When we decided to celebrate Christmas in Calgary, one event we knew we really wanted to attend was Vienna’s baptism. And I’m so glad we did! Holly ate up every minute of it, and afterwards she was writing baptism talks and baptizing dolls in the bath tub. Holly beamed every moment she stood by Vienna! It was a really special thing to attend for Holly and myself and I’m glad we were there for it.

In our church, children can choose to be baptized no sooner than their eighth birthday. First they are baptized by immersion, and then they are confirmed a member of the church and receive a very special gift - the companionship of the Holy Ghost, so long as they live worthily. This gift is something I’ve learned to treasure in my life as I’ve strived to live righteously. It was wonderful to see my niece receive a gift that I hold sacred.

While in Calgary, we spent an impressive amount of time in the snow for a family that lives in temperate California. Holly especially loved the snow! And Greta enjoyed it after a week of becoming used to all the gear the snow requires. This sledding trip was short, since we were still recovering from travel.

We're back from our 2 week trip to Canada. It was a completely wonderful trip with so many highlights. Is it too bold to say that this was our best trip north ever? Seriously, it was so great! I think I can speak on behalf of my little family when I say we really felt loved by everyone. The cousins swept my daughters up and Holly and Greta were immediately one of their own, no warm-up time required. I'm so grateful my nieces and nephews have such big hearts and open arms for their California cousins. Made my heart happy.

Now I'm sifting through hundreds of photos, organizing toys, cleaning up my diet, cleaning our home, laundry, and trying to catch-up on sleep. It's all so worth it for two amazing weeks with our dear families. I'll have LOTS of blog posts in the next couple weeks to show off the fun we had. In the mean time, I'll leave you with one photo of the four of us. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

I've had the hardest time finding a photographer in the bay area that's within my price range and takes photos I like. So... since I love taking photos anyways, Conor and I did them ourselves! I took these back at the beginning of November but have felt tight-fisted and hoardish about them because I love them so much. I made floral crowns for the pictures, partially because I wanted something a little special and partially because I figured if the photos didn't turn out at least they'd have that one great detail! I think the photos did turn out well thank goodness. Bonus, you can't tell that Holly cried in the middle of the session! The family photos and ones of Conor and I were tricky with a remote and no one behind the camera. Maybe we'll get better over the years. I really love my family. And I really love these photos.

Merry Christmas from the four of us to you and your loved ones!