What Christmas was for us

*Sorry this is SOo late, but we spent the New Year in the hospital... but more to come on that later*

Christmas was crazy this year! Probably mostly due to the fact that we had so much more piled on our plates than usual. Number one being our house being for sale. We've had a whopping 3 calls since our house has been on the market ever since August. Of those 3 calls, about 1 1/2 have turned into showings. I'm not going to get into it, because I'm trying to keep a calm head today. But our house has been on the market that long, and the only action we get on it, is of course during the busiest/craziest time of the year! And the fact that our deadline is the 5th of January *blah*

But enough of that....

I also put together a little "sub for santa" deal for two little girls from my class and their families. We got a lot of help for this (for which I am SO grateful!), the most of which came from my assistant Kris, both she and my other assistant helped me deliver the items the evening before Christmas Eve. Let me tell you, this was very rewarding, but a horrible nightmare to put all together! But I'm still glad I did. It was all worth it for that rush of hiding in the car once we rang the door-bell and seeing their surprised looks as they searched around for the source that left it there :)

So, onto actual Christmas

The biggest thing that happened for us was being able to replace both our cameras (video and still). We would have just fixed our video camera, but when we got the estimate back and learned it was going to cost almost as much to just buy a brand new HD one. So that is what we did. And I have wanted an SLR camera for as long as I can remember, and I finally got one! Steve told me he got a very good deal on this, because I was worried! But I love it to pieces, and I'm pretty sure he does too!

(Steve took both of these, and yes he let me open it before Christmas, so that I could use it in time for Christmas!)

 Disregard the mess of wrapping presents! And yes, I have a hospital band because this was the day Em got her prosthesis taken out (22nd)

Love this one of our little Em on Christmas Eve, more importantly, her 3rd birthday!! (Birthday post to come, so stay tuned! :))

Some pictures I have taken, I'm still trying to remember all the things I learned in HS photo, but hoping to take a small course at the university if I can

 Trying to blur everything but the focal point in these two (that's a drawing that my teaching assistant Bekka had made for me for Christmas a couple years ago, one of the famous Rick Guidotti pics from SA Texas!)

My scruffy husband! This is how he usually looks around Christmas since he gets a week and a half off from work ;)

Christmas Eve (aka, Em's 3rd birthday) was spent as usual, going to Steve's work party in form of a movie, this year, it was Tron. Then onto the annual Wilde family (my family) Christmas Eve party.

But first, a quick stop-off at the grandparents Andrews to open presents since they were leaving on Christmas Day to California and didn't want to have to worry about opening presents then

 Em's cute dress!

Emarie with Grandpa Andrews in the background

Pictures from the "Wilde" party (haha, all my life!)

 Grandma Wilde and Emarie

Laughing at her cousins being silly

And then of course, we just have to open our Christmas PJ's and Christmas book on Christmas Eve

 Haha, great picture!

 And grandpa (my dad) spends the night with us Christmas Eve, at least he has ever since Em was born :) He's letting her open her birthday present here (and notice the cute Christmas PJ's!)

And reading the Christmas story we opened, this one is The Sneezy Snowman (I highly recommend!), but she also got The Gingerbread Baby

And Christmas Day

The Spread

 Discovery Marble Palace 

Puppets, ride on/push toy, plush Minnie, plush Kittie, Cabbage Patch Doll, Clothes and shoes (yes this was all from Santa, not all from us though, a lot was from PEIP) Yeah, Em was spoiled this year, making us think to do things a little different for her birthday (again, tune in later) 

Checking out her presents! Gotta love that crazy morning hair!

Just a few more because these pictures from the new camera take forever to upload!

Flying Monkey (that came in her stocking), Minnie and her Cabbage Patch Doll (I loved these when I was a kid!)

Love this picture that Steve took!

This one with us a little more in focus (please ignore mommy, who doesn't look her best at 6 am on Christmas morning!)

Checking out the shopping cart my dad got her... going to come in very handy for therapy!


Christmas at the Peters

Finally framed one of the family pictures for Steve's parents that we had taken about a year and a half ago! But, better late than never!

Gifts from Steve's mom, cute new apron and seasonal pillow. Gotta love the handmade gifts we get from her!

Christmas with the Wilde's

Dex in his new BYU shirt *silly dog!*

Haha, just realized Em is showing off her favorite present here! It's a singing microphone that Diane (who watches Em) and family got her! She loves it!!

The Wilde crew

And...

I know I'm going to get in trouble for this, but somehow we didn't get any pictures with the Andrews gang.. But then I realized it's because the above picture is the last picture we got before the camera died that day :(

So, next best thing (or maybe better...) VIDEOS!!

Here's a little compilation of the highlights of Christmas Day (mostly of our "star" of course!)