Christmas Prep

It's beginning to look like Christmas! Not really due to the snow, but because of the packages that are showing up on our porch on a regular basis from our wonderful Christmas elves - the postal workers. (Amazon, UPS, USPS - they are the heroes of the holiday!) We ordered almost 95% of our Christmas gifts over Black Friday and then they showed up to our home like a Christmas miracle. I'm grateful that because I can order online and have the items delivered, I can spend more time at home with my family. 

The funniest package was a last-minute add-on to my Christmas budget when I found an in-home 7 ft Skiball machine for only $50! I knew it was getting delivered, but I was at the church prepping for the Ward Christmas Party. I didn't realize David would get home before I did, but he found it sitting on the porch and he managed to pull the huge and heavy box inside (without trying to figure out what it was, the good boy!) 

This year for our Christmas gifts, we decided to make plates of homemade goodies for our neighbors. We made almost 80 plates to deliver. This was the note we attached: "After David and Shantel got married David’s mother, Sue, taught Shantel how to make all of the family’s holiday goodies: Christmas Roll, chocolate crème cookies (best eaten frozen), sugar cookies and more. This year we wanted to share our favorites with you. We hope that you are able to gather close with family and friends this season in celebration of the Hope of the World. The Peaden Family"

The kids thought this recipe from a new Christmas Cookbook we got looked like Sue's Christmas Roll, and we thought we would like to try it! We didn't get to it, so I snapped a picture to remember for next year.

Christmas Cards and Christmas Present Making - Christmas is in full swing around here! 

This year our Secret Christmas Names are all things that Sue loved around Christmas: Sugar Cookie, Secret Christmas Name, Pinyon Pine Tree, Chocolate Crème Cookie, Beautiful Bow, Holiday Inn, Sees Candy, Potato Supreme, Cheese Chip Cupcake, Dickens Village, Christmas Roll. The kids particularly loved the name "Secret Christmas Name" and have thoughts about who each one of them could be. 

Here are our 2024 Christmas Cards

Christmas is so fun! 

Christmas Card 2022

Typically, when I put together our Christmas Cards it is a three-step process. I try out a couple of different color/style options, narrow it down to one style option and make several different variations using that style, then finalize the one we like best. This year when I showed David the three that I had put together in preparation for finalizing our Christmas Card, I asked him which one he liked best and he said, "I like ALL of them. Is there any reason that we can't send out all of them?" 

The answer? 

"That would be FUN!" 

There wasn't really any reason that we couldn't just print all three of them, so we did. This year has been a "year of fun" and so it seemed fitting for us to do this fun thing. After printing and randomly putting them into envelopes, we ended up narrowing in our own favorites but we loved sending out all three versions. 

Here are all three Christmas Cards we sent out this year: 

Card A- 

Merry Christmas {with love, David, Shantel, Lydia, Austin, Caleb, Lucy}


Peaden- 2022 year of FUN

True fun involves playfulness, connection and flow - this year we spent lots of time laughing, playing, talking, adventuring and we feel like this was a "year of fun". Second Nephi says, "Men are that thy might have joy" and this truly was a year of joyfulness, happiness, and true fun as a family. We want to share a few of the fun things that filled our year. We are truly grateful for the daily joy and peace the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us.  

FUN HIGHLIGHTS

David- book club, world cup, shantel (Fav Fun: Hiking Pihea Trail in Kauai) 

Shantel- hiking, traveling, being spontaneous (Fav Fun: River swim with sisters in Mexico) 

Lydia- co-ops, crochet, art class, creating (Fav Fun: Half Pipe Canyon at Arches NP

Austin- piano, candles, reading Harry Potter (Fav Fun: Bryce Canyon National Park) 

Caleb- coloring, games, magnet shapes (Fav Fun: Cowabunga Bay) 

Lucy- dollhouse, babies, swimming (Fav Fun: Lazy River at Provo Rec Center)

"There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it." -Dieter F Uchtdorf  

Card B- 

wishing you a very merry Christmas {with love, David, Shantel, Lydia, Austin, Caleb, Lucy}

Peaden 2022
We are grateful for the guiding star of hope and joy that is our Savior Jesus Christ. This year, we added to our joy from the gospel through our intentional efforts to strengthen our family by spending more time doing fun things together. 

Our Favorite Fun Things: 

David- Pihea Trail in Hawaii: mud, hiking, laughter, connection, breathtaking vista

Shantel- Oahu, Kauai, Cancun: travel, connection, nature, family, food

Lydia- Half-pipe Canyon at Arches NP: cousins, climbing, nature, birthday

Austin- Bryce Canyon National park: road trip, campfire, chipmunks, tent, hoodoos

Caleb- Cowabunga Bay: water slides, lazy river, shark attack drink

Lucy- Lazy River at Provo Rec Center: goggles, jumping, swimming, inside pool 

"Look unto Jesus... who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." Hebrews 12:2

Card C- 

Merry Christmas {with love, David, Shantel, Lydia, Austin, Caleb, Lucy}

Peaden {true}FUN 2022

"men are that they might have joy" 2 Nephi 2:25

After reading "The Power of Fun" this year, we decided to intentionally favilitate more true fun in our family. Our year was filled with readalouds, ice cream, pool days, nature hikes, family trips, movie night dance parties, and lighthearted connection. We are grateful for these joys and all others that point us to the source of true joy, Our Savior Jesus Christ. 

FUN HIGHLIGHTS

David- Pihea Trail in Hawaii: mud, hiking, laughter, connection, breathtaking vista

Shantel- Tug Boating at Navajo Lake: water, family, kayaks, acrobativs, hailstorm

Lydia- Half-pipe Canyon at Arches NP: cousins, climbing, nature, birthday

Austin- Bryce Canyon National park: road trip, campfire, chipmunks, tent, hoodoos

Caleb- Cowabunga Bay: water slides, lazy river, shark attack drink

Lucy- Lazy River at Provo Rec Center: goggles, jumping, swimming, inside pool 

Christmas Cards 2021

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours. 

2021 year in review

6 negative covid tests

(2,038 miles on our redwood forest trip)

4 new kitchen appliances

(710 words memorized in "The Living Christ")

14,115 the elevation we stood at the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado

Lydia- Fourth grade with an amazing homeschool group. Her first sewing machine. Still loves dogs. Favorite book: Zoey & Sassafrass

Austin- Loves robots and numbers. Traveled by airplane for the first time (to Colorado). Fav activity: card games. 

Caleb- Has a great sense of humor. Loves his bike and preschool. Favorite new skill: riding a 2 wheel bike.

Lucy- Loves her baby doll. A major sweet tooth and has OPINIONS about all the things. Favorite color: purple. 

We are glass to celebrate this holiday season with you. 
 

Christmas Cards 2020

We love our Christmas Cards this year - our testimony plus a little overview of our year. 

Merry Christmas

"Despite the world's commotion, the Lord would have us look forward to the future with joyful anticipation." We echo the testimony of our Prophet Russel M. Nelson; that there is hope and joy to be found now and in the future because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are grateful to share that hope with you this Christmas Season. Love, The Peaden Family

{Year in Review: Twenty-Twenty}

Lydia, age 8

-Grateful to be baptized, even in a pandemic

-Loves the piano

Austin, age 6

-Started Grade K (Homeschool)

-Loves counting into the hundreds

Caleb, age 3

-Is three

-Loves to explore

-Gives the best hugs

Lucy, age 1

-Likes toy cars

-Loves her blanket

-Shows us that miracles are real

COVID-19 The Coronavirus - Worldwide Pandemic

Blessings of homeschool. 

David working from home. 

Virtual Game Nights. 

Earthquakes - focus on emergency preparedness

Accomplishments

Finishing the basement (with Cal, Bruce, and Scott) 

David's MyEideBailly website - firmwide impact &

Offer to work with the National Assurance Office

Shantel's opportunity to serve with the Stake Primary

Eleven Year Wedding Anniversary

Ten years of the Peaden Kitchen Family Recipe Blog

2020- The Peaden Family

Christmas Cards

This Christmas Season, our hearts are full of the joy that comes from the good news of Jesus Christ. We know that He was born under a star that shone for all to see, and that the light of His life still shines brightly for us today. We love you and the way you give light to our lives. Merry Christmas!
The Peaden Family - 2017, David, Shantel, Lydia, Austin, & Caleb

Lydia Elise - She loves puppies, unicorns, and Kindergarten. She seems to big as she goes to ride the bus every day, and she's the greatest big sister around. Her favorite book is "Not Quite Narwhal". 

Austin Scott - He loves Caleb and can most often be found laying across Caleb's lap. He likes to sing songs and has the best sense of humor. His favorite book is "How to Train your Train." 

Caleb Samuel - Wins best third baby award hands down. He's super happy and loves when we sing "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam." His favorite book is Lydia reading him "A Unicorn named Sparkle".

David and Shantel - David is a great dad and loves playing with his kids. This year he was selected as the UACPA Rising Star of all young accountants in Utah. He's super handsome and Shantel is really lucky to have him. (And because she's writing this, she can put whatever she wants). He's currently reading: The Jack Ryan Series and the newest John Grisham book. Shantel likes to buy things on Amazon and is trying to be a better mom every day, because she really really really loves her kids. She read the Book of Mormon in the 30 days leading up to her 30th birthday and it changed her life for the better. She's currently reading: The latest Jonquil Brother's book by Sarah M Eden, For Love of Honor. 

Love, The Peadens

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Lydia helped me address our Christmas cards this year. She wrote "The Peaden Family" on all the envelopes and it was darling. I can hardly believe how big she's getting. I love how involved she wants to be in things, and I'm glad when we can find things like this that she can do. (And it really was very helpful to me!) 

I love the way our Christmas Cards turned out. David and I felt like it was important to share our testimony on the card, and the few tiny things that we were able to write about each member of our family give a perfect little snapshot of our lives right now (maybe not perfect snapshot, but I really love the things we chose to include). 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!