Christmas!

I love Christmas. I love the smells, the food, the family, the tree, the lights. OK, so I don't love all the craziness of getting to Christmas and all the work to get the gifts done, but I love giving gifts to my family, especially my kids.

Favorite memories from this year:

1. Visiting my family in Vegas for a few days to exchange gifts. This year is a "Partridge year" for Christmas. We trade each year between my family and Chris' family so we can be even. I took the opportunity to travel with the kids for a couple of days to say Merry Christmas to my family before Christmas.

2. Enchilada Christmas Eve dinner. It's a tradition in Chris' family to eat them on Christmas Eve. Chris' grandma makes the best enchiladas ever!

3. Sibling and cousin gift exchange. Because there are so many people and ever increasing little people, it's so nice to draw a name and buy a gift for just that person. Plus I find that I think of that person a little more through the holiday season and enjoy doing something for them. This year all of Chris' family came in town. I love it when we are all together! I think most everyone is represented with these 2 pictures.

Sorry for the terrible red eye in this picture, my photo program wouldn't take them all out for some reason.

4. Spending time with my little family and see them get excited about Christmas. This year was the year of the pillow pet. Santa also brought a bike for Katelyn, a scooter for Megan, and a train set for Adam. I can't find those pictures! They must all be on the video camera.

5. Family picture time! Don't we all love our picture taken (insert sarcasm here)? Well, it was a necessity this year since all the Partridge's were together and there were 3 new little people not represented in a family picture. Also, all the other kiddos are getting so grown up! The experience might have felt like a mess. Well, at least for me. Adam was having a horrible day. But the pictures turned out great!

Here's the whole family!

Keeping the kids busy while waiting to get everything set up

Adam with his cousin Bradley. Bradley was the only one who could get Adam to be happy.

Beautiful Katelyn

I really don't like pictures of myself, but everyone else was represented...I was feeling left out. 

Chris and my climbing Megan.

Da Girls. This was the easiest picture to take! There are not very many little girls so there were less distractions.

6. Big Mahalo to Scott and Cheryl for bringing the most exciting gift of the year. Each family now has a super amazing camera! I still need to learn how to use it to its full potential, but even for me just "pointing and clicking" still makes an amazing picture. The picture of the whole family was taken by our photographer. The rest of the pictures above in the family set were taken by our amazing new cameras. Wow the difference when you have the best tools!