Christmas Recap!

I have been away from the blogging world for far too long!
But I'm back! Lucky you!

Josh and I had the wonderful privilege of flying home to San Diego last week for Christmas!
Because this was our first married Christmas together...we chose to exchange gifts the night before we left. It was so wonderful! This season we were able to think of new Christmas traditions to continue with our family in years to come!
One tradition is to get matching Christmas pjs (This one was my idea)! I wanted to get us awesome pjs but didn't want to put the money towards them. So I thought, to myself, that we would just start this tradition  next year. Then when I got home from work that night and it was time to look in our stockings...I pulled a pair of Olaf pajama pants out of my stocking!! I held them up and turned to look at Josh and he was already holding a pair of his own that he hid behind the couch! He is seriously perfect for me!

We flew into San Diego early Wednesday morning and came home late Monday night. Making it a too-short trip of 5 days! Our trip was full of family time- both with Josh's family and with mine. We had delicious meals and wonderful shopping trips...lazy naps and crazy family parties. We had it all! 

Josh's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve with all of his extended family. We drove down to El Cajon to his uncles house where we had a delicious dinner and the annual white elephant gift exchange! We brought some salt and pepper shakers shaped like chickens and a marshmallow gun and we ended up with a Justin Bieber singing toothbrush and a giant mug with some dark hot chocolate mix!

I stole Cards Against Humanity from Josh's brother and was so excited about it! Until the same brother stole it back from me...I was so mad.

Something that I absolutely love about the Stephens family Christmas party is that the Christmas story is always read. Apparently they have been doing this for more than 50 years. Such an awesome tradition!

Christmas day gets a little crazy with us. A good kind of crazy, of course! We started the morning with breakfast at my mom's house, followed by visiting at my dad's house! From there we all went to my Oma and Opa's house!

This year for a gift exchange with Josh's family we figured we would all save some money and only buy 2 gifts and exchange them white elephant style! It was such a fun way to mix it up and save some money!

This Christmas season has been so wonderful. Josh and I spent last Christmas engaged, so we still spent Christmas with each other's family but this year was so much more special! 

I love my husband and I love that he was born Christmas Day so I can celebrate him during my favorite holiday season!

I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday!

Audrey Jo

Thanksgiving 2015 + Temple lights!

For almost as long as I can remember I spent Thanksgiving up in Utah with my mom's side of the family. And it is a biiig family. Which means a looot of fun!

I haven't been able to have Thanksgiving up here for the past few years just due to school or work. But now that we live up here there is nowhere else to go! 

This was Josh's first Turkey Day with the Cleggs. I was so worried he was going to be overwhelmed and that it would all scare him off. But let me tell ya...he did just fine!

Remember how I said it was a big family? Well there was 55 people there, plus children. And some of them weren't even able to make it! It gets pretty crazy. But the good kind of crazy, of course!!

My mom usually drives home the day after Thanksgiving. This year she decided to stay through the weekend! Which meant she would be here for the lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City! I haven't been to see the lights there since I was probably 5 years old. So I don't remember much!

So my mom, Josh and I drove up to SLC to check it out! And oh man...it was awesome. First of all...any Christmas lights make me freak out because I love them so much. Just imagine how I was feeling when nearly every tree around me was filled with lights!! It was beautiful!! This is definitely going to be a new tradition!

I am so excited for this Christmas season! I love celebrating Christ's birth. The whole season is filled with so much love! Josh and I get to start new traditions for our little family and Josh's birthday is Christmas day! It's so much happy all in one season!

I sure married the right guy. (Especially because he not only puts up with my Christmas music dance parties...but he gets up and dances with me!)

Audrey Jo

Is it Christmas yet?

So I love Christmas. But who doesn't, right?
Well now that I'm married I have to have my own Christmas decorations and why spend money on them when I could just make some?

So I made some Christmas lights! I think they are stinkin' adorable! I get so carried away when I made something that I like. I seriously have like 10 of these made in all different sizes. It's a problem!
But I mean come on, look at how cute they are...

I just love them. They will be all over my home for the next 2 months. 

And lucky for you...they are in my Etsy shop: AudreyCrochets!

So go check it out!

xoxo

Audrey Jo