december recap

so, this is intended to be a record of my family. a diary of our significant and not so significant days. one day to be printed and bound and treasured. lately, i have struggled to keep up with my posting. i could make a list of my excuses, but that would leave me less time to catch up. so, without further ado, here is a look at our family's December:
we were in a perpetual state of excitement for Christmas to come.

we decked the halls and trimmed the tree, we made our home a winter wonderland.Avery learned some new tricks, like walking, (at 14 months, my slowest starter by a long shot. this deserves, and will get it's own post soon), hiding, and taking off clothes. when the big day finally came, we spent Christmas Eve with family and friends, and one very special visitor.Avery wasn't really into the big guy, so we didn't snap a pic of her on his lap, but here she is looking festive. Christmas day brought more family, friends, and gifts. everyone got everything that they wanted. and then some. and we took the time to recognized the greatest gift of all, one we can and do enjoy all year round. the gift of the Savior, Jesus Christ. we are so grateful for all the many blessings we enjoy as a family, and we recognize that each person, each day, our every happiness is due to the infinite atonement of Him. as we start a new year and dust off our resolutions (mine seem to be the same each year) we do so with and increase in our knowledge that He lives! i pray that we all stand a little taller with the desire to be more like Him.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

...and a happy new year!

amazing!

so, i am waiting very patiently for these to arrive in my mailbox. (okay, not that patiently, i'm checking like every minute) the amazingly talented Kara Elmore took our family photos this year, and i was blown over with the results.

walking.....finally!

on this day, the day she was exactly 14 months old, my baby decided to walk! we knew she could do it. she has spent the last 4-5 months pushing everything she could get her hands on. push toys out in the street, baby strollers, chairs, her sisters! but when coaxed to walk between parents, holding hands, cruising, like normal babies, she steadfastly refused. finally, today, i saw out of the corner of my eye, movement. slowly, slowly, i turned to see Avery following me, walking like a pro. as soon as she saw me watching - she sat down. laughing, we played this game quite a bit, until finally she was confident enough to share her new trick with all of us. how will this personality trait manifest itself in years to come i wonder?

photography lessons

it's been a fun couple of months since i started shooting subjects other than my children. i have learned a lot. lesson 1) all you need is love,

lesson 2) some people cannot take a bad picture,

lesson 3) i like to break that old rule, "never work with kids or animals,"

4) some kids are very smart, and very literal, take Conner for instance: at first his smile was a teeny bit "squinty:
then his parents said, "open your eyes!"

this is one of my all time favorite obedient child moments.

lesson 4) i love myself the silly

lesson 5) i tend to use "potty language" to get kids attention, this surprised me a little. but it was darn effective!

lesson 6) my brother requires a very specific regimen of editing to perfect his skin tone,

lesson 7) his wife does not, she is one of those people who taught me lesson 2.

i am looking forward to all the other fun lessons i get to learn as i move forward with my photography. i am officially "for hire", if you are interested, you can hop on over to http://www.britainearl.com/. i am especially excited about wedding photography and am booking up fast (2 this weekend!) so, for you brides out there, i'm available!

give water for Christmas...give LIFE for Christmas

i have always been astounded by the difference fresh water makes to a village in a 3rd world country. i have always vowed to help. now i am. please click here to learn how you can too! Project 320 is the wonderful brain-child of 6 beautiful Christian women who love the Lord, and their fellow men as themselves. for every $10 you donate to Project 320, you are entered into a fabulous raffle! icing on the sweet cake of charity! the raffle is December 14th, one week from today! i am excited for Project 320! you should be too!



"Today I...Took a shower.Brushed my teeth.Filled the coffee pot.Filled the Christmas tree stand.Ran the dishwasher.Ran the washing machine.Used the toilet.Washed my hands.Did some more dishes.And lots more laundry.Rinsed salad greens.Ran baths.Topped off my iron.Fed my kids glasses of fresh, clean water.Water, water, water...Is it fair that today I whine & worry over trees & toys,when today 4500 moms just like me are worrying whether their children will live or die?Over contaminated water?When I think about how healthy and safe my family is, I have no worries.I need nothing.I am so blessed.But those other moms need us.Together, we can relieve some worry."

-Project 320



i am donating a dress and a photo session to the project. plus, 40% of all ittyBritty sales between now and will be donated to Project 320. more to come...

thanksgiving

i have been overwhelmed with gratitude this season. i started Thanksgiving a week early with the Young Women. it was a crazy transformation that my evening had. last month, as i knew i was losing a counselor, and didn't know when i was getting another i saw this open spot on the calendar and thought to myself, "self, let's take it easy on this one. i see a quiet night of food and fun." of course that sounded great. but as the day drew closer, some other thoughts crept into my head, "let's focus on gratitude....don't forget the Savior....let's make this really special." so, we prepared a feast. we did our best to make our space beautiful. we set each place with a mason jar. and we made the evening special. after digging in to the Thanksgiving deliciousness, we took some time to focus of the value experience Faith 5. the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the first and foremost blessing in my life. and all our lives actually. focusing our gratitude on Him first really set the tone of recognizing all the many blessings we enjoy as Americans, as members of our family, as members of our Church, and as friends. while we enjoyed our pie, each woman (young and...er...old?, sorry leaders) took the time to write a note of gratitude to each other and place it each persons mason jar. i love my mason jar, and i hope each person who shared that night with us has similar feelings. i feel so grateful to have such a wonderful calling that offers me the opportunity to serve the Lord through His beautiful daughters. it makes me a better mother and a better person.

what a great start to a packed holiday. on Monday we hosted a neighborhood Family Home Evening feast. have i ever mentioned HOW MUCH I LOVE MY NEIGHBORS? seriously, we couldn't live in a better place at a better time. and what better way to share the love - with FOOD. my 3rd turkey of the season (there were 4 total) was accompanied by lovely pot luck goodies and great company.

then it was off to California! and turkey number four! (it really is the best turkey ever, so it's worth having multiple times a week.) we had an awesome time with family, feasting, photographing (more to come), and generally frolicking. now, i love my family. and i miss them everyday. i always look forward to the trips, hanging out, rock band, movies, general hilarity. but this weekend, after the turkey, Jason and i took off on a little getaway! it ... was... awesome. i didn't know how badly i needed a good night sleep and a couple days to myself! i am THANKFUL indeed!