03 January 2010

christmas vignettes: a photo journal

You and I all know very well that any tale of our Christmas-time would be incomplete without pictures. Here are a few snapshots of our first Christmas together, and those we spent it with.

Before we left for Bellingham, we received a special gift from a special friend. The lovely Christianne sent us this beautiful book with the words she penned just for our wedding day (incidentally, the only time I cried that day was when she was reading these words).

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We had some beautiful trees to look at during our stay.
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Kaari and I didn't really intend to go all matchy-matchy, I promise!!
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Mmm ... nothing like breakfast with the ones you love!!
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James and I attended Mass on Christmas morning.
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We put together a puzzle together later Christmas morning. Miss Lulu and the stuffed moose also got in on the action.
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We opened gifts.
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Some of us put bows on our heads. It's what we do.
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I was really excited for Kaari to open her gift, so she saved it for last.
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It was a book I made on Shutterfly with pictures I took fo our trip to Ireland!!

We drank coffee (mmm!!) and enjoyed our gifts some more.
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Scraping ice off the car was a daily routine. And taking pictures? Oh yeah. I was chomping at the bit to take some pictures.
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Speaking of which ... I've got a lot more to process!!
I'll see you soon!!

What are some of your favorite moments or
memories from Christmas 2009?

10 comments:

  1. Love your Christmas pics! I want to go to Ireland so, so much!!

    My favorite part about Christmas this year was staying home with my guys for the whole morning and doing our Christmas (morning) without having to rush anywhere. :)

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  2. This was a fun post! The Ireland photobook looks great, especially as it's full of pictures YOU took. We all know any pictures you take are amazing. :)

    My favorite part about Christmas this year was the way Kirk and I celebrated early: we went to an early Christmas Eve service together, went to a special place for dinner, and exchanged our gifts while snuggling on the bed. I liked the time we spent together, how Christmassy it all felt, and the excited feeling I had in my stomach while giving him each of his gifts.

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  3. This post was so full of the Christmas spirit & joy!!
    ..It kind of made me want to do Christmas all over again, I love it so much! LoL! :)

    Love your photos though! I cracked up over the one with the man's head wrapped up in a big white bow. So great!

    Looks like you had a great Christmas, lovely!
    Happy New Year
    & I pray our Saviour brings you blessings, growth & joy!

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  4. These are beautiful. Your family look like the ones to be spending the holidays with for sure.

    The bows add that special touch.

    Amy from She Wears Many Hats

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  5. Enjoyed this so much (and thank goodness for the moose!).

    My favorite part of Christmas this year . . . I think the Anglican midnight mass we attended. My heart is still so Anglican . . .

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  6. @Tea
    Your Christmas sounds positively wonderful!! I love the idea of staying inside together, all cozy-like. Thanks for sharing!!

    @Christianne
    I love the details you shared about your Christmas: snuggling up next to your hubby in bed as you open gifts, anticipating his reaction. I can picture it and feel it. Thank you for sharing those special moments.

    @Abigail Jasmine
    I'm so glad you came back for a visit!! I was desperately hunting for a link to your blog and was coming up short, so thanks again for leaving a comment.

    Yeah, the funny guy with the bow is my husband. So cute, and it cracks me up each time I see it. :o)

    @Amy
    Hi Amy!! My family is a lot of fun -- always a great way to spend the holidays. Thanks for stopping by. :o)

    @Sarah
    Oooh, that sounds wonderful. We tried to do midnight mass, but couldn't stay up that late. There seems to me to be something so holy and sacred and dark about it. What was it like? I imagine there are many similarities to what we experienced.

    Thanks for sharing, everyone!! I love hearing how you spent your holidays.

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  7. Midnight mass was wonderful. Definitely sacred, though my own tiredness got in the way of my appreciation. The best part for me was that it felt like coming home--we can't be at an Anglican church right now, but my heart remembers the words and the music and how it all works and I love that.

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  8. You captured the notion of those Christmas tidings of both comfort and joy. And big congrats on your photography in your "epic week"! I love how God really does answer us, and I am thrilled for you.

    PS: Love the new look of your blog! So fun! Did you create those "poloraid" looking shots on photoshop?

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  9. @Sarah
    I love hearing that Sarah -- that it felt sacred and familiar and like coming home. It makes me happy for you.

    @elly
    Thank you for coming by!! It was such a fun and joy-filled Christmas for all of us.

    I actually did the Polaroids using on online application called Picnik. I have it linked to my Flickr account, but you can also upload photos to Picnik.com to use the app. So easy and fun!!

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  10. kirsten... love your christmas photos.. and LOVE LOVE your new header!!

    :) kim

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