Joyeux Noël

For us, December has been the most bustling month of the whole year. We both finished up busy semesters. This was my last one at BYU! The day after finals ended, Russ and I moved into my Nana's basement. That was a hectic and exhausting experience. Russell did all the moving and I did all the cleaning.

This is the Allenbach Christmas party that was held in the basement three days after we moved in. Russ and I helped Nana put up Christmas decorations and set up tables and chairs. She says we are a blessing to her. I think she is a blessing to us. Living with her is so great. She's so easy to be around and kind and accommodating and Russ and I are happy and comfortable there.

Since school got out, we've both been working full-time. We're exhausted and don't sleep in very much, but we're grateful for the extra money.

We went sledding with my best friend Melissa and her family up at Tibble Fork. She has a really sweet niece and a hilarious nephew that were so fun to sled down the hill with.

Let's talk about the Navidad! We had a beautiful Christmas with the Lee family in Logan.

Brian and Mary-Jane came home from Texas and joined us for a formal dinner on Christmas Eve, complete with Christmas crackers and crowns and prizes and what-have-you.

Auntie Carol also came up and made us all chuckle with her crown-turned-Batman mask.

We braved the bleak Logan winter night and went out caroling. We delivered these adorable Santa Pants filled with peppermint popcorn.

We had a shepherds' meal late Christmas Eve. This is a Lee tradition that I was excited to be a part of this year. It was so fun! We dressed like shepherds and watched a Nativity movie while eating unleavened bread and drinking sparkling cider out of wooden flasks.

Diane made us all matching jammies to wear on the special night. She's awesome.

Christmas morning was so fun. Russ and I unknowingly bought each other the same jacket.

The day after Christmas, we drove down to see my family and their favorite Christmas gift...a puppy named Sammy.

He's the cutest thing I have ever seen. I am not a dog person in the slightest and yet I find myself baby-talking him and cooing when he hops around and pounces on stuffed animals. See how close I am holding him to my face? What am I doing? Who have I become? How can you resist a face like that? Do you think I can complete this paragraph in questions? Do you dispute that I have just accomplished that feat?

Everybody is obsessed with this dog. He even received a green and blue argyle sweater for Christmas. Can we say favorite child?

We had a wonderful Christmas and we're now enjoying the rest of our winter break before Russell goes back to school and I start molding 15-year-old skulls of mush into sculptures of the Eiffel Tower. Or die trying.