Yep, just posting Christmas

So, here are some Christmas morning pictures.  Glad church was still at 1.  9am church is....SO FUN. :)  And probably not awesome on Christmas.  Although I have to say, it was SO NICE to go to church on Christmas.  The whole Christmas season I was trying to pound into (gently of course :) the girls' heads that Christmas was celebrating "Jesus' birthday" and that it was about Jesus really, and that Santa and presents were just an "added bonus" :)  I wish we could go to church every Christmas actually.

Some fun pics:

 The cutest husband in the world.  Filming the event.

 Look at that little cutie!! In princess jammies, of COURSE.

 These are the gifts for us, the kids, and a couple in the back for Jordan's parents.  That's it!  Not too much!

The tree. I added the cool white netting.  These are lame pictures. I didn't do any editing. I'm too busy!

 I think Claire now has more makeup, nail polish, and lip gloss than all 2 year olds around the world COMBINED.  Seriously.  It was bad at Christmas, and then again for her birthday. Sheesh.

 Anya got like 2 things.  It was fun :) Cute jammies too!

So we decided to start doing just one present from Santa and it's always wrapped in red paper.  That'll be the tradition, I guess.

Jordan got "Carmex" for Christmas from Santa.  Yep, that's it.  We figured..."oh yeah, maybe Santa should get something for Mom and Dad too!" Problem is, Claire remembers we bought it for Jordan one day at Target, for Christmas.  Good thing she's still young and "out of it" :)  haha

I also got Jordan a new white shirt and some ties.  Problem is I let Claire help me wrap it.  She promptly told Daddy what it was "It's just a shirt and ties, Dad." He was like "She's worse than YOU honey, and that's hard!"  Sad :)

Anyway, then my parents came out a couple of weeks ago and they gave us the most AWESOME gift!!!  I hope I can do this for my kids one day.  They gave us a book on Temple worship and a check for $100.  This check is to be used to go to dinner, pay for a babysitter, and go to the temple.  They hope we can go to the temple monthly, and use the money when we go.  When it runs out, we can just ask them to send us another $100, and so on until the end of the year.  Sweet, eh???  We wanted to go on Saturday, and I was even thinking "Man, nothing has gotten in the way of the temple!  This is a first!"  Then Claire woke up at 3am Saturday morning and threw up.  Diarrhea the rest of the day.  We cancelled the sitter and have rescheduled...

And here is our door this year.  It as so nice to hear from so many of our friends and family!!

Did some Christmas Crafts this year:

 Jordan was a little upset I hacked a limb off our tree without any "correct pruning" experience lol... but it was for a good cause!

Crappy picture (these are from my phone let's be honest) but did a copycat wreath of one at Target that was so cute, but so pricey.  My awesome friend, Jacqui, got me these pine cones for FREE!!  Spray them silver, add some berries, and they're good to go!

Made new stockings this year.  They turned out SO CUTE!! Just don't look at the mistakes :)

My kitchen ledge :)

I was into a silver and white-only theme this year.  Boring, I know!

OK, well that's it for now!  Onto the next post!

Merry Christmas 2011

Here is our Christmas letter and card from this year:

 Dear Family and Friends, You know, my friends all make fun of me for writing a Christmas Letter every year. They say, "That's what my 80-year old Grandma does!" Well, I'm pushing 32, so I figure I'm practically a grandma, so, I'm just going to keep on writing these... This year has been a busy one but a great one as well. Jordan is currently working full-time still at ICU Medical. He is also going to school. He has a math class. That means I'm a single parent. Good thing for foreign language taking the place of my math requirements in college! The homework is insane! But he has done really well because unlike me, he has a left brain that actually works. Jordan is enjoying what he is learning and it's great that he is on his way to doing something he is really passionate about (Computer Engineering). Jordan also loves taking pictures with his fancy camera, and we have done quite a bit of that this year--pictures of friends' families, our kids, and our extended family. He is so good at it. We make a good team because he snaps and I Photoshop. Jordan is also teaching Sunday School to the youth and has a great group of kids.

I'm just going to write about myself in the first person. I've decided to be not-so-formal this year (maybe because I really don't want to sound like a "grandma" yet?), and let's be honest--you know it's the wife doing the Christmas letter. If it were up to my husband, there wouldn't even be a card. So when it comes to writing about myself, I am always stumped. Um, I change diapers, try to keep my kids happy, do laundry and clean the house all day. Throw in some Chick-fil-a and a trip to Walmart and you have my life. But I guess I also keep my sanity with doing all the homemakerish things like crafts, sewing, and i have also been doing some graphic design work for friends. I finished my fourth year of teaching Gospel Doctrine, and keep telling the Bishop I never want to be released. So far, it's working! It really is the best calling in the world. 

OK let's talk about the crazies now. Claire will be 3 in January, and is such a cutie. She talks a blue streak and it's hilarious to hear what she comes up with. she is obsessed with "sparkly" nail polish, lip gloss, clippies for her hair, and princesses. Help. She's also starting to wanting to do everything herself. Double help. But she sure is a sweetheart. We just love all of antics and the comic relief she can provide to any situation! Claire has also proven to be extremely accident prone. She has now gotten stitches 4 times in her life, including 2 times just this year within weeks of each other. She now sports scars in: The palm of her hand, BOTH eyebrows, and the side of her head. I seriously have PTSD every time she falls or hits her head...I automatically dread seeming some kind of ER-appropriate welt. But she takes it in stride and even says she wants to "be a doctor to help fix people and kids" one day.

 Anya (a.k.a, "Baby Sister") is now 15 months and very very busy! I can't get anything done while she's awake--at least not without her sticking her hands in the toilet, unrolling the toilet paper roll, taking ornaments off the tree, or emptying bookcases. Good thing she's cute. She loves doing everything Claire does but definitely has her own personality--and a strong one! Anya says Mama, Dada, story, and Dora. Yeah, sounds like we watch a lot of a certain TV show around here. In fact, one time Anya called out both Mama and Dada after a nap...and when we didn't come, she started calling for Dora. She is just a little cutie an dis happiest when she has a bottle of chocolate milk in her mouth and when she and Claire play the "slamming doors" game (yikes!)

 Well, that concludes the news! Thank you so much for your love and friendship. We appreciate you and wish you the best this coming year. May the birth of our Savior be at the forefront of this season as we strive to learn of Him and live His teachings.

 Merry Christmas,
 Jordan, Janessa, Claire, & Anya Taylor