ain't that top picture the truth...

seriously...how exhaustingly awesome, freaking magical, spiritually empowering, endlessly delicious, over the top fantastic was this holiday season...and now, like the picture above, we are busted!

we were suppose to chill here in denver for the christmas holiday, which has been the norm the past 3 christmas's wherever we have been, because cam usually has to work. but cam ened up getting off early on christmas eve and didn't have to work until sunday so completely last minute, he concocted a plan to drive to utah to surprise my fam! we pretty much threw everything into the car, the girls put on their christmas jammies from nanny & a key on the door for santa in case he needed to leave any big gifts at our house, and we rolled out! we watched christmas movies all the way to utah...ate sugar cookies...sang Christmas songs & could hardly contain ourselves...we wrapped jillian in a basket and then doorbell ditched my house...it was perfect timing because our big family party was just starting...my mom answered the door and was confused...and then started screaming & everyone came running to the door! it was so fun! it was great to be "home" for the holidays even if it seems like a blur now...like savannah said numerous times this month, "i wish everyday was christmas!" im sure like many of you, i could post a million pics but here are some of my favorite highlights...

leaving the key for santa...

he did drop of a new kitchen for lucy & desk for vanny!

getting ready to pull off our doorbell ditch, look at jill cheesing!

surprise, yes this picture is dramatic & over the top! LOL

twas the night before christmas story by poppy freeze...

we sleeped over at em's with chris & lindsey...mom & dad came over early in the morning...although it was a bit crazy it was so fun to see the cousins get excited for each other, celebrating, kissing & hugging, and playing with their loot!

seeing the look on the girls faces when they opened up gifts they asked for from santa...like, "wow, he really did bring it!" so priceless. vanny's barbie computer.

lucy kept telling everyone all she wanted was a "snowglobe"...she was in awe. she has been carrying it around ever since and even sleeping with it.

christmas lunch with the entire freeze fam at the marriott in provo...yes! no cooking or cleaning up for the women, it was delicious!

an awesome ski day at brighton with everyone!

jillian luved getting all the extra attention, snuggle time, kisses, hugs, and laughing & smiling to please everyone. ..i luv this little girl...she is growing too fast...

*if you have a few extra minutes, you should read this great article...i read it a few days ago and it really hit home to me.

here's to 2010 everyone!!!
After we put Christmas away…by Dean Hughes
January is such a great month. It feels downright stimulating to lay off the rich foods, clear the sugar from our veins, work up a sweat on the old stationary bicycle – and feel so righteous about it. January is also that wonderful time when I’ve worn out my desire to go to the mall ever again. Every day that I don’t charge a penny on my credit card, I feel like I’m bringing a healthy balance back to my life & checkbook. (SO much joy for doing so little!). It’s that dark, cold time of the year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), when we may feel some cabin fever, but sleep comes so naturally. It’s great to go to bed a littler earlier, turn on the electric blanket, and curl up like a big old bear (we’ve even stored up the extra fat to sustain us through the hibernation). I just hope, as we throw out the dried-up Christmas tree and store away all our decorations, that we don’t put away Christmas entirely—that is the best part of Christmas. We seem to care more for others during the holidays and make special effort to express those feelings with out cards, our greetings, our donations to those who are not as blessed as we are. And then, for some reason, we act almost as though those expressions were part of our over-indulgence, and we seem to withdraw to a spirit that isn’t nearly as generous. It almost seems as though we’re a little embarrassed now, in the cold of winter, for all that warmth we shared. Do we think it got a little too cheesy, a little too over the top? What is we took a treat – a healthy one – to all our neighbors now or in April or September? Would people think we had gotten all weird on them or something? How did we get started with the idea that we should be what we really ought to be in December and then pull back and wait again for eleven months? I remember a United Way director who said that Americans love to buy turkey for a single mom with kids at Thanksgiving or Christmas, even though she would be helped much more by a case of peanut butter in August – and that’s when no one thinks about her. Interesting. “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent…” It sounded good, didn’t it? When I was a bishop, I once had our chorister do all Christmas songs during a sacrament meeting in July. I told our members that we always say that we want to keep the spirit of Christmas with us all year, but we won’t work very hard to do it. The songs were just a little reminder. Maybe we should sing them all year. To celebrate Christ’s birthday, we eat too much and spend too much, and we feel guilty about it. It feels good to return to some austerity. We vow not to get so carried away next year. Suppose we actually did that? Suppose we cut back on some of the eating & spending next year but began right now to spread out the spiritual side of Christmas to every month of our year? It may sound a little too idealistic, but don’t we actually know people who do just that? The fact is, there are those around us who need us every month of the year, and we need them. We also need Christ – his Spirit – with us, always. I think this should be the year we make some changes. Let’s do this year right, and then make next Christmas the fitting conclusion to a year full of kindness & generosity. I’m serious. We can do it.