The Long Christmas Post

We had a wonderful Christmas in Wyoming with Joseph's side of the family. Traditions started with opening our gifts from Mom on Christmas Eve, pajamas! This year we all got way comfy fleece bottoms and white long sleeve shirts! Next was the traditional pizza night at Grandma Shumway's on Christmas Eve with performances, including the Nativity by the kids and individuals singing or playing Christmas songs. This year we also did a fun white elephant gift exchange where everyone received some "fun" things from Grandma. We were really glad to get some toilet paper that we could add to our storage =). Surprisingly, nobody wanted to take it from us?! Thanks Grandma! We had such a great time and love you so much!

You gotta' love the expression on Fanny's face in this picture!

Fanny just loves her uncle Johnny.

Sarah just couldn't get enough of Fanny. She held her every opportunity she could. Good thing Fanny has gotten a whole lot better at letting others hold her. We were really glad when she didn't fuss as much this time while we were with the family.

Joseph's sisters! Some of their eyes look a little scary because the red eye removal wasn't working so good on this picture, but they all looked so cute sitting together with their pj's.

Christmas Morning!

Fanny was a little tired on Christmas morning and was thoroughly confused after being woken up from all the excitement when the kids were opening their gifts from Santa. We were so excited for her first Christmas, but as you can see from some of the pictures below, she was more excited to play with the wrapping paper!

These next pictures will show you Fanny with some of the things she got for Christmas.

She LOVES anything that makes noise, so this toy rattle was a big hit!

Of course, just like her mom and dad, Fanny loves books.

Sabba Rafe and Savta Carol got Fanny these adorable bunnies and this cute book. She just loves them!

Nana Nell and Papa Jody got Fanny this walker.

It won't be long until she will actually be able to touch the floor with her feet =). She loves it though, and for now, even though she can't walk in it yet, she really enjoys playing with the toys that are attached to it.

This outfit came from Santa. Doesn't she just look so cute in it?! Man, we have one adorable little baby girl!

Here is just a sample of how the Shumway home looks on Christmas day. A lot of presents, a lot of chaos, and whole lot of love!

Fanny's cousin Milly just loved this little ballerina outfit. She wanted it on as soon as she opened it. We just had to get this cute picture of her dancing in it. It will be so fun when Fanny is her age on Christmas!

We were very lucky to get home after the holiday and have Shara, Todd and their kids stay with us for a couple days. We wish we lived closer so that we could see them more often.

We really had such a great Christmas. We feel so grateful and blessed for the opportunity to be with family and for the abundance of gifts that we received. It was so nice to reflect on the Savior and his birth, which lead to the ultimate gift that he gave us, the atonement. We miss our other family members and friends so much and wish that we could have all been together. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that you have a great year!