Glory

This Christmas Dustin and I got lucky and were able to have plenty of time for celebrating in Utah as well as Arizona. Best of both worlds.

Here in Utah:

We got the chance to see my good friend Caitlin's BFA show, she is incredibly talented.


I took a few solo trips to Midway before Julie moved to Silverthorne, Colorado for a few weeks where her and the kids helped build Ice Castles. While in Midway I got to see Caroline's first dance recital, visit a gingerbread competition, and decorate gingerbread men with Annie.







Dustin and I celebrated our two year engagement anniversary by re-living that night at the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake. That Christmas performance is phenom, and the cathedral is breathtaking.



After the cathedral we walked around temple square and enjoyed the Christmas lights.





Dustin also surprised me with second row tickets to the nutcracker on another night. My favorite.



After Utah celebrations we drove to Arizona, where Dustin had his first zonie Christmas. Trust me, nothing is better than 70 degrees on Christmas day.

Dustin went to his first Allen family Christmas party where my uncle Brian gave him (and the other newbies to the family) a proper hazing. We also got to take male and female group pictures and enjoy Caroline starring as the virgin Mary in the nativity reenactment. We also got to spend some time with some of our collegiate star athlete cousins ;)








(the athletes and us + Caroline)

Christmas morning was glorious and beautiful as always. Though I must admit I did wake up first, before the kids, and had to wait it out until they woke up and came downstairs. Dustin impressed everyone with his perfectionist wrapping jobs.





Brinley got new rollerblades, and lost a tooth. Though oddly the two were unrelated.






Caroline asked to sit on my lap quite often (my all time favorite request), and Dustin donned a Santa hat on Christmas morning.





We visited the Langs, the Langs visited us, we all celebrated my birthday, and spent some time in the great outdoors. We also took a self timed Patterson family picture. Quality.












Brinley showed us all up (besides John, her dad, who can do the splits) with her natural flexibility.



Dustin was the best husband on my birthday. We both got sick the night before my bday, so the day of, he hung in there, bought me flowers (and DayQuil), and doted on the birthday girl while sick himself. What a guy!