Holiday Season/ A Present to Remember

Well, Christmas has come and gone and I'm left sad:( I don't know where this season ran off to, but I swear it did a 100yard dash in 3.2 seconds. (random #, I just thought it seemed really fast).
It was filled with lots of family time and fun traditions.

This year for Christmas, Bryce and I started a new tradition with our stockings. Our new tradition was nothing special, just fun. We picked a couple of isles each, that we were to go down in a store not knowing what was down the isle before we got there. Once we got down the isles we were to find something for the other person. We got some pretty different gifts in our stockings this year, it definitely mixed things up.
Bryce got the stroller isle and at the end there were some baby blankets. He also scored with the movie isle, "Despicable Me".


I got the little kid toy isle, luckily at the end of the isle they had Apples to Apples and he also got himself a six pack of colored pens, awesome!

Christmas Eve was at my parents this year where we had fondue, I count the days down for this fondue because we only get it once a year. Can you tell I really like it? We ate and ate and then acted out the nativity scene, which I must say, really needs some work people!



Christmas morning was back to my parents for breakfast and presents, it was delicious as usual. The breakfast not the presents. The presents weren't too shabby either.

My parents do not have enough room in their freezer, so we bought them a freezer chest for Christmas. Us carrying the freezer through the front door.....

Mom figuring out what it is......

Opening the box.....

Me saying, "turn around so I can take your picture", and my dad saying,"let's kiss over the freezer honey". What a weirdo

Then off to grandparents and grandparents and then to the Stevenson's. We spent the rest of the night together as we always do, eating, playing games, spending time with one another and eating again. I really do love the holidays and am so thankful that we get to spend them with family.
Playing games at the Stevenson's....I think I took more pictures with Kaylee's new fancy camera than I did on my own. Send me some pictures Kaylee!!

I'm grateful for a Savior who was brought into this world many moons ago. I'm so thankful for him and for everything that he has done for me. I'm grateful for this time of year that we all get to reflect a little bit more on our Savior and really contemplate things. I love that I have family that keeps us grounded during the holiday season and to remember the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas.

I hope that you all had a fabulous Holiday season!

A PRESENT TO REMEMBER

This year on Christmas Eve, my sisters and I received a present from my parents. A journal from my grandmother and a few pieces of her china. I never had the opportunity to get to know her because she had passed away from breast cancer when I was only a few months old. My mom had gone through my grandmothers journal picking out key portions that she wanted to put into a book for us. It was fun to read little bits of her childhood, to scan through pictures of her, to read about all of her kids and their accomplishments, but the part that touched me the most was her testimony. I read the whole book to Bryce, and when I got to the part of her testimony and her final journal entry, I just cried. I loved reading her testimony of how strong of a women she was even when she knew her time was about done on this earth. She still had such a strong testimony of Christ in her last moments here. She mentioned that one of her most precious possessions was her testimony. It made me think, how many of us truly cherish our testimonies? Does it take something like death to make us hold them dear and remember the things that are truly important in this life. I know that I need to live my life more to the fullest and to be grateful for this simple possession that I hold so dear in my heart, that no one can ever take from me, my testimony. I'm so grateful for this gift that I received this year. I will forever cherish it and I love that it is something that can be passed down from generation to generation. I feel that I know my grandmother a little bit better than I did before this Holiday Season and I know that I will get the opportunity to meet her again someday to swap stories with her. This truly is a gift to remember and these are the kinds of gifts that matter most.
Till we meet again, sweet Grandma Afton Vaughn Bryson