Merry Christmas!!!

Wow! It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone! It was such a great day, but went by way too fast!! Here's a re-cap of how Christmas with the Christiansens went!

Jackobi's Christmas present to us was that she let us sleep in until 7:45 AM ... woo hoo! It was awesome! She is such an early riser, I appreciated that extra sleep! We started the day out by seeing what Santa brought to our house ... Jackobi was pretty cute, we could tell she wasn't sure what was going on ... the presents that she's gotten in trouble for getting into were now 'free reign' and she could tear into them. She got the hang of it pretty quick though! She did pretty good, but after the first couple would get about 1/2 way through the package and then she was occupied with the paper. It was funny! Santa also brought a special treat for Nate! He's been eye-ing a bow from Cabela's for months now and finally got it! He was so excited and SO surprised! I love Christmas surprises!! After our house, we headed over the Nate's parents ...

I had hoped that Jackobi had gotten the hang of the whole gift opening part of Christmas, but not so much! She found a couple of packs of gum from Nate's stocking and wouldn't part with them! It was pretty funny. Nate pulled the 'bait and switch' trick on her and she ended up with some real toys instead. Nate and I were really excited to give our exchange gifts this year. We drew Casey and Brian's names. I got Brian a piece of Duke basketball floor autographed by JJ Reddick and Nate got Casey an autographed Chipper Jones bat. I think they really liked them! I love gift giving!! From Nate's parents we headed to his Grandma Taylor's house. Sadly, I forgot my camera in the car @ that stop and didn't want to run out in the blizzard to get it. But it was a good visit! His Uncle Mark and Aunt Barb were there from Illinois and so were his cousin's Josh and Haley from Arizona. After a quick visit there ... we headed to my parents!

By this point in the day Jackobi was getting pretty tired. So she had a little cat nap on the way out to my parents house and it was present opening time!! My neice Anna was there too so it was fun to watch them both! I think they almost 'fed' on eachother as they ripped into things! It was funny though because they always ended up going for the gift that the other one was opening! Such cute girls! We stayed at my parents house for a couple of hours and it was off to our last stop ... Nate's Grandpa and Grandma Christiansen's ...

Every year Nate's Grandparents have their kids and Grandkids and Great Grandkids over for Christmas. We have a yummy dinner and then they have stockings and gifts for us all. It's such a treat! We weren't sure if Nate's Uncle Bruce & his family would make it down from Eagle with the storms, but they did. It was great to see everyone!

All in all, we had such a wonderful Christmas!! It was so much fun with Jackobi, now she'll know just what to do with her birthday presents in a couple months ... right??

ChRisTmaS JamMieS!!

This year I thought it would be cute to get Jackobi and Anna matching Christmas pajamas! They're not identical, but pretty similar! They looked pretty darn cute in their red jammies! I love this picture ... Jackboi totally has her arm around Anna ... such good buddies already!

Christmas Cookies!

Every year Nate's mom makes a batch of yummy Christmas sugar cookies and Camille & I help her frost and decorate them. This year I was being a 'cool' mom and letting Jackobi have a little of an un-frosted cookie and Grandpa thought it was pretty necessary that Jackobi got to experience the full glory of Grandma's fresh out-of-the-oven sugar cookies. He scooped up a snowman topped with fluffy pink frosting and coconut ... Jackobi love them! Much better than the unfrosted one's I was giving her a taste of! She was pretty funny and kept grabbing at the frosting though and didn't know what to think of it ... but it tasted yummy! She devoured the entire thing! You can't really tell, but she has frosting all over her face, hands and shirt!

Christmas

As Christmas quickly approaches I can't help but get emotional as I think about what we are truly celebrating. My heart swells with an overwhelming amount of gratitude for our Savior, Jesus Christ. His birth was and still is such a wonderful miracle and is such an amazing gift. The ultimate gift. I'm so thankful for our Father in Heaven and this wonderful gift; I'm also so grateful for His son, Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Christmas is such a beautiful time of year to celebrate this beautiful event! We want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! As you celebrate with your family and friends, don't forget the true meaning of this joyous season!

Kegan's Wrestling Match

My cousin Kegan is a Senior at Minico this year and I have to admit, I haven't ever been to one of his wrestling matches! Last year I tried to go to a couple, but both matches the other team forfeited because there was no one in his weight class. So this year, I was excited when we made it to his first home match and he got to wrestle twice! I missed the first match, but waited 1 1/2 hours to make it to the second ... he wrestled a kid from Twin Falls and in the end won by points 9 -5 . It was pretty exciting, I've never really watched wrestling, but it can be intense! Good job Kegan! We hope you have a great season!

Caught Red Handed ...

Well, this picture pretty much explains it all!!

When I first started putting presents under our Christmas trees, we discovered really quickly that Jackobi liked the shiny ribbons and bows more than anything. So I decided to stop putting on bows so she wouldn't rip them off (I'll do bows on Christmas Eve!) but, Jackobi finally discovered she really likes the presents too! There is small one that fits perfectly in her hands and that's the one she always dives, reaches and searches for. In this picture I tried putting it on top of a bunch of other gifts, but that didn't stop her! She's so funny! She knows she's not supposed to be getting into things, look at the huge grin I get when she's 'caught'

This picture she was actually reaching into one of our big chairs to snag a gift! Sneaky little girl!

I love Christmas time with a baby! So much fun!!

She's her Father's Daughter ...

Any of you who have seen Nate after he takes off his hat knows that his hair can be super cRaZy and MeSsY! Well I had to laugh today when we took Jackobi's beanie off ... it looked like Nate's often does! This picture doesn't quite show off the beauty of it, but it was all over the place! She's learned to pop her lips this week ... that's what she's doing in this picture in case you wondering, she does it NON STOP!

Our Weekend

We had a great, but VERY busy weekend this last weekend! I can't believe that Christmas is getting so close and we definitely needed to get our shopping finished up! Since Casey had a basketball game in Idaho Falls, we decided it was the perfect time! On the way we made a stop in Pocatello to do some shopping ... then stopped to see Jason and Brian at their house. There Jackobi had her first Love Sac experience. She loved it at first, until she realized she couldn't really move ... then hated it. She also got to listen to Bubba play some Guitar Hero ... she liked that quite a bit! She's so cute and has learned to bob her head to the beat of the music! After our visit we headed to Idaho Falls to see our good friends Chris and Sara. It was so good do see them!! You'd think that we lived much farther away, but our schedules have both been so busy that it's been a while! It was great to see them and Jackobi really liked having some new entertainment! She loved them!

Next was Casey's game. It was a great game, he ended up not playing any of the JV game and dressed down with the Varsity team. We were excited when he ended up playing most of the game! He did awesome! We're pretty proud of him!

All in all, it was a great weekend! It was chaotic that's for sure, I forgot my camera, so sorry no pictures (and if you know me at all ... I NEVER forget my camera ... so it must have been chaotic!!)

Now just 9 Days until Christmas!! We can't wait!!

10 Months!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is rolling around again! This year is going to be so much fun with Jackobi!! She kind of knows what to do with her presents, but not quite. But it will be fun I'm sure! It's so hard to believe that we've been blessed with our adorable daughter for 10 months now! She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives! Jackobi is cruising all over the place and particularly likes where she KNOWS she's not supposed to go! She's so funny because she'll peak over her shoulder almost as if she's saying 'Look what I'm doing ... I know I'm not supposed to, but I am anyways...' then as we jump up to get her she squeals in delight and crawls so quickly ... I think it's almost a game for her. She also has started to play peek-a-boo (we call it 'where did Jackobi go') on demand! She will look at you and turn her head away and flip it back for the 'there she is!' reaction. What else ... I think she already knows what 'No' is ... and she shakes her head profusely when she disagrees with something. She hasn't shown too much interest in the Christmas tree, but LOVES the box it came in. She still just has 2 bottom teeth, but we can tell she's working on getting some of her top teeth! She's growing so fast and learning so quickly. We love her so much & can't believe another month has already flown by!

Kenzie's Christmas Program

Tis the Season! Tonight was Kenzie's school program. She's in Kindergarden and her play was adorable! She was a Santa Claus shaped Christmas Cookie in the 'Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts' program. She was so cute and you could totally tell how hard all of the kids worked to memorize their parts! Last night (before the show) Kenzie informed us that next year she want's to be an elf instead ... because their costumes are way better. Too cute! Jackobi was so excited. She loved it when the kids sang and would bounce to the beat like she was dancing. She would randomly clap and yell out too. It was a fun night!

Kenzie is so cute! There were some glittery snowflakes from one of the other 'cookie' costumes and we couldn't get her to stop sticking them to her dress afterward. It's funny what kids are entertained by!

Jackobi's Love for Santa Claus

Well, it's almost comical that I thought we could get Jackobi's picture with Santa. With her extreme 'love' for strangers. But I couldn't resist! I know, I'm the meanest mommy ever ... but you have to admit ... it did turn out pretty darn cute!!

Jared & Ashley's Wedding

Friday was a special day for Jared and Ashley as they were sealed for Time and Eternity in the Twin Falls Temple. It was a gorgeous day it hardly felt like December! Ashley looked beautiful and it was great to see how happy their little family looked! They just couldn't stop smiling!

That afternoon they had a luncheon for their family and friends and later that night a reception. It was a busy day, that's for sure! Their reception was so nice and it was great to see everyone come to show their support!

The happy couple's first dance as Mr. & Mrs. Price

Jared and his groomsmen

Nate and Jared have been friends for so long, it was nice that he was able to be there for his big day. His other two groomsmen were Kole and TJ. Jared played baseball with them when he was drafted by the Dodgers. Kole is from Oklahoma and TJ is from Chicago. It was funny, they didn't quite know what to think of the little town of Paul! A little smaller than what they're used to!

Ashley and her Bridesmaids

I'm so happy that I've gotten to know Ashley so well the last couple of years! Nate and I went on their VERY first date with them and it's been great to watch their relationship grow. She is such a great person & I feel blessed to have her as one of my best friends! Wendy and Gina were her other two Bridesmaids. We had lots of fun helping Ashley prepare for her big day!

Ashley's Bridals

Now that Jared and Ashley are officially Mr. & Mrs. Price I couldn't resist putting up some her bridal pictures that we took a few months ago! It was so fun to take these pictures and Kenzie was such a sport! Ashley looked beautiful and I was glad we got some good pictures before her big day!! I'll post more about their wedding later, but here are a few of my favorites!

Christmas Lighting & Caring and Sharing

Every year the day after Thanksgiving Rupert has a chili feed around the square and at dark, Santa rides around the square in a fire truck waving to all the boys and girls. He then 'Lights' the square with all of the Christmas lights. This year it was particularly fun since we have Jackobi!! My friend Sara came and brought her little girl Emaiya and both Nate and my families were there too. Jackobi liked the Christmas lights, but LOVED the fireworks!! She slept through them on the 4th of July so this was a new experience for her ... and she loved them!!

Jackobi really liked this fuzzy tensile ... she couldn't stop grabbing a hold of it!

We also went to the 'Caring & Sharing' to check out all of the Christmas displays. They always have good entertainment and beautiful decorations and this year was no exception. This weekend was a great way to start off the Christmas season! Only 25 days and counting ... !!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We had such a good Thanksgiving this year!! This is the one holiday that Nate and I have decided to not squeeze in both families and to alternate years. And ya know what?? It was really nice not to have to run around from house to house!! This year we spent the day at Nate's parents house. It was a really good day and very relaxing! It was Jackobi's first Thanksgiving and boy did she love the food!! Even more, I think she liked the attention she got from everyone at the dinner table! She even got to try Jello for the first time. I don't make it very often, but she loved the sugary treat!

I'm pretty sure it's official ... Jackobi LOVES Thanksgiving! More the food than anything, but she was pretty happy about those mashed potatoes!

Playing the piano with Aunt Camille ... she loves to POUND on the keys!

Hanging out with Grandpa ...

We have so much to be thankful for this year!! We are so blessed to have a happy and healthy family. Jackobi is such a sweet girl and has made Nate and I both step back and reflect on what is really important in life. We love her! We have wonderful family and friends that are so supportive and who love unconditionally. We're also thankful for the gospel and what it means to us and our family. And most recently we're thankful to be an eternal family!!

Our Eternal Family...

This last week was such a busy and filled week for us!! A decision long in the making finally materialized as Nate and I received our endowments and were sealed for eternity. Wednesday the 19th we received our endowments in the Twin Falls Temple. What a great day full of blessings! There is so much to take in, I'm sure we'll be back soon!

Outside the Twin Falls Temple after our Endowment session.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to go to the Idaho Falls Temple and be sealed to each other and Jackobi for eternity. What an amazing day! Jackobi wasn't too sure about the nursery, well I guess she was sure; sure she HATED it!! She bawled and didn't stop until after the sealing was done and I held her. So if she looks a bit grouchy in her pictures, that's because she was!! But it was still wonderful! What an amazing experience. I've never felt so at peace. We were blessed to be surrounded by some of our closest friends and family. Thank you everyone who helped make this day special for us!!

This is RIGHT when we walked out of the Temple. We're laughing pretty hard because our photographer (aka Bubba) was RIGHT in front of trying to 'capture' the moment ... thanks Bubba! :)


Thanks again everyone who shared this blessed day with us!

haPpY BirTHdaY KeNzIE!!

What a sweet little girl Kenzie Jade is!! We're so glad that we've gotten to know her better these last couple of years!! She is such a sweetheart and it's cute how much she likes to hang out with Nate and Jared! She is SO GOOD with Jackobi and Jackobi lights up even when she just sees her picture -- it's really funny!

HaPpY sIXtH bIRthDaY kENziE JaDE!! We love you!!

cHeeRiNG oN tHE TaRHeeLS

This last week the North Carolina Tar Heels tipped off their first game of the season! In our house that's a really big day since Nate is a HUGE fan! (and when I say huge, I mean huge! He DVR's all their games...) Since Nate is such a die-hard fan we had to buy Jackobi a little cheerleader outfit to support her daddy's favorite team! She looked so adorable in her outfit! With this cute little cheerleader they better have a winning season!! She's gotta bring them some good luck!

I didn't snap the picture quick enough, but Jackobi can totally do the splits ALL the way! Flexible little girl we have!!

9 Months!

Yes another month has come and gone and Jackobi is still changing and growing so quickly!! She has discovered the beauty of crawling and has quickly mastered it! It's pretty funny to watch her try to crawl in a dress though, her legs pin her dress down and it's hard for her to crawl. So she just leaves one leg straight like a peg and keeps crawling! She's into everything and you can tell when she's into something new that she's not to be in. She gets so excited it's funny! She loves LOVES big people food and will eat just about anything we give her. Nate was sick the other day and wanted Zoom for breakfast (it's like an oatmeal type food). Anyways, Jackobi was HILARIOUS when he gave her a taste -- she didn't appreciate the texture and made some really funny faces! She chews on EVERYTHING, her latest favorite is our couches. That's right, she pulls herself up and gnaws on the leather. So I'm convinced there's more teeth in the near future! Hmmm... she's learned how to undo her diaper (that's fun, let me tell you!) and has discovered that she should NOT try to crawl in the tub. She's so much fun and it's crazy to believe that she's already 9 months old! We can't wait to see how she likes the upcoming holidays! I wonder what she'll think of Santa ...

Happy Birthday Ike!

Last night we celebrated Nate's Grandpa Ike's birthday! We had yummy cake and homemade ice cream! It was a low key night, but good to see Nate's family from Oakley (which isn't that far away, but we hadn't seen them since the 4th of July!) Jackobi really likes Ike ... I laugh because it looks like she's telling him a pretty good story in this picture!


This was our best attempt at a picture with the Great Grandkids ... Jackobi was really glad to have Jace and Kyler there to play with! I don't know what it is, but babies sure do love other little kids!

Ike is such a neat man and helps out Nate and I so much! We were happy to celebrate his birthday with him!