The BEST Christmas Present of All!!!

Carlos and I bought a new house. We are really excited!!! It's a house in Cedar Hills..this is by no means a great picture of the outside but it's the best I could get my hands on at the minute. It's a brand new house and we can't wait to move in the middle of January. We love the whole thing but I am especially excited for the kitchen...finally, a big enough kitchen to cook in (I'm not complaining about the others, I just like to cook, and to finally be able to spread out is a blessing). We were almost sick to leave our current house and could never get rid of it completely (we're way too attached) so we are going to be renting it out, hoping that all goes well and it remains in good condition.

So yes, Christmas was good to me this year and Carlos and I are very blessed to be able to have this new home. We can't wait to have everyone over for fun times and food in the future!!!

The fabulous kitchen...yeah for kitchens!!!

** (I have posted a mother load of blogs this morning so make sure to scroll down and view all of our Christmas time celebrations).

Opening Presents at Grandma and Grandpa's

Lance helping Atticus open his noise making truck! Have fun with that Lance! (ha, ha, ha)

Talmage saying thanks to Grandpa with a hug!
Thanks for the toys Atticus!
WOW...what could it be?
The mayhem of it all!!!

Opening Presents at Grandma and Grandpa's CONT...

On Christmas morning we woke up at 6am and made a beeline for my parents house so we could be there to open presents with everyone by 7. First we look at our socks, then open presents, and then my mom makes a great Christmas brunch...yum yum!

Opening presents at Abuela and Abuelo's

Opening Presents at Abuela and Abuelo's (in pictures) CONT...

Guatemalan Tops...the entertainment of choice!

This is what Talmage did with his dad and Abuelo on Christmas Eve Day.

Abuelo (grandpa in spanish) has these great little tops that he brought with him from Guatemala (and saved all these years). For some reason these things only come out around Christmas time. You have to wind a string around the top and then throw them just the right distance for the string to unravel and let the top go spinning on its own. Of course Abuelo and Dad were doing most of the throwing but Talmage was excited none the less. This was the first year he was able to actually hold one in his hand while it was spinning. Too bad we didn't get a picture of that!

Tamales...the Christmas Eve tradition!

This is a recurring scene every year at the Caceres house on Christmas Eve. After all, what would Christmas be without tamales? Nothing...if you ask us! Even Talmage goes nuts over these...and even though it takes a long time to make them...they're worth all the trouble for that first little bite! DELICIOUS!!!

YUMMY!!!

These are the treats I made for Carlos to take to work this morning, they looked so yummy I had to take a pic. (and sneak a few for myself).

Winter Wonderland!!!

Talmage loves the snow...everyday he wakes up to open the blinds and see if it has snowed...and if there is even a little skiff of snow he thinks it's prime playing ground. So these are some pictures of Tal in the first snow of the year...not much snow, but it made for one happy boy...see for yourself! (This snow pales in comparison to what we got on Sunday)

Nice throw! look at that form :)
perfect angel....
now if that doesn't melt your heart....

Sunday morning we woke up to a foot of snow, and it was great! The first thing Carlos said is let's go for a drive, little did he know I was thinking the same thing.... until we walked out the door and looked at this....


I was beginning to change my mind about that drive when Carlos says "this is why we have a Land Rover..he loves this stuff" (referring to the car as a person), then he adds "and it's about time you write a manly blog about how grateful you are for the Land Rover". So there you are hun, my manly blog about the rover.

Happy Holidays!

Wow! What a month...I am so behind on my blogs, what with the season and all! Time goes by so quickly, especially at this time of year, it seems like we're too busy to take a second and reflect on what this season really means. The birth of the Savior. I keep trying to remind myself that during all the rushing and doing it won't hurt to take a few minutes to think of Christ, the reason for the season. It seems like life is so chaotic these days. We are taking in all this information, doing all these things but, do we really have time to reflect and act on the things were learning and doing.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

So now, a little update. House is decorated, lights have been up for a while, Ornaments are hung, Christmas cards out, Work parties attended, Neighbor gifts ready to be delivered, two presents left to be bought, packages mailed, Santa seen (several times), Christmas concerts to attend, and candy waiting to be made.

We hope everyone is having a great holiday season. We are so grateful for all of our dear family and friends who we love so much. Please, find time to reflect on Christ this season.

Love, The Caceres Family