family pics

love this bunch.

my cute parents

us.

I'm not sure how we got a picture of this but not of Doug & Hailey.

We spent the rest of the day post-Christmas shopping & ate downtown @ Fish Tale.


Russell doesn't like seafood in the slightest. But my family always gets him to try something.

This time it was a clam.
AND he didn't think it was too bad.

family football

I LOVE FOOTBALL! And there is nothing better than playing it with my family! We started this tradition a few years ago and it didn't turn out so great {enough said}.

This year we were totally legit-
cleats from Goodwill.
flags made from old towels.
shoe polish under our eyes.



I've never been so cold, wet, muddy and happy.

Love YOU family.

like old times

I can't remember a Christmas {or even a Sunday} that wasn't spent with my mom's sisters family. We did everything together. I even made my cousin Brent play barbies & Mandy's diner w/me. We would spend every Christmas Eve @ my mom's parents. Us kids had free reign of the basement where we would lay out our sleeping bags. On Christmas morning we weren't allowed to come upstairs until it was "time" {which I think actually meant until my mom, aunt and grandma had combed their hair and put makeup on}. We would line up in the kitchen from youngest {me} to oldest {jen} and then make a mad dash for the living room. Now that we've gotten older it's harder to get everyone together, but we make it happen every year. I don't think it would be Christmas if we weren't all together.


here we are! we sadly were missing my cousin Kevin and his family who were in Cali for Christmas.


Jen..Mom & Caleb..Bryn..Tiff


Brent & Nicole


Doug & Hailey w/Matt & Jen's little girl Abby.


Brynley..Kylee..Kennedy


Jen..Me..Tiff

We always have the best time when we get together. We dined on my dad's famous clam chowder. My mom's famous oreo cookies. And a lot of other food I can't remember, which means I probably shouldn't have eaten it!

We also always play Cranium-boys vs. girls. No matter how far ahead the girls get we always lose! Something is rigged.

our third christmas

like most married couples, we switch Christmas' each year to be fair to both of our families. but the two years we have spent @ Russell's parents we have also been fortunate to get to see my family too {just a little later}. as hard as it is to postpone Christmas and just pretend it's really not Christmas on the 25th of December, I'm so glad my parents do it for us! so we spent our third Christmas of 2010 in Washington.




as a kid we never took turns opening gifts, it was just a crazy, every man for himself mess. but being as mature as we are {or are not} we really love to watch each other open our presents. and dont let my brother's face fool you, he loved that pink bunko set.



i LOVE our crocheted stockings. although my brothers matches our cousins, which is still part mystery too me. i tried to convince my mom every Christmas that my stocking was the green one, but moms know best and my gifts always seemed to be found in the red stocking.


and yes this is the only picture I have of myself on our third Christmas. my brother and Hailey gave us a 55-200mm lens for our DSLR {a-mazing}. my brother and I were leaving for a run and Russell took this from down the hall. pretty sweet.

Christmas Day

I have to admit, it's different not spending Christmas at my parents. And I may or may not had shed a few tears my first Christmas away from home {2 years ago}. But Utah is our old home too and we loved spending a week with Russell's family.

Ashley..Andrew..Brian



even little Truitt had fun opening his gifts. or maybe it was the paper he loved.

christmas eve @ the stephens

Christmas in 1913

trees were different in 1913 and we got a glimpse of that this year. russell's dad wanted to have two trees-a traditional modern tree and an old fashioned tree. trees didn't used to be all the glam that they are today. i loved the simpleness of this tree.


stringing popcorn & cranberries.


ready to decorate.


the way russell's grandparents would have decorated their tree

our alma mater

Going back to Provo is always surreal for me. BYU was such a huge part of our lives. It was the one school we both knew we'd always go to. It's where we found each other. And I can't speak for Russell or ask him because he's playing basketball, but it's where I found myself. It's where I really discovered who I am and who I want be. It's where I learned that without a doubt our Heavenly Father knows each and everyone one of us way better than we know ourselves and he loves us just the same.

And it also happens to be where crazed fans show up to cheer on the finest athletes. ever.






{thanks again for the tickets jenny}

Meet Graham Stuart Serafine

Check out this handsome dude! We were so excited to get to meet Matt & Stacy's baby boy while we were in Utah. {They were originally not making the trek from AZ but we were so glad they did}. And we are secretly hoping they come visit us real, real soon!

nap time

Who doesn't love a good nap? I used to nap in college all the time! Like everyday. Russell used to tease me when I'd take a nap before noon {this was back when I thought if I slept past 6:00am I was wasting the day. Who was I?} I feel like I never get to take naps anymore so when my nephew fell asleep on me, I of course was not going to be the one to wake him up by trying to put him in his crib. So I napped too.
It was glorious.

We sure miss this litte guy {and our other nephews and niece too}.