Another Christmas...

When I told Elizabeth that we needed to head over to Papa's house to watch Uncle Michael, Kris, Talon, and Titan open their gifts she exclaimed, "Wahoo, Another Christmas!".

My brother has been living in Texas for the past few months, so it was really nice to get to see him today. Also, the last time we saw Talon, he was in the ICU so it was good to see him up and moving around. He seemed to really enjoy opening each of his presents.


As soon as Talon opened his wagon and blocks, Elizabeth immediately asked if they could play together. It was so cute to see the two of the interacting and playing. Most of the time it worked well. We just had to keep reminding Elizabeth to let Talon have some blocks too!


Today we also got to meet Titan for the first time. He was born on December 5th and is an absolute doll. He is so tiny and slept the entire visit. What a little cutie!


Titan looked perfectly happy snuggling with Uncle Bill and Meme.


Zachary, on the other hand, is such a mommy's boy and will not snuggle with anyone else. If he can see me, he wants me! Oh well. Sorry Meme and Kris...don't take it personal.


It was fun to watch Michael and Kris open their presents too. They got some really nice things. Kris looked cute in the hat that I handmade her and Michael seemed excited about the ReadyWrench that we got for him.

It was nice to see my brother so happy and energetic this holiday season. Holidays have not always been the best time for him, but this year he really was in a great mood. I guess having a new baby and a son that survived a brain stem tumor can really put life in perspective and make you grateful for what you have!

Christmas with the Valentini's

On Christmas, in the afternoon, we were able to go and visit with my mom, dad, Meme, and Uncle Bill. We arrived just as they were finishing their gift exchange. After waiting for a few minutes for my mom to check on the sausages and meatballs, we began opening our gifts. Elizabeth was so excited when she discovered that Santa had left a bunch of presents at Grandma and Papa's House too!


It was funny watching Elizabeth open all of her gifts. Sometimes she would jump around, sometimes she would sit there with a grump on her face, and sometimes she would smile and immediately ask to open the package to play with it...you never knew what you would get! Elizabeth received such nice things from Grandma and Papa: a Cinderella Dress with wand and crown, a My First Princess Cinderella doll, a Just Like Home Deli set to go with her new princess kitchen, a new Snap 'n Style doll with an extra Bedtime outfit, a couple of Melissa & Doug puzzles, Candy Land, Play-Doh Barnyard Pals set with an extra case of colors, plus two cotton dresses with leggings.

Elizabeth was so excited about the Uno Moo Preschool Game that she received from Uncle Bill. We cannot wait to invite Uncle Bill over for a game day!


Meme went overboard and gave Elizabeth a cute jumper dress, a fleece hoodie and pant set, a Barbie Glam Convertible, and a Cinderella dashboard driver doll. Elizabeth was most excited about the fleece hoodie and pant set. As soon as she got it out of the box, she tried it on. She then turned to all of us and told us we had to tell her she looked "gorgeous!".


Zachary was a little trooper. He did a great job of staying awake to open all of his gifts. He received so many toys and bunches of new clothes...although he chose to spend the day playing with wrapping paper, tissue paper, and empty boxes. We could have saved a lot of money and just got him garbage for Christmas!


Zachary loved all of his different sets of Stack 'n Surprise Blocks. Each time I would pop-up the block, it would reveal a painted-on smile face, and Zachary would smile back at it. The blocks are the perfect size for him to hold.


Everyone was so good to Zachary. He received so many toys! He has just started to grab things while sitting up, so he is at the perfect age for playing with all of the things he received. My parents gave Zachary a Poppity Pop Train, a Lil' Zoomers Rockin' Roll Truck, a Stack 'n Surprise Musical Croc Blocks Wagon (my favorite!), some Float & Squirt Sea Creatures for the bathtub, the most darling little Learning Workbench, a couple of Wheel Pals, a handheld rattle, two Carter's sweaters and two pair of corduroy pants.


Zachary also received a Delight Mini Train, a fleece sleeper, a Charlie Brown Dashboard Driver and a Carter's outfit from Meme. Uncle Bill gave Zachary a Laugh & Learn Cookie Shape Surprise set. I know that he will have so much fun playing with this darling little cookie shape sorter!

Matt was excited about many of the things he received. He has wanted Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for quite some time now and was very happy that my mom and dad were able t get it for him. They also gave him a 1TB Seagate Hard Drive, which he plans to use to back-up all of our thousands of family photographs. Uncle Bill gave Matt the Bluray of Star Wars The Clone Wars Season One. This is one of Matt's favorite shows. Now he can watch it whenever he wants! Matt got a really nice long-sleeve, ribbed shirt from Meme. It is perfect shirt to wear at work!


As usual, I was totally spoiled by my family. They are always so good to me! My grandma, Meme, gave me a Sherpa-lined hoodie in the most beautiful shade of teal, a pack of Cami Secret clip-on camis, and a purse organizer. I received The Office Season Six Bluray from my Uncle Bill. This show always makes me laugh. My parents gave me a bead watch with a watch face, a beautiful stone necklace with matching earrings, a set of pom pom makers, a knitting book called "50 Fabulous Knit Garter Stitches", a pair of boot slippers, and some of my favorite Biscoff cookies.


We were so excited for my mom, my dad, Meme, and Uncle Bill to open their gifts too! After all, Christmas is about giving...not just about receiving.

We were able to get Meme a box of assorted chocolates from Rocky Mountain Chocolates. This is her favorite chocolate. We hope that she enjoys this yummy treat!


Early in November, Matt and I got a preview of a new game called Scrabble Flash. As soon as we played it, we knew that we wanted to get it for Uncle Bill. He loves playing games...and this one was fun! We are excited for our next family get-together so we can play!


My dad has suffered with stiff and "jumpy" legs for quite a while. The only thing that seems to help is to put a heating pad on them...so we thought what would be better than having a heated blanket to wrap-up in. Hopefully, this blanket will keep him cozy warm...and pain-free!


We wanted to do something really special for my mom because she is an amazing lady. She does such a great job of taking care of all of us throughout the year. She is such a wonderful mom and grandma. You can tell that family is what is most important to her. Matt and I decided that we would splurge and get my mom a digital photo frame. Once we were done researching all of the different models, we purchased the frame, and Matt spent his time editing and loading over 350 family photos on it. We were so happy to see that my mom was excited about her gift. Hopefully seeing all our faces, while at work, will brighten her day!


Thanks mom, dad, Meme, and Uncle Bill for a wonderful evening. It was so good to spend time with each of you. We appreciate all that you do for us and we love all of our gifts!

Christmas with the Freebairn's

After our Christmas morning with the kids, our family was able to head over to Matt's parent's house for Christmas breakfast. This is a fun tradition each year. I always look forward to the time with family and to all of the yummy food (although, this year I was not able to eat any of it!). It was so nice to visit with everyone though...even Grandma Great, Grandpa Great and Aunt Betty were able to make it to the breakfast.

Elizabeth, Zachary and their cousins were so excited to open their presents. We started off with all of the kids presents first. They still opened one present at a time, but since none of the adults were opening...it was less time in between each of their turns. As usual, our children received lots of amazing gifts. We are truly blessed with family that spoil us!

Elizabeth received a Little People Dance 'n Twirl Palace, a Toys R Us exclusive set of Littlest Pet Shop animals, a Belle princess blanket with her name embroidered on it, a Disney princess Tag Junior book, a Rapunzel lip gloss and pillowcase, a set of monkey pjs, and a bunch of clothes from the Children's Place...just to name a few! Grandma and Grandpa sure went overboard this year!


Kena and Kate picked out the coolest stuff for Elizabeth. They got her a fun Barbie Surf's Up Cruiser and a set of High School Musical Barbies. Thanks Adam, Tifani, Kena, Kate, Jack, and Tyler!

Our little Zachary received some great things too. One of my favorites was a Stride-to-Ride Lion from Adam and Tifani's family. Zachary is going to have so much fun learning to walk...and then riding on this adorable little lion.


Grandma and Grandpa spoiled Zachary with a set of Lil' Zoomers Rescue Racers, a Laugh & Learn Camera, a Laugh & Learn Peek-a-Boo Cuckoo, a Stack 'n Surprise Count 'n Build Snail Pail (one of my other favorites!), a Lil' Zoomers Chase 'n Race Ramp, a darling Toy Story Blanket embroidered with his name on it, a Poppity Pop Train, a Go Baby Go Shake & Rattle Monkey Ball, and a bunch of clothes from Carter's, Osh Kosh, and Jumping Bean.


The kids weren't the only ones that were treated very well. Karla and Kelly gave me the some really nice things. I received a Bead Watch Band and Watch Face, the "Knitting 24/7" book, a darling fabric camera strap for my DSLR, a nursing cover, a handmade temple name card bracelet, a one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes Magazine, and some yummy Life Saver Gummies!

Adam and Tifani's family gave me a beautiful necklace with photographs of my little munchkins and all the different sizes of pom pom makers that I could ever need!


Matt made out like a bandit too! I think he now owns every game there is the the Nintendo DS! His parents added to his collection by giving him Zelda Spirit Tracks and Sonic Rush. They also gave him a "handsome" argyle sweater (I called it pretty and was immediately told that men don't wear "pretty sweaters") and a long-sleeve striped dress shirt. Two of Matt's favorites gifts were a book called "Guide to Posing" from his parents, and the Back to the Future Trilogy on Bluray from Adam and Tifani's family.


We did a little spoiling of our own too! This year, I handmade gifts for Karla, Tifani, Kena, and Kate. It was fun to create these knitted projects. I hope that everyone enjoys them!

Karla received this hand-knitted Diamond Lace Cowl. As soon as I saw the pattern, I thought of Karla...so I just had to make it for her!


Early in December, Tifani contacted me with a great idea for Karla's gift. Tifani suggested that we select two of our favorite photographs of our kids to have made into a photo necklace. I sent Tifani the photographs and she organized the creation of this beautiful piece of jewelry. It brought tears to Karla's eyes. I am so glad that she loved it!


I had an idea of what I wanted to create for Tifani but could not find a pattern that I loved...so I wrote my own. I hope this Cabled Pocket Scarf keeps Tifani nice and warm during these cold Winter days.


As soon as I found the pattern for these darling little Buddy Bags, I knew that I wanted to make them for Kena and Kate. Once the bags were made, Elizabeth picked out some fun things to put inside. Elizabeth thought they would like an animal Pop On Pals, some Silly Bandz bracelets, a Princess coloring pack, and a bead necklace kit.


Jack is such a little cutie and is totally in love with trains. While out shopping, we found this adorable little train set and knew that it would be perfect for him!


Elizabeth found an adorable little "Happy Lights Bear" for Tyler. It has a strap to attach it to the crib, it is snuggly, and it lights up and plays music...what could be better. Tyler has been such a fun addition to our extended family. He is a sweet little guy that loves to snuggle!


Kelly is a big Nintendo Wii fan and loves new games to play. He has been talking about Donkey Kong Country Returns for sometime now. We were so excited to be able to get it for him for Christmas. Hopefully he has many fun-filled hours playing this game!


Matt read about Scrabble Flash before it even was released..and knew that it would be perfect for Adam. On the day it was released, we headed to the store to make sure we got one for Adam. It will be fun to play together on our next Freebairn Family Game Night!


Thanks everyone for the amazing morning. We are truly blessed to call each and every one of you family. We are grateful for your love and support. We appreciate you celebrating Christmas with us! Each one of you made our day incredible.

Christmas Morning

I have been looking forward to Christmas morning for quite some time now. All of my planning and preparation have led up to this moment. I was so excited for Elizabeth to open all of her gifts and for Zachary to experience his first Christmas. It was so fun for Matt and me to set up all of the gifts and to get everything ready for the big day!

Elizabeth is not an early-riser, so Matt and I had to wake her up. We went into her room at 7:30am and she wanted nothing to do with us...until we mentioned presents. She hopped right out of bed and headed downstairs.


First, she discovered her stocking and wanted to see what was inside. Santa had left some fun things for her. She received a bunch of candy, some Santa socks, a Pop On Pals Dalmatian, an Ariel magnet princess, and some Silly Bandz bracelets. What a lucky girl!


Elizabeth was pretty excited when she saw all of the presents. She climbed right under the tree and tried to find the ones that were hers. She amazed me when she said, "mommy, this one is mine because it has my name on it!" She was able to recognize her name written on the tags. I guess preschool is paying off!


As usual, Elizabeth was spoiled rotten. Santa brought her a Snow White Barbie, a Cinderella Barbie, the Pop On Pals Amusement Park, and the Pop On Pals-Around the House Fun play set.


Matt and I did a little spoiling of our own and gave Elizabeth quite a few fun gifts. We gave her: a Leapfrog Scribble & Write, Littlest Pet Shop Tree House, Pictureka Flip game, the Monsters Inc. Bluray, a pink fairy dress, the Snap 'n Style Dinnertime for Dahlia set, the Pop On Pals Airways airplane, and a couple of Tag Junior books.


Elizabeth received a Disney Princess Jewelry Box from Zachary. She was so grateful and made sure to give Zachary a big hug and kiss.


Once Elizabeth had opened each of her presents, Matt and I went to get Zachary. Our kids are great sleepers so we end up having to wake them up...even on Christmas. As I brought Zachary downstairs, he stared at all of the lights on the tree and at all of the presents.


At first, he seemed a little confused but as soon as we handed him his stocking he had it all figured out. He peeked, reached inside the stocking, and started pulling out gifts. Zachary received some new binkies, a pair of Santa socks, a pair of slippers, and two handheld toys!


It was so fun to watch Zachary open his presents. At first, he was really timid and would rip off little tiny pieces of wrapping paper. He would hold the little pieces in his hand and stare at them for the longest time. By the end, he was ripping large sections of wrapping paper off...as long as I got it started for him first.


Zachary must have been a good little boy this year because Santa (and mommy and daddy) spoiled him silly. Santa brought him a Spin & Spill Cement Truck, a Lil' Zoomers Spinnin' Sounds Speedway, a Playskool Busy Ball Popper, a set of Fisher-Price Stacking Vehicles, and some Lil' Zoomers Rescue Racers.


Matt and I gave Zachary the cutest little Happy Dump Truck, a Little Tikes 2-in-1 Sort & Stack Farm, an activity ball set with two handheld teethers, a Blockity-Pop Dump Truck, a Blockity-Pop Caterpillar, a Blockity-Pop Whale stacker, and a Blockity-Pop Frog stacker, a Little Tractor Farm stacking set of blocks, and a Laugh & Learn Learning Camera (from daddy).


Elizabeth picked out a Fisher-Price Love to Play Puppy for Zachary. It was so cute to see her give it to him. She helped him unwrap it and then showed him how to push the buttons.


The look on Zachary's face in this photograph absolutely kills me. I love how he has his head tilted to the side, how he is intently staring at the present, and how he has a look of utter confusion on his face. I sure do love my little man...he always brings a smile to my face.


I got spoiled too! My stocking was filled with all kinds of fun things like: some new stitch markers, a travel wallet, a couple of pairs of new gloves, Twizzlers, and gummy candies!


I also received some really nice gifts. Matt, Elizabeth, and Zachary gave me a beautiful necklace, a Gary Fong Puffer attachment for my camera's flash, a knitting book called "Cowlgirls", a new pair of jeans and a nice sweater, the Despicable Me Bluray and a pen/pencil set.


Matt always looks forward to his stocking because it is always filled with his favorite candies. This year was no exception. Matt received Kit Kats, mint M&M's, peppermint bark, a Godiva Gingerbread Truffle Candy Bar, and Godiva Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Candy Bars. Needless to say...he is in Candy Heaven!


Matt was so excited about his Godiva Candy Bars that he couldn't wait long enough to take off the wrapper!


Matt also received some really nice gifts from Elizabeth, Zachary, and Me. We gave him Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for the XBox 360, a lens cleaning pen for his camera, an iTunes gift card (some of his favorite bands came out with new cds this year), chocolate-covered blueberries, an extension cord, socks, rechargeable batteries, and a gift card to go to the movies.


Once all of the gifts were open (or so we thought) and all of the wrapping paper was cleaned up, Matt asked Elizabeth, "Did you get everything that you ever wanted?" To which Elizabeth replied, "YES!". Matt then replied with, "Well, I guess we'll have to ask Santa to come back and pick up your last gift, since you don't need it." "What is it?, What is it?", Elizabeth squealed.

We had Elizabeth close her eyes and at the count of three, she opened her eyes and saw.......

A Princess Kitchen!

Elizabeth fell in love with this Princess Kitchen (or as she calls it "a Princhin Kitchen") a couple of months ago. She has been talking about it non-stop and was hoping that Santa would bring her one...and he did!


I am so grateful for this amazing morning. I am so glad that we were able to be together as a family. I am thankful for all of the many blessings that we, as a family, continually enjoy. We have a beautiful home which provides us with warmth and shelter, we have amazing extended family members who love us and support us, and most importantly we have each other. Of all of the gifts that Matt and I have received, we are most grateful for Elizabeth and Zachary.