Our Lives: Maelynn's First Holiday Season!

It has been a while since I've updated the blog. We've been busy adjusting to life with a newborn. She is an ANGEL! We are so lucky, and I honestly can't remember life without her.
We survived the holiday season with a newborn (not without a few tears on her end and mine). Our first holiday came exactly one week after she was born. . . Thanksgiving! I was very overwhelmed with taking her out of the house so soon after being born, but I was too exciting to have a Thanksgiving with my parents. They had been gone on a mission for a year and a half, and the year before that we were with our in-laws for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have my mom's cooking! I almost forgot what a great cook she is!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sleepy 7 day old Maelynn on Thanksgiving at Grandma Kathy's house.

Christmas was a blast! Maelynn got all dressed up in her beautiful Christmas dress for the party at my parent's house on Christmas Eve. She looked beautiful!! In true baby style, she had a complete diaper blow-out on the way to my mom's house. It was sad, but at least her dress stayed clean, we just had to wash her stretch pants during dinner, and they were good to go in time to open presents.

Thanks Grandma Kathy for my beautiful Christmas dress.

Our families first Christmas!

We draw names for gifts in my family, and Maelynn got a darling toy from her cousin Addison. She picked out a cool shirt for her cousin Andrew. She has great taste. :)

Thanks Addison for the darling toy!

Andrew, Sarah, Maelynn and Mandy

My mom and dad bought Maelynn a shelf for her closet, and lots of fun toys! She even got a new pair of Christmas jammies (a tradition in my family). Even though she slept through most of the party (or was eating) it was so much fun to have a baby at our Christmas party. I can't wait for next year when she will be just over a year old and be able to enjoy all her crazy cousins and join right in the fun.

Some of Maelynn's new toys and outfits (she was under the blanket missing out on all the fun).

Matt and I were very lucky this year for Christmas! My parents gave me a Sony digital video recorder. It was the PERFECT gift for me this Christmas! Now I can capture all the 'firsts' with Mae. Matt got a BBQ grill from my parents, which was the PERFECT gift for him because now he can help me out with dinner (he already made a steak and grilled salmon that were FABULOUS!!).

Matt and his amazing new grill!

Mandy with her new video recorder.

Maelynn gave her mommy and daddy a great Christmas present that morning by sleeping 8 1/2 hours straight! Merry Christmas to us!

Daddy and his baby girl on Christmas morning.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. We kept with tradition in our family and had Matt's dad, grandpa, uncle Jack, mom, and stepdad Boyd over for breakfast. It is so nice to be able to have his family get together over the holidays, especially now that we have Maelynn. I'm very grateful that his parents are still such good friends. We opened gifts and ate a yummy breakfast of Christmas Strata, and Baked Frenchtoast.

Matt gave me a new coat, and a pair of Ugg boots (totally surprised me). I realized that I am very predictable and usually want a coat and boots - but hey, I try to make it easy on him. :)I gave Matt new clothes . . . kinda boring, but practical, and Maelynn got a new outfit and a toy from her mom and dad.

My new boots!! Thanks Mattie :)

Matt and his new clothes.

Later that day we went to Matt's mom's house for her Christmas party. It was so fun to be able to see a few of his aunts and uncles and cousins. It has been forever since we've seen anyone in his family, and it was great to be able to introduce Maelynn to them.