Catch up....

So now that we are done with Christmas :), I turn back in time and blog about our trip to Utah over the Thanksgiving holiday. Just a few weeks overdue. :)

Teage's brother Brook got married last month in Utah, and our family was grateful to be able to hitch our way down there to be a part of his special day. Well, we didn't actually hitch, we took a plane ride with Brett, Beth, and Kai, which was a lot of fun. And added bonus, this was the very first plane trip for the boys. And boy did they have two completely different reactions to this new experience. :) Dylan was so excited, couldn't stop smiling, and looked out the window the entire flight. Lucas, on the other hand, freaked out the minute he saw the plane, wouldn't stop crying for the first few minutes, and only calmed down once we were in the air and he realized the plane wasn't going to hurt him. :)

We had a fabulous time in Utah. The boys were able to spend a lot of time with their cousin Kai, as we stayed in the same hotel, we were able to spend a lot of quality time as a family, and we were able to see Teage's siblings and extended family that we don't see very often. Brook's wedding was beautiful, we were so thankful to be a part of it. And the woman that he chose is just amazing. I am so grateful to have her as a part of our family. Brook and Susie seem perfectly suited for each other, and I couldn't be happier for them. We were able to have a Thanksgiving dinner with Teage's family while we were there as well, which was nice since we don't see all of them often, especially on holidays. Overall, it was a fabulous trip. And it was wonderful to get away as a family for a while.

Congratulations Brook and Susie!

Gorgeous Susie with all of her inherited nieces and nephews. :)

D and L with Kai up at the mountains

And then the three of them on top of a random fire truck. They were pretty stinkin excited!

All of the cousins all dressed up! Aren't they adorable?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We feel so blessed this time of year especially. We are thankful for all of our family and friends, all those wonderful people who shape our lives everyday. We are grateful for all of the many blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us, especially the gift of his son Jesus Christ whom we celebrate this holiday season. We love all of you and hope that you have a fabulous Christmas. Thank you for being a special part of our lives!

Website

Hi everyone! My new website it now live, so go check it out if you have a minute! :)

www.erinchristensenphotography.com

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season so far!

Love, Erin

Starting to Feel Like Christmas

The boys are getting so excited about Christmas coming up. They still don't quite understand what the presents are all about, but they sure do get excited about Christmas lights! They made me drive around the other day for a half hour just so they could see all of the lights around our neighborhood. :) We were actually in Utah for Thanksgiving this year (more on that later), but as soon as we got home we began setting up decorations, putting up the tree, and listening to fun Christmas music. I absolutely LOVE the season!

The other day the boys and I were thinking about something fun to do and I suggested making Christmas cookies for someone else. The boys have been watching Elmo and the Firetruck almost everyday for a while now (their current obsession), and so they decided that they would like to take cookies to the firefighters. I thought it was a fabulous idea! So, we spent all day making sugar cookies, decorating them with fun frosting and sprinkles, and getting excited about visiting the firehouse.

So yesterday, we went down to our local firehouse in Snoqualmie to take the firefighters some yummy (wonderfully decorated :) ) cookies. The fire chief was so sweet to the boys. He didn't have any emergency he was taking care of at the moment, so he let the boys go in the house and tour a bit, and even sit up in the firetruck to "drive"! The boys were just in heaven. After getting over a little nervousness, they were so excited about the firetruck and could not stop talking about it the rest of the day!

Also, if anyone is interested in an amazing light show, go visit my Dad's house this year for a family activity! Every year he spends months putting up Christmas lights for other's enjoyment and this year he went above and beyond! Over 60,000 lights on one house! If you want to visit (it is definitely more amazing in person), his address is:

2509 227th Pl NE

Sammamish, WA 98074

And if you can, bring a canned food item as well! They have a bin out front that will all go to their local food bank! Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

It is a jungle in here!

OK, now that we are up to speed with our "privateness" (I know, that isn't even a word....hehe), let us commence on all of the amazing wonderful fantastic activities that my family has been doing since we last blogged.....

The boys really enjoyed Halloween this year! Since costumes are so expensive, and they still aren't to the point where they can completely voice their opinion on everything, Teage and I decided to get them adorable full length costumes from Costco this year. $10, can't beat it, considering we have to buy two in the same size! :) I went practical.... They loved them though. We told the boys that the elephant was Horton, and they just ate it up. Dylan really wanted to be the giraffe from the jungle as well, so it all worked out. Both boys were a little timid about knocking on doors of people they did not know, but once they figured out they were getting candy out of the deal, they were pretty darn excited! I think that the best part of the whole thing was their little bums in their costumes, so adorable!

All of us at the ward Halloween party

Doesn't Teage look freaky? :) He even made a little girl cry...

Then a few weeks ago Teage and I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer at the Cystic Fibrosis Gala in Seattle. They have been doing this amazing black tie event for over 20 years now, and it has most recently been raising over 2 MILLION dollars a year! We were so thankful to be a part of it. We went early in the morning to help set up, had dinner with all of the volunteers, and then got dressed up and helped with the silent auction portion of the evening. We met some amazing people, saw some amazing donations given, and were really moved by all of the attendance and generosity of others. I know that Jolene was so happy to see us there.

Teage and I all dressed up and ready to go, and me with my brother Christopher.

And one more for good measure.....a cute little shirt that Teage found at Old Navy a little while ago. Hilarious!