The BIG family SURPRISE!
New coats, snow pants, sleds, and a gift certificate for a 3 night stay at a lodge and 2 days of skiing, for the family, while we're there. I love the idea of giving a family vacation for a gift. It's a gift that keeps giving and giving because of all of the fun memories that will be made.
Santa left a HUGE stocking, just for me, last night. I think he got wind that stockings were my favorite thing about Christmas when I was little and missed getting all of the fun stuff that comes in a stocking. Santa totally out did himself this year with how much stuff he brought me. And I understand Santa did the same for all of my brothers and sisters at their respective houses too. A big thanks to "the Santa from my childhood", that was a really fun surprise :)
Homemade blankets from mom.
Alaina jammin' out on her Karaoke Machine.
Things were a little tight this year for our family unfortunately (such is the life with a self-employed husband with 2 start up businesses in a tough economic time) so Dan and I decided to forgo any Christmas gifts for ourselves. We also made sure that the only gifts the kids got us were homemade or made at school for us. They always get excited about those kinds of gifts anyway and we made sure to make a dig deal out of them so they knew we appreciated our Christmas too.
Once all of the kids were done opening their gifts and starting to play with them on the floor, Dan winked at me from across the room. He reached under the tree and grabbed a wrapped gift and then got up and walked it over to me. He leaned over, kissed me, and whispered in my ear, I love you Stace...Merry Christmas.
I opened my unexpected gift. I have to admit, at first I was mad at him for getting me a gift because we agreed NOT to do so this year. But, I opened it with my face getting a little hot from frustration anyway.
To my pleasant surprise....
It was a little spiral bound, homemade book entitled...
It only took reading the cover to bring me to tears. Dan is seriously the most amazing man ever, I often feel so unworthy to be married to him but I love that I have been blessed to have him as my companion in this life. AND....he pulled this gift off with out spending a dime. Just time....Just thoughtfulness....Just love.
The book started all the way back with memories from Highschool. Each page had a different piece of "Our Love Story", he added pictures that went with that story, asked the question, Do you remember when..., then wrote a page worth of all of his memories of that time in our life.
It was so sweet, and over 50 pages long.
Here's how a few of the pages started out.
-Do you remember when I came home from my mission, meeting you for the first time again, and thinking... Wow, I am really really really glad to see Stacey again. (Then all of his memories of that day)
-Do you remember going out of town with me to the coast with Annette and Jacob? Do you remember how I kept going back and forth in my mind about whether or not I should try to take it to the next level with you that weekend and really try to turn our relationship up to a boyfriend girlfriend level? (then a page worth of pictures and details of his memories from that trip)
-Do you remember how excited I was to marry you?
-Do you remember my nerves the evening I sang you a love song in front of a hundred people?
-Do you remember being pregnant with our first baby?
-Do you remember leaving our children for that trip to Cozumel? Or that trip to Hawaii?
-Do you remember making out in the snow in Utah on our Anniversary weekend?
-Do you remember those hours I spent composing my thoughts and ideas for this little book?
-PS... One last thing. Do you remember this? Me & You, in the kitchen, you on my back, me lifting you with my butt in the center of your stomach, and me not having enough control of myself to avoid what would become one of my more embarrassing moments thus far. Do you remember that?
Yeah... me too. Wish we had a picture of that one. It would have made a great page, I am sure:)
Dan, thanks for making me feel so special today, I love you to pieces.
2 comments:
Dan's gift made me cry!!! Now I understand your fear a little more. Love it.
Miss you by the way.
I want to read the book!
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