12 days till Christmas!

So I was sitting down paying some bills the other day, and I realized that it was December 10, 2010. That means that it has been 5 whole years since I graduated from college. It was such a great day, it didn't feel real, school had been such a huge part of my life up until that point and I can't believe it has been so long since I was in school. This is a picture of Peter and I after the ceremony, we had been married for almost 4 months.

Here is me right after I graduated. I didn't know then that I would be using my college degree to run a household and raise two beautiful girls. I think the most important thing I learned while in school was how to learn. I learned how to research topics and take that research and form an opinion. I have used this skill to learn how to do a broad range of things such as how to bake a potato (I'm not joking I didn't know how), how to find a job in a tiny town called Rexburg and how to take care of my kids ( It is in this field that a bulk of my research and study has been ....I'm still working on it). Learning really is a never ending process and just because the subject matter has changed greatly (although I have used my anthropology experience to conduct fascinating observations on the life of a toddler) I am amazed at how much there is to learn everyday. So...It's been 5 years since I left Western but I really consider my education there as just the tip of the iceberg.

In other news we have been having lots of fun this month and we are ready to start celebrating Christmas. First we went to Grandpa Hatch's birthday party. He says 79 is his preferred driving speed not his age. Here he is carrying Claire around singing his song that he sings to all the babies "the streets of loredo".

Here is Claire at our after-Thanksgiving party eating some pumpkin pie.

Here is me and Peter in front of the start of the Christmas tree forest at my parents house...I will have more pictures of this soon. Diana tells me that tree number 8 is up and ready to decorate...it is so pretty.

This is after Thanksgiving dinner. Claire with a holly mustache.

Violet and Grandpa putting together a little foam gingerbread house together. Violet loved it and kept playing with the little gingerbread man.

Violet tried on some of Grandma's Jewelry and was playing in the mirror. Violet loves dress up.

Claire fell asleep all bundled up in the car on the way to Grandma's house.

This is Claire pulling a key out of the wall (not pictured me pulling my hair out!!!). I let the girls leave it in so I could record it, mostly because I knew that no one would believe me if I told them and that someday they will complain about something their kids did and I am going to send them this picture and say it is proof of karma....oh my what must I have been like as a child? Better yet....what was my Mom like as a child? maybe it comes from Dad?

Anyways just the beginning of the holiday season has been so much fun so far and we are really looking forward to the rest of the month. Katie, Darin and Kya are coming to town on Friday and we are so excited to see them.

Have fun getting ready for Christmas! I hope no one else gets a key shoved into their wall!