A Minnesota Christmas

This year was the first time we've spent Christmas with the kids in our own home. It was so wonderful not to worry about shipping out presents, catching planes and living out of suitcases for the holidays. Instead we had family fly to us! Taber's parents and his grandmother came to town and enjoyed a beautiful white Minnesota Christmas, the first and last we will celebrate in our Maple Grove home.

The night before Christmas Teya wrote a final letter to Santa and left it by a plate of cookies. When I asked her how many cookies we should put on the plate she thought about it for awhile and then very seriously said, "Well, how about 3. We don't want him to get sick." I thought that was pretty sweet and thoughtful of her : )

On Christmas morning the girls went downstairs to find that Santa had come.

Teya rushed over to her note and plate of cookies and sure enough, the cookies were gone and Santa had written a long letter that had an interesting bias towards her Grandpa and how she should come visit him more often. hmm.... ; )

The rest of the morning was Christmas magic. Teya was so excited about every gift she got. From the goodies in her stockings to the littlest toy. She opened each one exclaiming "Thank you Santa!" and "Oh I love this one!" Her gratitude was so genuine and sincere, it was the sweetest thing to watch.

She even did well when she opened a package of clothes. Instead of tossing it aside or getting mad she smiled and laughed and said, "This is a silly present!" But she was still happy and grateful just the same.

The girls in their new matching outfits from Grandma Karen

Brinley was thrilled with everything too. She just kept bringing presents to me and saying "Opig, opig!" (open open!)

After opening up a few stuffed animals she pulled them all into her chest and just sat there cuddling them and zoning out into her own world.

It's funny because I was kind of sad when Teya asked for more big girl things this year like princess stuff, Polly pockets, Ariel dolls etc... But at the end of the day it's not uncommon to find her sleeping with Brinley's elephant and piglet. I'm glad she's not quite out of the stuffed animal phase yet ; )

As you can imagine with two little girls in the house we had an explosion of girlyness! Pink fairy wings, sparkly crowns, princess dolls, bows and pink clothes.

Still, we do have one little boy in the house, and he was quite thrilled to have his very own brand new Mighty Bone to chew on to his hearts content.

Everyone enjoyed the morning opening presents and just hanging out together in our jammies. When we were done with gifts Grandma Karen made us her famous Christmas rice pancakes, something that Taber always talks about from his childhood. I've actually never made them for him so I was glad she was here to do it and teach me how.

Later that day we bundled up for some fun in the snow. We had quite the storm the night before and there was tons of sticky snow, perfect for snowman making!

Teya really wanted to make a snowman family so she, Taber and Grandpa dug, rolled, patted and sculpted until 4 happy little snowman stood in front of our house.

It's crazy to think that that next week we'll be gone and starting a new chapter of our lives. I'm so glad we got to spend a Christmas here before we left. Minnesota is an amazing and beautiful place. I never imagined I could love it so much but I do, and I will miss it. A lot.

Good Friends and Grilling on Christmas Eve

On Christmas eve we joined up with our neighbors, the Wests, for an amazing Prime rib and Turkey dinner grilled up by our Iron Chef husbands. A little snow from the night before couldn't stop these guys from firing up the grill : )

Taylor is a master chef and he gave Taber one of his own customized recipes for the fabulous Christmas turkey. It involved a recipe for the brine that we soaked the bird in for 48 hours, a flavorful rub, savory aromatics, and a mop to be brushed on the turkey as it cooked every 20-30 minutes.

The recipe also called for a stock pot and a roaster with a rack. We didn't own either of those dishes but thanks to this turkey, now we do! I'm excited for my new dishes and hope they help me expand my cooking repertoire.

Taber tended to that turkey with true dedication. He was out there checking on it every hour or so, basting and turning and monitoring the temperature.

Taylor came over a couple times to look at it with his expert eye and to share his grilling wisdom with Taber. Thank goodness he lives so close!



Since Daddy was outside the rest of us came out to play in the snow. Brinley looked so cute all bundled up like a pink and brown marshmallow.

My little snow bunnies

Grandma Karen getting in on the action in her stylish denim snow gear.

One final check and the turkey was done! After all the work Taber put into it we couldn't wait to eat it!

We took the food over to the West's where Taylor was finishing up his Prime rib.

Taylor then showed Taber how to cut the turkey for optimal presentation.

The food was so mouthwateringly amazing. I think this will forever be the way we prepare our Christmas turkey.

After dinner the girls joined with Abby and little William to act out the nativity. Teya was Mary, Brinley was a sheep, Abby was an angel and William was the baby Jesus.

I think when the baby came on the scene the girls kind of forgot their parts and just gravitated towards him. They all kept petting his sweet little head. It made me smile to think that the baby Jesus surely had that same compelling draw to all who came near him.

We were so happy we could celebrate Christmas eve with our neighbors and dear friends the Wests. Not only have they opened our eyes to the world of year round grilling, but they have been the truest most wonderful friends you could ever hope for. We will miss them terribly when we move!

Happy 8th Anniversary!

The first time I saw Taber he was standing up in front of my Field studies class for a study abroad we were preparing to attend in Mexico. There were 20 girls in the class and only 5 boys. Naturally all of us girls were checking them out as they stood in front of the class. My friend Hilary turned to me and gesturing to Taber whispered, "That guy is hot." I nodded in agreement and jokingly said, "yeah, I bet we would make cute babies!" We both laughed. : )

A few months later when we were down in Mexico I started getting to know him better. I quickly realized he had a lot more going for him than just good looks. He had a way of making everyone around him feel calm and comfortable. He was funny, playful, and easy to get along with. I also got to see his spiritual side and was impressed with his strong values and integrity. Then one day in our Spanish culture class he got up and preformed a rousing rendition of La Bamba on his guitar. I watched with starstruck eyes. On top of everything else he could sing and play guitar!? That was it. I was smitten.

A year and a half later we were married and for the last 8 years he has stood by my side as the greatest love and support I have ever known. During our first year of marriage he supported me through two busy semesters, 21 credits each. When I was drowning in my studies he lovingly showed me ways to be more efficient with my time and to excel in school. When I was student teaching he would get up early in the morning and make me a sack lunch. The other teachers I ate with deemed him husband of the year for that act of love.

He has always made me feel like I can do anything, and he encourages me to spread my wings. As the years have gone many things have changed, graduation, new jobs, going back to school, starting a family, changing careers, etc... But with all the changes one thing has always stayed the same. Taber is still that fun, easy going, steady guy who supports me in everything I do and makes me feel like anything is possible. There couldn't be an easier person to live with. He's calm and relaxed and tackles life's challenges with patience, optimism, and perspective. I love him so much, and it turns out I was right all those years ago, we do make cute babies!

An Early Christmas Present

This weekend we got the best early Christmas present ever! A visit from my sister Naomi and her little family. Even though she is 7 months pregnant they made the effort to drive all the way out from Chicago for a short but fun packed 3 day trip. It meant so much to us to have them come out, and it really made it feel like Christmas.

When they got here first on the agenda was a visit to Taber's work. Kevin had never seen it so we brought all the kids along and took the big tour.

It was awesome when we got to the Snacks division where Taber works. The Snacks team loaded us up with fruit snacks, Bugles, Chex mix, dunk-a-roo's and other good treats! We even got to sample a new product in the works. It was yummy yummy!

We also got to hit our Church Christmas party (see first picture) and once the kids were in bed we played games and ate goodies late into the night.

The next morning since Kevin is Kevin and the king or running nuts, he somehow convinced Taber and I to brave the cold weather and join him for a nice 4 mile run around Rice Lake. It was actually really beautiful and an awesome way to start our day!

Once we got back we loaded up the kids for a trip to a Christmas tree farm that had a petting zoo and a playground with a zip cord.

The girls were fascinated with the chickens, goats, and random peacocks.

They also loved the playground, even though it was 20 degrees outside and covered with snow.

The boys really loved the playground too.

In fact, I think they might've loved it more than the kids! They went on that zip cord over and over again. Their arms were pretty sore the next day :)

Teya was so thrilled to be out in the snow. She begs me to go out in it just about everyday so it was nice to be able to indulge her request.

That night we got a babysitter and headed out to the Mall of America. We ate dinner, did some last minute Christmas shopping, and watched the Blind Side, which was AWESOME and a movie I highly recommend to anyone!

This morning they joined us for church and the girls all wore matching Christmas dresses. They are the cutest little munchkins. It will be fun when Naomi's baby is born and we have FOUR little girls running around!

It was sad to see them go but we are so glad they made the effort to come out. Their visit definitely made for one awesome early Christmas present!