Finals are over, thank goodness, and it’s our last looooooong Christmas break we’ll probably ever have. A 3+ week Christmas break is the best part of being a student, and we’ll be celebrating ours in Washington with my parents (we leave today). We’ve been spending time with friends before we leave, and Saturday was our most jam-packed day yet. I woke up, did Ripped in 30, showered, put my swimsuit on (and the baby’s too), we went down for family swim time, came up and made Mexican Wedding Cookies (a big hit) and we spent the rest of the day/evening at a Mexican fiesta hosted by our favorite friends. We really just ate Mexican food and our friend wore a sombrero, but it was the best kind of party to have with 4 kids under 5 present.

I haven’t been photographing much lately, and between this day and the pictures I took the next day of my pregnant friend, I’m feeling renewed. Something about photography, this craft I’m so passionate about, rejuvenates me and helps me feel excited about life. I hope my family is ready for me to have a camera pointed at them all the time over the holidays. :)


When we went downstairs for our family swim time, our favorite friends were there as well! T1 LOVES these two. The little girl, B, is like a big sister to him.





That Husband took this one of me, and I’m so proud of him. Look at this framing! Multiple action layers going on, great lighting. I have high hopes for our vacation photos in the future.





A few hours later, our fiesta began. Matt kicked it off, and told everyone present they had to dance if he was going to play. It was awesome.

While we finished preparing the food, the kids ran around being rather crazy.

After dinner we had hours of fascinating conversation topped off with some snuggling whenever the kids wandered near.

T1 has a new love. The flash on my camera (or my iPhone).
When the babies were tired and it was time to go home, we wound down with some Christmas carols sung by the light of the tree.

It was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. I’ll check back in as often as I can while I’m living with my parents for the next few weeks. I’m considering a Day in the Life over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Wouldn’t it be fun to see in detail how other people celebrate Christmas? Maybe we could turn it into a series, and have other people submit their Christmas experience as well! I’d love to feature posts like that.

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