My favorite part of Christmas at my house:
I have also kinda sorta missed blogging. I have so much to share with the holidays and the final wedding at my house happening at the same time. I seriously love heart love home time and this trip was no exception. We left early and traveled for two days (uphill in a snowstorm...lol) to get to our beautiful Southern Alberta. We arrived to cheers and loud welcomes (not really) and settled right in. I am slapping myself now because I should have taken more pics of the wonderful, pretty pure white snow that covered everything. It has been a few years since we have had a real white Christmas and this one was perfect!
We spent Christmas Eve and morning at my house which was full of family traditions like Christmas Crackers at dinner and White Christmas before we go to sleep. The highlight of the morning was when my little cousin Jess came over from next door and announced, "I was so super bad this year and I still got presents! Not even a lump of coal!" I laughed myself silly while her older sister Lexi assured me that Jess really had been uber bad. We had a great morning of giggles and gifts and then everyone went on to the in-laws. We headed to Whitefish, Montana where Gray's family rented a condo and we spent the next few days shopping, eating, skiing, playing games, eating and sleeping.
When we got home it was wedding mode countdown so we all got busy baking and decorating. Sara is the last of the Smart kids to get married and I was super excited. The wedding was wonderful. During the ceremony in the temple, I had to cross my fingers and toes because sweet Sara looked like a deer in headlights but they got hitched and are now happily enjoying the poor student life in Hawaii while Ben finishes his degree. (On a side note, I am now looking for tickets to go visit those two and would love to take any of you girlies along for the trip...hint hint Jess P.)
Anyway the best way to show you all the fun and happy times I had is with pictures. I got a new shock/water/dust proof little camera for Christmas and spent the rest of the holiday clicking away! Here is the condensed version of my Christmas/Wedding Extravaganza!
Gray's sister Cassidy had a new little baby in November and we finally gotta see the little gaffer! I was totally in love at first sight. Archer Lawrence Burgess is so adorable and is getting me itching for my own little bundle SOON!! (As in I still need to get prego but SOON!) And I did take pics of our time with Gray's family too but none of the kidlets would smile so I will save those for another post...lol
Girls Night (10 years after HS!!)
Family Dinner Christmas EveBest Pic of the Holiday!
Katie and Nathan are the cutest little couple and they were so excited to have me take their photo!
Lover Birds (Wedding: T-6 days!)
Christmas!
The best present of the year! Bro in law Nate knows the perfect way to win my heart!
My sibs and I secretly saved up an undisclosed amount of money for the parents since they do so much for us and get little in return. I was expecting tears and hugs but as you can see from the pic...lol. They were greatful and a few days later on the wedding day my dad surprised the mother of the bride (my momma) with a new diamond ring with 10 diamonds in it for all the extra kids she has now (he used our little cash stash we gave them for Christmas... sigh... how romantic)WEDDING!!
The happy kids
My lovelies
The Smart Clanaka
The Morgans, Koegler's, Toone's, Michel's and Smart's
Mmm Cake
This is the best view of Sara's dress. It is awesome. She designed herself and used vintage crocheted lace around the middle. BEAUTIFUL!
It was such an awesome wedding and I am kinda sad that we are done marrying people off in my family. My parents' Christmas card this year was the best and summed it up perfectly. They are in the photo booth at Katie's wedding holding two chalkboards that read 'Flat Broke' and smiling huge from ear to ear! They seriously are the best....cheers to them for three weddings in four months. What troopers!
5 comments:
love, love, love when you blog!
That is some beautiful white snow! Glad it was a great Christmas and a wonderful wedding. We only have 2 out 6 siblings in my family married off, still a ways to go. Get working on that baby stuff, can't let your siblings beat you! :)
You would not be missing the snow if you were here right now in minus 30!!! Soooo cold!!! I need fur lined garments. Sarah looks great. She is adourable... and when are we going to Hawaii??? How much would a plane ticket be? I'm leaving for Socal end of march- middle of april. Let's work this out, I'm in need of some sunshine.
you took some good wedding pics! you'll hafta post them so i can steal them from you ;) and we will be in hawaii 'til june so book your vacation today girls!!
haha archer looks like a big chubbers! p.s. he was bornin october.
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