Christmas Pictures

Derek took some Christmas pictures of our children for his dad. Some of them turned out really cute, so I thought I would share them.

Jared



















Jenna

























Kevin

10 Years!

On December 16, Derek and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been 10 years. Over the last ten years we have finished 3 college degrees (a bachelor's for both of us and a master's for Derek). We have lived in three states: Utah, Virginia and North Carolina. We have lived in four houses and six apartments. And, our crowning accomplishment is that we have three beautiful and amazing children. I am so lucky to be married to Derek. I love him so much. These last 10 years have been the best ten years of my life.

Our Wedding (we were married before digital photography became the big thing, so I have very few wedding pictures on the computer :))


I don't have any pictures from the first two years of our marriage on the computer (at least I couldn't find any)

I think this picture was taken in Dec. 2002. Before we had any children.


Our 3rd Anniversary (Dec. '03)


Nov. '04 (I couldn't find a picture from Dec. '04)


Family Christmas picture Dec. '05 (I couldn't find any pictures of just Derek and I)


Oct. '06 - We were setting up for our Christmas picture


Dec. '07 (Yet again, no pictures of just the two of us)


July '08 (Professional Pictures - very rare for us)


Dec. '09 (Our Anniversary)


April '10 (Professional Picture - I have an even more recent professional picture, but I haven't uploaded it yet, so this will do)


Dec. '10 - I neglected to get one on our anniversary, but this is close enough :)


For our anniversary this year Derek and I went to "The Mint" Restaurant for dinner. It was so good. Then we went ice skating. We have both ice skated before, but never together. It was fun, and I am happy to report that neither of us fell. :) Then we finished up our Christmas shopping. Yeah! We are hoping to take a trip back to NY (where we were married) this summer to really celebrate. We thought that would be better than being there in December. :)

December Fun

We started out this month with snow! Very unusual for here. The kids loved it! We were cleaning our old apartment for the final checkout while it snowed, so the kids had to wait until we got home to play. That meant it was already dark. They didn't care. They had a great time anyway.

Jared playing in the snow


Jared, Kevin and Jenna enjoying the snow


Jared is becoming more and more independent. One morning I came around the corner to find this. He was getting himself a bowl for cereal. Being the good mother that I am, I took a picture before I made him get down. :)


Jared is also learning how to write his name. I didn't know that he could, but one day when I picked him up from preschool his teacher handed this to me, and said that he wrote it all by himself. I was impressed.


Our neighborhood puts on a sleigh ride every year, complete with hot chocolate, treats, and Santa! The sleigh is on wheels (we don't get enough snow for anythingh else), and it is pulled by real horses. It goes through part of neighborhood, and we get to see some Christmas lights/decorations. It was very cold that night, but we had a great time anyway.

The sleigh (not a great picture, but all I had). If you look closely, you can see the horses pulling it.


Jenna, Jared, Derek, and Kevin on the sleigh


The kids talking with the big man himself:

Jenna


Jared


Kevin


The second weekend in December we went to the Apex Nativity Celebration. This is a huge community event, but it is hosted by an LDS church. There were many concerts by local schools, churches, and groups. Plus there were over 600 Nativities. This was the 7th year for this event. It was wonderful. I helped serve at the lunch for the community leaders. I was very nervous because I have never been a waitress before, but it went well. Kevin sang in a children's choir, and Derek sang in an adult choir that put on a Messiah sing along. It was a wonderful weekend. It was a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. This was Kevin's first real choir concert. He was a little nervous, but he did great. I loved being able to watch him participate.

I know he is tough to see, but this is the best picture we have. Kevin is on the left side, towards the front, slightly left of the poinsettia. He is wearing a red tie.


My sister and her husband and kids came into town for the weekend to watch our children so that Derek and I could go out for our anniversary. Thank you so much David and Rachel! They didn't stay long enough, but we had a great time while they were here. We made graham cracker trains with the kids while they were here. It was really fun. My kids have been slowly eating them the last couple of days. :)

Working on the trains


Rachel and Levi decorating Levi's train. I think Levi might have been eating the decorations. :)


The finished trains:

Rachel and Levi


Kevin


Jared


Jenna