Christmas...

Christmas was different this year! Even though I've spent all my Christmases with my family (except for last year when we were in England), I was surprised by how new it seemed to me after missing just one year. I normally like having routines and traditions when it comes to the holidays, but for some reason I really love being with both of my families who both love different things. I definitely loved being with my family of origin this year though...I've missed them all so much and it was a wonderful opportunity to spends hours on end with them right before Ogg and I headed out to Atlanta. I finally convinced my mom that it would be easier for us all to pick names and then there wouldn't be any pressure to buy gifts for everyone in my family (minus the kids) and also no one would be forgotten! So my Dad had me and I've been complaining for months about being out of shape, so he found this awesome new workout dvd set. It's called Zumba and it's amazing! Everyone should do it! It's this Columbian guy that is a dancer and realized that HEY! People like to dance! Working out is boring! I should combine the two! So it's all these latin dances that help you to work specific areas! It's awesome! I've been doing it this whole week everyday and I freakin love it! So if you're reading this, thanks Dad! I found out that I can train to become an instructor ... that's been on the back of my mind, but it's kinda expensive to train and you have to wait until someone comes to your area. Anyway, my brother in law Bret (one t) had Ogg and he got him another Xbox 360 controller, which he of course loved. Ogg got my brother Brett (two t's) an "in this century" shirt from J. Crew and a collection of Led Zepplin music. And I had my brother Mike and he's obsessed with USC, so I got him a "skin" to cover his phone with the SC symbol on it, and a frame from Pottery Barn that has "Remember this moment" engraved on it with a picture of me and him at my wedding. He cried. That means I won the gift giving! Just kidding. :) It was great to all be together and to watch the kids get so excited about their gifts and to watch them act out the Savior's birth. It was especially adorable when Finn (2 years old) didn't want to participate, but then he realized that the baby was Jesus and ran over into the middle of the "play" and wouldn't stop petting his head. Even after it was over, he carried around "Desus" and would tuck him into his manger and take care of him. It was so precious to realize that even a two year old can understand that Jesus was special and what He did for us is amazing. I hope that stays with us all as this year begins.