Christmas 2012

Christmas was pretty special this year. Mostly because we got to spend time with both families without driving all over the place. Tyson's parents just moved to Utah and we are so happy to have them here! This means that it's only about a 20 minute drive from our house to either set of Grandparents, which makes for great holidays!

We started the festivities off with Christmas Eve up at the Ellis household. Lots of the family was there! We ate delicious Italian food and visited as a family.

As the evening went on we really got into the Christmas spirit and talked about the true meaning of Christmas. We discussed things and watched a video. It was really nice to be gathered around as a family and talk about what the true meaning of the Holiday is.

Christmas morning we woke up early at our house. Not because the baby woke up, but because I WOKE UP! I was so excited to see Adam open his gifts and see his reaction to the stockings all full of goodies! He was so excited to see the stockings out and to know some of the candy would likely make it into his mouth!

He did a good job of helping us open our gifts.

We got some wonderful gifts from family members. We are so happy to have family that loves us!

After we ate breakfast we headed over to the Crown home for Christmas day. It is so fun to have Kyle home again. He was my favorite gift actually. I kinda missed my little brother while he was gone.

We opened gifts here too! So many fun things for little Adam to play with, he was so excited! He and Lucas were just having a grand ol' time looking at all the toys.

My parents fed us lunch because, as we all know, one of the best things about the Holiday Season is the food! We had such a good time visiting with family. 

After lunch and playing we headed back over to the Ellis home to have Christmas dinner with Tyson's family. When we got there Adam had a surprise from his Aunts and Uncles. He had a stocking full of goodies! Such a fun tradition to have started.

After dinner we were able to take a trip up to Temple Square in SLC. I am so glad we got to do this this year. Last year Adam was much too small to go and I didn't want to leave him. This year I was able to leave him with his Auntie Natalie while we went and saw one of my favorite places in the world. It was so beautiful!

We are so grateful to have our families around because a holiday just isn't the same when you don't get to see family.

Elder Crown is Kyle Again

For two years my little brother was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many people know us more commonly as, The Mormons. He dedicated his life to spreading the word and sharing his testimony with those he met.

These two years were long and hard for the family back home. Our lives went forward as it seemed his was paused. There were two babies born in the family and we were all growing up while he was out serving.

When you are a missionary for our church you are set apart and called to a specific area. Some learn a language, some travel far. Kyle went to Mexico City, Mexico. He learned Spanish here in the states, then went down to Mexico and re-learned the language from those who speak it all the time.

When serving a mission for our church you have a companion that you spend all your time with. You share a room, you study together, pray together, walk together, and teach together. Kyle went through his share of companions and became close with many of them.

I am so proud of my little brother for travelling and learning in this calling. I am proud of him for accepting the call to go on a mission and for dedicating his life for 2 years to helping the people of Mexico. 

We were able to write letters and emails to Kyle while he was serving. The thing about my relationship with Kyle is that we were always close. He and I talked about anything and everything before he left. He even called me the night he had his first kiss! So our letters and emails were no different. I told Kyle about what was going on in our lives here at home. He wrote me about what was going on there. There were often special emails he sent just for me. Expressing his love and care for me. I will always save those emails because I feel even closer to Kyle after having those. He is one of my very best friends. I would not have made it through the two years he spent away if I hadn't been able to write him and have him write me.

On December 15th Kyle returned to SLC. The family went to the airport to greet him as he came home. I cannot express how wonderful it was to see him walk up to us! When my older brother, Bryan, came home from his mission I didn't feel like our family changed as much as it did when Kyle returned. Bryan came home to see his siblings a little older. Kyle came home to an older nephew as well as a niece and a nephew he had never met!

Here are some pictures of the reunion.

Kyle can go by his first name once again. He is Kyle Crown rather than Elder Crown. I know he will continue to serve and be a missionary for the rest of his life!

Dinosaurs and Trampolines!

One of the nice things about December was that Tyson was working 4 ten hour shifts. This meant that he was able to have Fridays off as well as Saturdays and Sundays. It was really fun to have Tyson home with us and we were able to go on some fun adventures!

One lovely December Friday we were able to meet up with my good friend Danny and her two kiddos at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point! ABE loved it!

We were able to explore the whole place and there were hardly any other people there! It was a lot of fun.

We even took time to practice our ROARS!

ABE loved all the dinos!

That night was Tyson's work party at a local Trampoline place. Trampolines everywhere!

It was fun because ABE was able to crawl around and have fun without being trampled. It is nice when the company can rent out a venue and let the kids roam free.

Tyson doesn't have Fridays off anymore, but at least we made them count when we had them!

Adam Bradley Ellis is ONE!

I can't believe my baby is one already! He is such a big boy! We had a lot of fun planning his first birthday.

I wanted so badly to re-create a part of my first birthday. When I was growing up my mom always made the most amazing cakes! (One year I even had a Furby cake!) When I turned one she made a bear cake that was just my size and I wanted Adam to have the very same thing. So I borrowed my moms bear cake pans and got to work.

The big bear cake ended up being a pain. I had to bake 3 of them before I cried and cried saying I couldn't do it. I was about to go to the store and just buy a cake when Tyson came to save the day. Using his artistic skills he meshed the three disasters together to create a beautiful bear-like cake. He then helped me decorate and all was well!

We went full bear theme with the party. From the front door...

To the decorations inside...

Adam was happy to open all his gifts! He was so excited!

It was kind of hard to tell him to open the presents when we had been telling him "NO" to opening the gifts under the tree for Christmas! He was very confused. I guess that is my fault for having set up Christmas so early

Our families showed up and I feel like the party was a huge success!

We gave ABE his mini bear cake and he loved it!

At first we had to show him that it was for eating.

Then he really got excited.

So excited some frosting ended up in his eye!

But all in all I think he liked it.

The rest of us had some cake from the big bear that Tyson had helped me put together. 

All in all, I think my little man had a happy birthday!