erin gale & christian vance: February 2015

exciting news!

minnie got a pony!

hope started walking at the very end of december,

and riding her bike the end of january.

and.....

christian got a job!

he will start at BYU as an assistant professor this coming fall.

we feel SO grateful for all the love and support we have had from family, friends

and professors for the last 4 years as he has been working on this adventure called

a PhD. most importantly, we are grateful to our Heavenly Father who has

guided, directed and helped us along the way. here we come BYU!

new year's 2015

the mucha's came to logan to celebrate new year's eve with us.

the evening was full of food, princess dresses, games, blowers and lots of "cheers"!

we did our countdown around 8:30 pm, which was perfect for the kids AND the adults.

heidi thought of all the best things for the kids to get excited about, like dressing up, poppers, party blowers and new year's crowns. i'd say the evening was a smashing succuess. cheers to reading, walking, potty training, employment and blueberries! (this is what our cheers included...minnie decided on blueberries.)

on new year's day christian and i took the girls on a little hike to start the year of right.

as you can see, minnie brought belle with her and made sure she was dressed warm. those skimpy princesses dresses just don't do the trick for logan winters. hope was elated about the whole experience. happy new year!

christmas day

presents in sight

getting the goods out of the stockings

fascinated by homemade gifts

...and a candy cane

this year was our first christmas at home with our own little family.

the girls made it so fun and special.

they keep us on our toes, but more importantly, they keep our perspective in the right place.

one night before christmas, christian caught minnie playing with the nutcrackers and her little manger. when he asked her what she was doing she said she was making the wisemen watch over baby Jesus.

i also found this little creation when i was picking up toys one day.
minnie had carefully placed all the little people manager characters in a row facing baby Jesus.

while the presents and festivities are all very fun and exciting, we recognize the real meaning behind it all. christiand and i are having fun working on teaching the girls that Jesus IS the gift at christmas time and always. ironically, as we work to teach them, they always end up teaching us.

christmas snow

i can't get over how cute hope looks in her snow pants

...or how excited she looks to be playing in the snow

minnie insisted on pulling how on the sled

...the end result being frustrating for both of them.

we built a snowman and named him wonky.

he actually ended up lasting for a long time.

no words

the snow on christmas day was magical. it may have been more magical for christian and i than it was for minnie and hope...nonetheless it was magical. how often is there no snow on the ground the day before christmas, and then a winter wonderland outside on christmas day. it was breathtaking.