So This is Christmas

Thank goodness Christmas wasn't late! I know I was a total Grinch before... but guess what, my evil spell has been broken. Thanks to my Mom and sister, Brittany, I am a jolly holly christmas lady!! Trust me I was kicking and screaming the whole way... but once the fuzzy warm feeling defrosted my heart, it was easy to get into the holiday spirit.

Here is a list of things we did this holiday:

*Learned to knit

*Snowmobiled

*Built a snowman

*Decorated the tree and house with festive lights and colors

*Learned to make beautiful bows

*Baked lots and lots of goodies

*Made a gingerbread house

*Christmas movies and songs

*Saw the Nutcracker Ballet

*Saw Santa

*Went to Temple Square

*Went to a Christmas Party

*Wrapped lots of gifts

*Went sledding

*Got snowed in {Technically doesn't really count}

*Went bowling

*Snowball fights

*Drove around town to admire people's Christmas lights

*Christmas Eve program

*All the Grandkids were in matching PJ's and hats

See with all of this going on, I was only bound to get into the spirit of the holidays. How couldn't you really?

Not only was it amazing with all the fun and wonderful things, but we had two awesome programs that reflected the reason of the season... our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that we have a time of the year where we can reflect on Christ and the importance of his birth, life and atoning sacrifice. This time of year reminds me of the love I have for Christ and how strong my testimony is, that He lives, and that He died for all mankind. It truly is a beautiful time of year.

I must say this has probably been the best Christmas of my whole life. Maybe if I keep being Scrooge, Christmas will always be this fun! Ahhaha just kidding! I don't know why, but I felt like there was this amazing amount of love and happiness. Everyone was just having a great time and really making each other laugh. It was a real vacation from the rough year of 2010.

Ohhh by the way I have to show you what we made. My dad doesn't like gifts {weird I know... but I'm not kidding, you give him anything and he is seriously offended} so in the past we have either made him things from hand or have done gifts like sending a care package to the troops, or making hygiene kits for infants, or playing secret Santa to a family in need. This year we couldn't think of anything new, so Brittany came up with the idea of making him a shirt. Guess what he freaking loved it!!! He loved it so much that he put it on seconds after opening it. This is a very rare thing... and I don't know how we will ever be able to out do ourselves again. Here is how the shirt turned out.

Here is a close up of what is on the back of the shirt

Here are some pictures that we captured of our awesome holiday! Merry Merry Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. I hope that you were able to enjoy this time with the ones you love dearly. These are in no order whatsoever.... actually they are all out of order. Don't mind me, I was uber lazy! And a special thanks to Brittany for letting me steal 90% of all these pictures from her blog. I have officially failed at being a photographer. I have learned my lesson and will be at least 3x better by next year!

Xmas Eve

Temple Square with cute Ella

My little caterpillar!

Koko with her grandkids and Santa

My cousin Jared Ollerton and his wife Melinda

Every year it is a tradition to open these poppers. They pop... hence the name and there is a crown with a not so hilarious joke and prize inside them. We have done this every Christmas Eve dinner for the last ummmmm 20 so years.

I love my parents to pieces!!

Lauren, Jared and Melinda's beautiful daughter

Ella and Spencer (he too is Jared and Melinda's son)

Me and Mike on the quad

Hunter loves to do every thing his dad does

Jared getting ready to toss a snowball with the best launcher ever!!

I love my snowman!

Ella and her dad on the snowmobile

Lauren and Spencer (can you see their little sister Leah in the background?)

Leah getting pulled by the snowmobile

Check out this beaut! My dad found this for a steal and got it for us to ride on Christmas day.

Hunter and his dad Mike. Don't you love Hunty's awesome hat?

Ella... just love her!

6am on Christmas day!

Hunter and Ella's gifts from Santa

Getting ready to watch our traditional Christmas movie, Love Actually. PS Brittany made this popcorn it was phenomenal!! Ohh do you notice the scarf I am knitting... are you impressed? Well you should be!!!

Don't you wish your cookies were great like ours? hahahahhaha me too, wish we could take credit for that one. (They are store bought.... SSSHHHHHH!)

Brittany and Mike's cute kiddos in their matching PJ's

My dad and Spence

Lauren played the piano for the talent show

Hunter did a wonderful dance

I video taped and held Ekemona... such a talent!

Lauren playing the violin

Ella did a fan dance from the Nutcracker

Ekemona matching his cousins with his PJ's

Don't you just love them

The Nutcracker. How funny is it to see Ella in the background? She looks like a 20yr old all sophisticated.

Hunter making cookies with Koko

Our amazing gingerbread house. My mom made the snowman. hahahhaha his scarf is blowing in the wind ahhahahaha

Please admire my laborous windows. I made them out of Jolly Ranchers. Aren't they just spectacular? Thank you.... they took forever!!! I am just really proud of this house. Brittany, Ella, my mom, and I all had a blast putting this together!

Before we started our house of food!

New Born Photos

In case you want to see pictures taken of Eke, here he is at only 5 days old.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I know that I have been some what of a grinch this season. But if it is not too much to ask, I have one very important thing to ask for on my Christmas list. It may seem like too much since I have been so grumpy, but if you could do just this ooooooooooooooooone pretty little thing, I think the world would be a better place. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKK here it is... Please, PLEASE, PUH-LEEEEASE let Gian do well on the LSATs, like possible 100%. If you were to allow this to happen, I truly feel that every person in the whole wide world would benefit. Ahhahahahahah OK maybe I am over exaggerating, but for reals Santnizzel I know it would make one little boy awfully happy. So do your holiday magic and give us a Christmas Miracle.

Ohh and maybe a trip to Disneyland?!?! Just saying... it has been a long time, and I am really missing it, and I have never gone with Gian. Also Ekemona needs it more than me!

Love you forever and ever times a bigillion,

McKinley M.

Call Me Scrooge

I have zero desire to:

*Decorate anything Christmas*

*Create anything Christmas*

*Talk about anything Christmas*

*Smell anything Christmas*

*Bake anything Christmas*

*Post anything about Christmas*

*or Feel anything Christmas {I don't even know what that means}*

I blame it all on:

*Lack of organization*

*Back pain*

*Exhaustion*

*and Feeling overwhelmed*

Call me scrooge... I am not in the spirit and nor will I get into the spirit. AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!! May I mention this is not me, this is one of my most favoritist holidays EVER. I think darkness has come over me. My heart is 3x too small this seasonal season. If you don't believe me then click here {and scroll down a bit} to see how wonderful last year's holidays were. Sorry Gian and Eke... I am Mr. Grinch!!! I am robbing you of cherished memories and ambiance.

OK here is my solution for this terrible predicament. I will just welcome myself over to those who have set the holiday scene. Maybe force you to make me some holiday foods. I then will take pictures and maybe blog about it (if I feel inspired to do so) and it will lift my spirits because I can still enjoy it with out doing all the work this year. Don't call me lazy!!!

I am so glad that you are ok with this plan of mine. If you find me at your door step, don't say I didn't warn you!!!! It's called service for a reason... you're not supposed to love it, you're supposed to feel good because IIIII love it!!! DUHHH!

Merry Christmas and a Baaaaaaaaah Humbug to you!!

The Winner and the Story

I would like to thank everyone who joined our game of when our baby would be born. It was really fun to see everyone's guess, which by they way, I am so thankful I am no longer pregnant {for those who guessed passed my due date}. The winner of the contest is Brittany. Good job Britt! Way to be the baby whisperer. You have won a gift certificate to the delicious Great Harvest!

The birth story really isn't anything phenomenal. I got my hair did that day, so my wildest dream of having good looking hair during labor came true. That is probably the highlight of this whole story.

I will sum it up for you, since again, there is nothing special to write about. I started having contractions while I was getting my hair done, but didn't start counting them until 9pm at night. It was midnight and we headed out to the hospital. I got my epidural, and then they broke my water about an hour after that. The nurses came to check on me around 5:30am and said it was time. I started pushing at 5:51 and only pushed 4x and BAMM, the baby was here at 6:02am.

See I told you there was nothing special to write about. Except for the part of how much I freaking loved my epidural!!! All that fear I had around the labor and deliver was all over rated. I scared myself half to death, for no reason. The IV they put in my hand hurt much more then the contractions or epidural. I can honestly say I loved my labor and delivery. Contractions really didn't hurt, I wasn't even sure if I was having them. It was the best thing out of my whole pregnancy. Recovery was more annoying then labor. Doctor Ollerton is such a good doctor. I felt like I was in such good hands. I would recommend him to anyone who is looking for a doctor. It was just such a good experience. I told Dr. O that I might not be able to have babies anywhere else!! Plus the whole staff at American Fork Hospital was amazing. I loved my nurse, and all the other nursers who helped us in the nursery were great too! Also their food was pretty bomb for hospital food. I got a menu to choose any items I wanted and could order as much as I wanted, and man I loaded up!!

The most wonderful part about the birth was it rained the day Ekemona was born. Which in the Filipino culture is good luck! When my sister Brittany and her family came to visit us in the hospital, Brittany pointed out that there was a double rainbow that she could see from our window. It was beautiful. I liked that it meant more to my sister Brittany than anything.

Ohh and in case you were wondering Ekemona is Edmond in Hawaiian, that is after my dad.

Now that we have been home for a couple of weeks I feel like things are starting to get into a routine. He wakes up about the same time every night. My wonderful, delightful, dearest, bestest mother has been here to help. I don't know where I would be with out her. She has been sooooooooooo amazing. THANK YOU MOM!!! You truly are the best mother in the whole wide world! Plus Ekemona loves having my mom, Koko, around. Every time she leaves out the front door he wakes up and cries. What are we ever going to do when Koko leaves? I might cry!

Gian hit the ground running after we left the hospital. He is preparing to take the LSAT in December, going to school full time, plus working 20-24 hours a week. He still manages to find time to spend with us as a family when he comes home. He is such a great dad and I love seeing him spend time with his son. I don't know if it is hormones, or this burst of love that you feel once you have your baby, but I have never loved Gian more. There is something really beautiful about the family unit, and I am so happy that this is my little family!!

So, who do you think Ekemona looks more like? Gian or me? Hahhahahah I know, sorta obvious... But really tell me what you think. I personally think the only thing Ekemona has from me is my forehead, nailbed, and ears hahahaha. I'm not even kidding. Those three things are the only thing I can see. I am glad that I think he looks like his daddy because Gian is so handsome. All our boys need to look like him. Why would a boy want to look like his mom anyways?!? Ahahaha.

Here are some photos of us at the hospital and of all the people who came to visit us. Thank you guys for taking time to come and meet our baby boy Eke and for all the fun little gifts you brought as well! {The other people who came to visit that I somehow forgot to get photos of are: my mom's sister Aunt Sue, my dad, and my sister Kachina. I also didn't get a photo of my doctor who delivered Ekemona, Ryan Ollerton, who is my cousin. How did I make such a terrible mistake? }

39Weeks and 4Days on the way to the hospital

Can you believe all that hair?

First time holding him

My mom and Gian

First time Dad holding his little boy

I love my mom's face in this

Here is the double rainbow... if you can see the second one, its to the left.

My sister McCall, Ryan, and Callum Brown

My sister Brittany and Michael Ericksen

Mike and Maralea Royal

Maralea and David Royal

Kelli (Royal) and Jason Golightly

Megan and Brian Bollard

Jessie Jensen, she is the one who set me and Gian up and is one of my truest bestest friends

(Gian calls her "The Reason")

Koko... isn't my mother beautiful!!!

Whitney and Brad Royal