Merry Christmas

Bright and early, Mallory, Matthew, and Hannah were awake and ready to open presents.

Dot was the first to open a gift.
A new bone.

Mallory has desperately wanted a pair of cowgirl boots.

She also wanted her very own Nerf gun.

Matthew with his new bow.

And a new cover and game for his Nintendo DS.

Hannah opening the gift that contained her Monster High Doll.

My little horse lover also got her very own horse collection.

It was nice to have a relaxing morning at home before all the Christmas gatherings began.

Proof.

It's Christmas morning.  And we all still believe!

Waiting on Santa.

This Christmas Season has been fun.  We've enjoyed all the preparation and fun that comes along with it. Hannah has taken every moment in with eager anticipation.   

Christmas Spirit.

We have various Christmas decorations around our house.  Nutcrackers, snowglobes, wreaths, etc.
But my favorites are the ones that my children have made.
Matthew and Hannah both made snowman art at school this year.

This is Hannah's snowman art.  I love her detail on each one.

We decided to get a "real" Christmas Tree this year.
We didn't get to the farm to cut one down like we wished, but our good friend, Chris, made sure there was a good selection at our local grocery store.  The kids had a lot of fun selecting just the right tree.  The kids were also in charge of decorating the tree.

Our tree was full of homemade ornaments but also ones given to us over the years that have special meaning.

The kids have been diligently counting down the days.

It is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of the season.
With lists of gifts, parties, programs, and all that goes along with it, the true reason for this season can be subdued.

May we never forget the greatest gift.

Merry Christmas.

Two Christmas Programs.

We had a busy day today.  Matthew and Hannah were in two Christmas programs.  We attended our regular service at LifeHouse this morning.  The kids did a great job with singing and the program was very creative.

Then this evening, we headed up to Zion for the KidsZone Christmas Program.  Matthew and Hannah have attended KidsZone on Wednesday nights for the last several years.

Christmas Dress.

#9 Birthday.



For Matthew's 9th birthday, he wanted to have a skating party with a few friends.

They were a fun bunch.  All giggly and talkative.

Lilly, Casen, Matthew, and Noah
They skated for a full two hours.