Christmas 2015 ~ We're the Baldwin's!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

We had an awesome holiday week! It was so eventful! We got to spend a lot of time with Kevin, Amanda, & the kids which was definitely the highlight of the week! On Christmas Eve, we went to the mall with Kirk and Lindy, Kevin & Amanda, and the kids. One of Jaxton and Khloe's favorite things to do is to convince Grandma Lindy to do her shopping at the mall so they can ride the train that rides around the length of the indoor mall. We all went and Brian and I rode the train through the mall with the kids. Braxton, Corbin, Khloe, and Jaxton all rode in their own car, so Brian and I got to ride with Dylan and Ella. I have some cute photos I'll post.

That evening, Brian and I went to the movies with Kirk and Lindy to see the new movie Daddy's Home, with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. It was really funny, but we were under the impression that the movie was rated PG (actually PG-13), so we were happy we didn't take the kids with us due to the language. It's crazy because I feel like when we were kids, PG-13 movies had little to no swearing, whereas nowadays it's everywhere. (*Insert Brian and I talking about how when WE have kids, they're never seeing that kind of stuff* haha, we already think we know how our parenting styles will be...)

After the movie, Brian and I went home, exchanged Christmas jammies, and headed to bed. We set our alarm for 5 AM, woke up and opened presents, and made it over to Kirk and Lindy's by 6 AM since the kids were already up and opening presents! Being there on Christmas made me excited for when we have our own kids because being around them on Christmas is 1000x better than being a kid on Christmas! We had everything opened, ate breakfast, and then were passed out for nap time by 9 AM.

Remember how last post I said I couldn't wait to give Brian his presents? Well, aside from some boring gifts like shoes and clothes, his big presents were a new skateboard deck, a goPro, and season night passes for the two of us to go snowboarding! He got me everything I wanted/needed and we were both totally spoiled! I got a new snowboarding jacket and pants, along with snow boots that I desperately needed. I got Jazz game tickets and a free pass and funding for a shopping spree (a personal favorite). Kirk and Lindy got us a new vacuum (which I was SO excited about, which means I really am an adult haha) and a huge, AWESOME paint set and easel that I am STOKED about. Also, Kevin & Amanda got us a Dutch oven! For our wedding, between my bridal shower and the actual wedding, they decked us out in camping gear so they said they decided to stick to the theme! We're so excited for the weather to get a little warmer to use our new tent, sleeping bags, chairs, dutch oven, and cooler! We are all set for some awesome adventures!

It was wonderful to spend the day with family, and the fun continued on Saturday when we had the big Baldwin family party at Uncle Randy & Aunt Thelma's. I love that I married into a huge family since my immediate family isn't huge, but the Baldwin's get together so much and I've really gotten the opportunity to meet and spend time with Brian's family and I adore them! They are all so fun and wonderful.

That evening, Randy and Sabra came over and we had hot chocolate and played board games. It's great having such awesome friends as family and getting to spend a lot of time with them!

On Sunday, Brian and I were subbing in primary at church. It was my first time ever in primary and it was highly embarrassing not knowing any primary songs, but by the end, it was fun and our class was adorable and so smart! However, that wasn't the most exciting part of the day. That morning, we had had a meeting with the bishop and we both got callings! Finally!!

I got two actually. I am now a relief society teacher (a calling I had always hoped for), as well as the assistant young women's camp director! I've always wondered what my first callings would be in a family ward and I am SO excited for this! On the weeks that I'm not teaching, I get to go to young women's and get to know the girls better and learn more about what they do! Since I didn't grow up in the church, this is a great opportunity for me to learn about a calling without being fully involved in it.

I'm very excited for these opportunities, but I think the most exciting part is Brian's new calling. He is the new ward mission leader! Which is kind of crazy if you think about it since we just moved into the ward and know almost no one haha. But if anyone can do this, he can. He has the passion and diligence to work hard at this, plus the personality and social skills to talk to anyone about anything. It's one of the things that made me fall in love with him. (:

Flashback to last Tuesday night. Brian and I went to look at a Jeep! We've been talking for awhile about getting a new 4x4 vehicle, and here lately I've had this feeling like it's something we really needed to do, and soon. We both have older cars that are great on gas mileage, but not great in bad weather. Now that we'll be going up into the canyon a bunch to go snowboarding, it was a necessity. After the fiasco that happened with my Elantra back in March, I'm temporarily sworn off dealerships for awhile, so we started looking on KSL with private owners. I've always wanted a Jeep Grand Cherokee and everyone I know that has/has had one absolutely adores them and swears by them. I've been looking for a few weeks now, and when we finally came across one that looked promising, we decided to go take a look at it. It turned out that it was everything we hoped for and we picked it up last night! So Merry late Christmas to me (since I'll be driving it the most), and just in time for the new year!

Brian and I have been so incredibly blessed this year, especially with the house, support from our family and friends during wedding season, and now with our new, safer vehicle. I feel like all the pieces are fitting together perfectly for us and our lives, and I couldn't be more grateful. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

Uncle Brian and Dylan on the train