able to have no regrets about the time I have left living so close to family and having that support near-by. Because this may or may not be our last Christmas in Utah, we are trying to do many fun things here and spend a lot of time with family and close friends before we're off to other adventures!

I'm looking forward to the upcoming month of December. I am so excited to start some traditions of our own with our little family and teach Ellie the traditions we each have brought into our family. I'm extra excited for Ellie's reactions to things like the Christmas tree once it's all decorated, the present opening and the toys that Santa will be bringing her!

This year went by SO quickly and as I think about how November is leaving us and December is knocking at the door, I'm feeling very bittersweet because that means my sweet little baby is turning 1! I am so thankful for her and every single day I get to stay home with her and watch her learn and grow!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and you all get to do amazingly fun things this year!