Christmas Card

This is what our Christmas card looks like this year. 

"Is there something wrong with it? It looks totally blank" you say. No, there is nothing wrong with it, that is just as far as I got in making our Christmas card this year. Every year, at the very beginning of December, I think about how prepared I am for Christmas and how much I already have done. I think to myself, "I have lots of time to get Christmas cards done." Then one day I realize that it is December 24th and I haven't even started cards. Since I've done this the last three years, I thought I'd at least record what might have ended up in our card. 

This years card would have included one of these two family photos-depending on what cute Costco layout I decided on.  

I probably would have also included some of these following photos.

Finally, I would have put in a little insert that read something like this: 

Family Highlights from this year: 

1. Stephanie and the girls took a trip to Colorado with her sister and some cousins for her parents mission farewell in March. 

2. A trip to Bear Lake in June with cousins

3 A trip to St. George in July for the mission homecoming of Anders' brother

4 The Osbrone Family Reunion in July in Southern Utah

5 The Lyman Family Reunion in July in Southern Utah at the exact same location as the Osborne reunion

6. Stephanie and the girls took a trip with her sisters and Grandma to the family cabin in Southern Utah in August.

7. A trip to New York in October to see Stephanie's parents (and all the local sights) who are serving a mission for the LDS Church in Palmyra. 

Ellen (14 months) is our happy, noisy child. She screams when she is happy, sad, tired, hungry, angry, or anytime she wants something, so basically all the time. Her current hobbies include opening and closing doors, pulling things out of containers, giving kisses, and learning how to walk (it's only a matter of days). 

Summer (3 years) is our thoughtful, friendly, and energetic child who thinks she's in charge at home. She keeps busy by attending preschool once a week, attending a music class once a week, taking regular trips to the library, and frequenting the nearby children's museum. Her current hobbies include organizing her bajillion stuffed animals (they multiple at night), reading stories, helping her mom around the house, listening to music, and being a big sister. 

Anders spends most of his time working as a Computer Software Engineer for a small company called Cireson. Since he began working there in April of 2014, his commute has consisted of walking the few steps and down a flight of stairs from the kitchen to our home office. We all love that he works from home and he loves that he can stay in his sweats all day long. He is currently serving in his umpteenth year as the Ward Finance Clerk and also enjoys his calling as an Elders Quorum Instructor. In his spare time he likes experinmenting in the kitchen with new recipes and gadgets (sushi making is the most current food choice), tickling the girls, and building things requested by his wife. 

Stephanie's main activity is holding down the fort. She has finished up her 4th year as the ward choir pianist with what will probably be an entire lifetime of accompanying ahead of her and is also now serving as the secretary in Primary. Her current hobbies include photography (her children are her favorite, although very wiggly, models) and any craft project that piques her interest. She also celebrated her 30th birthday this year and is feeling like she's had a pretty good start to the next decade of her life. 

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family! As Elder Christofferson said, may we all  "take a peaceful moment to contemplate perhaps the most serene moment in the history of the world—when all of heaven rejoiced with the message “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

There, that would be our Christmas card this year. Although, now that I've written it all out, I would probably want to shorten it. Since it is one the blog and not heading to you in the mail, I'll leave it as it is. It's a blog, not a Christmas card, right?