B+C+B+C+B+C: Christmas morning

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas morning

The obligatory no-makeup comfy-jammie messy-hair shot

Meredith and Nonny had too much fun shopping at Gymboree for Brianna
After a couple hours of gift-opening, Brianna lost her patience for breakfast so we had to bring the highchair over to the party.
Dad opening the Smith 2008 family calendar. I made one for all my family members on Snapfish. Seriously, it took me like 12 hours. Uploading, importing, cropping, adding tones, borders, birthdays, anniversaries...but it was all worth it because everyone loved them. And no one has any excuse not to remember my birthday. Nonny and Papa: Santa's best elves
Brianna had a few gifts to upwrap from Nonny and Papa (none from us though - poor deprived Brianna... her callous parents don't believe in wasting money on frivilous superficiality... at least not until she's old enough to appreciate it :) Brianna received all her favorites on Christmas day: paper and boxes to destroy, two long naps, and near-constant adulation from all.

What could be more romantic than a gift of Costco TurkeyJerky...

Little Santa under the tree
"Dig in guys, there are SO many fun things to chew on over here!"

3 comments:

Mandy said...: YEAH CHRISTMAS!! (I LOVE CHRISTMAS!) I love Christmas morning pictures! Brianna looks like she had a great Christmas. Now that we are back in town, I hope to get my blog all updated soon. Geez, so much to do . . .; December 28, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Chelsea and Cody said...: I read it. Okay...so you get the point! Is that enough repenting, or should I continue? PS...I dropped my phone in the toilet and do not have your number...I want to a a complementary photo shoot with your beautiful daughter! I got a professional camera for chirsitmas and I am hoping to go PRO! Give me a call so we can set it up!; January 3, 2009 at 10:58 PM
chelsea mckell said...: chels - you're so funny - I seriously laughed out loud when I saw all of your "I read it" posts. You rock.
And you rock even more for offering a free photo shoot! I ACCEPT! This will be so fun! Any Saturday at any time would work. Or this week, we might also be in Provo on thursday/friday too. After january we possiblymaybemight be doing the Vernal-gig FULLtime (scary I know), so the sooner the better!
And if you want more subjects... I have a friend with ADORABLE twin 4yr old girls who would probably love to join your portfolio on your path to going PRO!
My phone is 801-358-1530
Call or text or email - name the time and place, and we'll be there! We'll bring several outfits (indoor and outdoor) so we can really have fun. Brianna usually naps 9:30-10:30 and 1-2pm... but that can change. So just pick a time and we'll make it work.; January 4, 2009 at 12:54 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas morning

3 comments:

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