Merry Christmas

We had a beautifully wonderful Christmas. It came and went too quickly! I will start off by setting the stage. Welcome to our Winter Wonderland (I loved looking out at this)...

And the nighttime magic of Christmas lights (we had our first ever real tree)...

Brecken got in the spirit of things and spent a morning one day alone with her crafts. Concocting and creating "Christmas lights" for her bedroom and other decor that she could enjoy (so cute to me!)...

We took a trip down to St. George where Grandma and Grandpa Harrington got them gingerbread houses to make. I don't know who was happier, the children creating, or the one scrounging the floor for fallen bits of creation...

I have decided that photo shoots with Grandparents are a bit comical. Here are a few attempts...

And the winner is....

Proof that I love my children: The St. George to Draper transported and rebuilt gingerbread houses...

Later in the season we made the cherished trip to see Santa. The wait was over an hour long. It was late. We were tired.

 If you ever see a fight break loose among children, and their mother is laughing--taking photos, don't judge too harshly--it may be her only way of coping and retaining sanity...

I'm not sure if it was the camera, the anticipation of seeing Santa, or just the Spirit of the season, but somehow mid-photo-taking the fight transformed into a dance...

And then because of the lame and ridiculous completely understandable regulations about not taking photos with your own camera and the ghetto watch guards  gently-reminding employees--instead of a photo with Santa [which I wasn't about to pay for (I know--I'm cheap)], we have a photo by Santa's tree (Jack was there, he was just wandering the mall at this point--with Russ, of course)...

We also had a weekend where Grandma and Grandpa Good came for a visit!! And once again a photo shoot with Grandparents...

This was the best we could muster...

Russ and I celebrated our Tenth Anniversary. Dinner at Red Lobster. The Marriott Hotel. A day shopping and laying around. Walking around Downtown. Dinner at The Roof. A night at Little America  (where we spent our wedding night and our 5th Anniversary). It was beautiful. And not a single picture of Russ and I together. But I did snap this (that's sparkling cider lest anyone get the wrong idea)...

Wow, I love you, Russ. A lot!

Moving on...Our annual Allen Family Christmas party (my one regret was not pulling out our camera sooner!) and the amazing talent show (that's a headstand contest you see taking place)...

And finally, Christmas Eve!!! The night we had all been waiting for!...

The night was over--the children awake--the magic of the early morning was in the air...

And now, a collection of my favorite photos: The Many Faces of Christmas Morning... 

And I'm not going to pretend I don't have a favorite face (but just face--not child ;]). I feel like posting it twice...

Merry Christmas!!!

"As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always. We shall learn to forget ourselves. We shall turn our thoughts to the greater benefit of others."

                -Thomas S. Monson