Doctor Elizabeth

i was getting elizabeth dressed today. when i pulled the shirt over her head it covered her mouth and nose. she said to me, 'look mommy, i'm a doctor'. it was so funny! she is so smart, and is always surprising me with all the things that she says.

Noel

elizabeth was so excited about her present from santa. and so was everyone else! she was more than willing to pass noel around!

Christmas with the Rodgers

i wish i could multiply on christmas so that i could spend enough time with everyone in our family! i always feel like we can never spend all the time i would really like too.
especially with the ryan's dad and brother randy. elizabeth sure loves them!! she was so excited about her snow suit that randy and mary gave her, she couldn't wait to put it on!
it was really nice to just sit around and visit with papa rod and randy and of course the dogs.

Merry Christmas Taintor Clan

i can't remember the last time that my siblings had christmas breakfast together. we normally get together around lunch, so a taintor tradition of eating oysters and complaining about eating oysters hasn't existed. it was nice to bring that tradition back, lol. i will be honest, i don't like osters, but seeing my grandma chalmers excitement over the oysters and the big smile on her face, you'd eat the oysters too!
it was fun just goofing off with my family, and even if it was complete chaos with all the kids, it was a perfect christmas morning.
i think my favorite part of the morning was watching the kids and seeing how excited they were to give there gifts. they were happy to receive a present oh course, but their faces lit up when they gave their gift out.
i guess that didn't just apply to the children, i think i was more excited to give our gifts because we had spent so much thought and preparation making homemade gifts. we made block calendars and marshmallow roasters that we can all use together at the cabin during the summer.
and of course our family spoiled us. one of my favorite gifts we received was a kerosene heater to add to our emergency preparedness that my parents gave us. also, the turners gave elizabeth her own barbie laptop, so when i blog, she doesn't have to feel it necessary to sit on my lap because she has her own computer...thanks turners!!
i love christmas, and i hope that we all can remember that christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality and have charity in our hearts through the year.

I Believe in Santa

i really enjoyed the christmas season this year. it's been fun, elizabeth is getting old enough to understand the idea of santa. plus, she has been such a big helper with christmas decorations and wrapping all our gifts. she is so smart that we knew we could explain about why we celebrate christmas. as christmas grew closer, she would ask if it was Jesus' birthday yet.
elizabeth sure gave us a good laugh on christmas morning. she ran into our room with a huge smile and her arms in the air and yelled, "i'm ready to open my presents from santa!!".
elizabeth must have been really good, because santa gave her a real live bunny. yeah, you heard me! it was so funny, the cage was sitting on the coffee table and she saw it when she walked into the room, and she got a big ol' smile and said 'mom, i really want to touch it'.
we named the bunny noel, and she adores noel. i have to say to that this bunny is not like any other bunny i have ever had, it's very tame and will come right up onto elizbath and lick her.
elizabeth loves opening presents, however the bunny kept most of her attention throughout the morning...well, to be honest, ryan and i had just as much fun playing with the bunny as elizabeth.

The Nativity

every christmas eve we go to my parents and the kids dress up, and my dad reads the story of christs birth. faith narrated this year, and the kids had a good time getting their costumes on, and waiting for their part in the story. this year elizabeth was a wiseman, and thought her hat was pretty neat.

Christmas Eve

getting together with my family is my favorite thing about the holiday season.



ryan was in charge of the picture taking at his family party, and so, we only got these two picture...next year i'll be in charge baby. lol.



ryan and i started a tradition when we first were married. on christmas eve, we give each other a book. usually it's a childrens book or a christmas story. elizabeth likes it, because she loves us to read to her.

Is Christmas Here Yet?

this christmas season has been one of my favorite so far with elizabeth. she is growing so quickly and is starting to catch on about santa, and the birth of our savior (she knows it's his birthday, and well, that's good enough for now). she has had so much fun with decorating our house, and a great assistant with the wrapping of gifts, she likes to hand me the tape, after she informs me that i need to say 'please' first. she has been patiently waiting for christmas day and for santa to visit our home. i thought i would share some cute pictures of her in her christmas dress.

My Three Angels

since the kids were little, i have called them my three little angels...and that will never change!

Ugly Sweater Contest...Just another day at the office

i love the girls that i work with. we had a ugly sweater contest, and we couldn't stop laughing all day. they make work feel like an 8 hour party!! thanks pretty ladies, i love your guts!!

Gretchen Puppies

gretchen had her first litter of puppies, she had two cute girls. elizabeth adores them, she just giggles when they snuggle up in her neck.

Temple Square

ryan received a new calling a couple months ago, and has the opportunity to attend mutual with the youth. he invited elizabeth and i along see the beautiful lights at temple square. we were amazed by the magnificent temple and all it's beauty. we finished the night by warming up to some yummy hot chocolate.