Christmas in Richmond!

Every year for Christmas Eve, Cole's mother Maxine does a big fancy dinner and we have a party and open presents and do the nativity and stuff. Last year we weren't able to make it because it was Miles family ON year for Christmas Eve, so we were HAPPY to be up there with everyone this year! We were only missing Spencer who was apparently busy getting ENGAGED, but that is a whole other story! (Congrats Spenc and Laura!) We had a delicious ham and prime rib dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, and all sorts of other yummy things. Then of course we did the nativity and it was so great. I was able to narrate, and the girls love to just do everything themselves! So they get everyone dressed, tell them their parts, and the show is on the road! Payton was the baby Jesus this year, but he wasn't too tranquil! He was rolling around the whole time, and was even babbling a bit! Who knew that the baby Jesus did that! :) Anyways, then we opened presents and had a great time. I LOVE this party, and am sad that it is over every time that we have it. Thanks Maxine for such a wonderful memory every year. MORE PICTURES to enjoy!
Getting warm and toasty by the fire! Erica was SWEATING before too long!
In the middle of the Nativity presentation
GO AGGIES! (Little sweatsuits Maxine gave the boys...Go aggies!)
Getting ready to open his present.
The Nativity Group...we were just missing Carson who refused to join in this year. He was the donkey last year, and I think that did him in! :)
Payton and Grandpa

Other fun things we did up in Richmond while we were there for a few days was play in the snow that dumped and dumped and dumped while we were there! We went sledding down the driveway, made snow men (replicas of Grandma and Grandpa Smith:)) and of COURSE pushed the snow around a bit with the tractors.
Lincoln was always SO tuckered out at nights. This is what happened when Grandma was reading him books one night.
The infamous snowmen! Cleve-left- with his UDOT shirt and Hat, and of course eyebrows and mustache, and Maxine-right-with her cross country skis and scarf!
Close up of frosty Cleve
The worker-bees
Getting ready for Sledding
Seriously, Lincoln doesn't think there is anything better in life! Riding a tractor with his best pal!
Payton and Daddy trying to stay warm!
Pushin the snow...always a highlight!

ROllin the snow men
My two little abominable's
All ready mom!

Christmas in Bountiful

So here was our LAST and final Christmas this year. Santa really came to us this year. We drove down from Richmond on Christmas Eve night after the wonderful festivities were over to my parents house and stayed the night because we got the best Christmas present of all on Christmas morning at 7:00 a.m. when we were able to talk to Elder Bryson on his mission in Canada! he sounded so great, and the hour just flew by! It was so great to talk to him. He is such a hard worker, and is totally focused on the Lord. It was fun to have the entire family there in my dads office talking to Bry on the speaker phone.
After our conversation with Bry, we all ran into the family room and had a wonderful Christmas morning. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families to be a part of, and we thank the Lord every day for those such blessings. Thanks Mom and Dad for such a wonderful Christmas. It is truly one that we will never forget. Here's some pictures with my NEW CAMERA for you all to enjoy!

P.S. Sad news, Maxine got SNOWED IN on Christmas Day! The storm came in right after we left, and the wind blew the drifts so high on their road that she wasn't able to leave here house for 2 full days! So poor Maxine was up at her house by herself on Christmas. She said that she could think of worse things though, so that was alright.
More new Christmas Jammies from Grandpa Dick and Grandma B. They love them, and here is one of the best shots that we got from the photo shoot. I couldn't figure out the settings on my camera, and that wasn't the most ideal time to be fiddling, so this is the best I got!
Payton and Grandma B
This ones a little better. What happy children I have!
Payton and Grandpa Dick

Christmas in Denver

Santa came TWICE to us this year! Before we left for Utah, we were able to open up all of our presents from each other because we have a peanut car and can't fit ANYTHING in it let alone bring all of our Christmas home! So we had it here and had a great time! Here's a pictures recap of the morning!
Lincoln woke up bright and early, but actually just came up to our bedroom then cruised back downstairs to wake his brother up! This is what we came into Paytons bedroom to a few minutes later! SO CUTE! Here they are in their Christmas Jammies that they were able to open up on Christmas eve.

Sweet little angel face!
Checkin out the LOOT!
Lincoln was SO much fun for Christmas this year. He LOVES to open presents, and kept on asking for more and more! Well, that is after we forced him to look away from his coveted James train for just a few seconds. Here he is LOVIN his dinosaurs. ROAR!!!
Payton got a cool tube to crawl through, and he has pretty much LIVED inside it since we got it!


Christmas Toothbrushes. Payton's is an Elmo toothbrush. He pretty much loves it....Side note for all you all. Cole ALWAYS shows me up in the toothbrush department! No matter how cool of a toothbrush or nice of a toothbrush I get him, he always shows me up! I truly think about this when I shop for his stocking toothbrush. This year did not fail my theory. I got him a great toothhbrush. an expensive one at that, and he up and bought me an electric one! What a showoff!Lincoln of COURSE got a Thomas the Train toothbrush that plays music for 2 minutes while he brushes his teeth. He carries it around the house with him and "brushes his teeth" if you will. He sure does love that song. He now claims it is his favorite one next to the "CARS" song- Life is a Highway-he knows every word!
What a nice brother to hold the door open for his bro!


Thanks for humoring me Cole! He is so cute. What a trooper to put up with everything that I love to do on Christmas! What would Christmas be without tradition right?

Assuming the position that he would be in for the REST of the day! Payton was nice enough to "share" his trains with Lincoln. He didn't really have a choice, but whatever!

~Merry Christmas Smiths!~

Happy New Year!

Well we were the partiers of the century, and actually stayed UP until midnight! Way to go us! We had a sweet dancing/singing/running around screaming/knocking each other over fest at around 8:30, then the kiddies were all shuffled off to bed while us grownups played some SWEET games, did the cutest puzzle 2008/2009, and ate some yummy food! New Years is not my favorite holiday-but I do love to drink sparkling cider and kiss my hubby-so all in all it was a successful night. The Ringwoods were even able to come up to the house and play a little Apples to Apples to bring in the new year!
Payton was a bit sick and just wanted to be held. Poor little dude!
With the party favors Grandma B supplied us with...SO FUN!
The three little toots
The BEST family photo we pulled off!

Sledding bliss

So, we had quite the snowy break! Lincoln LOVES to play in the snow, so Cole graciously took him sledding a few times! He had SO much fun sledding with his cousins and grandpa. They had a blast going up and down the hill. They even forgoed (is that even a word?) the sled a time or two and took a ride on their bellies or bums! How fun did Lincoln have with his cousins you say? SO MUCH FUN! We are still hearing about it! :) We also snowed a few times up in Richmond at Cole's parents house, which is SO AMAZINGLY FUN! But of course, do you think I took pictures of that? NO WAY! That would be too easy right? Plus we were sledding at night, so no pictures were probable:)
COWABUNGA!!!!

Post sledding face...all tuckered out!
Lincoln and Grandpa Dick-Photographer extrordonaire
Gonna Make it...Gonna Make it!!

What? My LITTLE brother's MARRIED!!!

Tyler made the big leap! He was married to Mallory Roberts on Friday January 2nd and it was SUCH a wonderful day! Tyler looked very handsome, and Mal looked GORGEOUS! Mylie Jane, my niece, just stood by here during the reception for like 30 minutes and didn't move. Just kept on looking up at her and smiling, and caressing Mal's dress and stuff....it was SO cute! Anyways, it was wonderful. The temple ceremony was at 9:40 in the morning and my Grandfather performed the ceremony and it was beautiful. That is seriously always the neatest thing to see a couple so in love go into the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. SO NEAT! Then they had a wonderful luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was so fun. We had yummy chicken to eat, but the highlight of the lunch was that all the kids got NUGGETS! Yeah, they were pretty stoked. Payton and Lincoln of course scarfed everything on their plates, and Drew was doing Dinosaur noises the whole time because they were dino shaped nuggets. SO funny! We were getting quite the collection of looks towards our table.:) Then that evening was the reception that was also held at the JSMB. IT was SO beautiful! The Roberts and Miles did quite the job at planning all of this, and it was so worth it. They had a hot chocolate bar, mashed potato bar, desert bar, salad bar, and every other kind of bar that you can think of! They even had some of the SAME band members that played at both Courtney and I's weddings! How bout them apples! Still alive is what is the crazy thing! The Utah game was going on, which was amazing by the way. The snow was falling outside and it was all in all a wonderful night. Payton was REALLY sick during the whole day, so he smiled a total of 3 times during the whole day! Not the best for pictures, but what can you do!
But I can't believe that my little bro is all up and married and on his HONEYMOON right now! How fun is that. Anyways, we are SO excited to welcome Mallory into our family. She fits perfectly and we are so happy that her and Ty found each other! HAPPY WEDDING!
(Note I do NOT have a picture of the happy couple...they are all on my mom's camera. I will get one on here when I can!)
1st of 3 smiles
My little family! How cute.
Running around waiting for the happy couple to come out!
What we had to deal with most of the evening the boys were there! WRESTLING on the stage where the band was playing! Hey, no one was paying attention to the band because the game was on, so the band really appreciated that they were listening!
Payton admiring Ms. Beverly

More bombarding of the stage.
How cute are my boys! This is the TJ (tear jerker) for sure!
One of the 3 smiles...Oh man how cute is he in his little groomsman outfit!
The normal face throughout the night.
3rd of three smiles
Dapper Dan