Traditions and Gifts

Like most families, we have some holiday traditions that withstand changes in life.  Changes like moving. This year was no different.  Every year, on Christmas Eve, after dinner and church, we put on our jammies, jump on the couch and read Twas the Night Before Christmas. At this point, the kids know most of the words and can read it along with us.  We are so blessed by these four precious gifts and amazed that we have been given the privilege of being able to raise and teach them.
I hope your family enjoyed the traditions and gifts of Christmas.  We are enjoying all of ours.


They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-23

Merry Christmas

We are enjoying our winter break and our Christmas presents from Grandma Peggy and Papa Gary.  Snowshoes!  Merry 

Christmas from our trail to yours.

(somehow, Sam missed being in front of the camera)

Merry Christmas.

Jennifer

Thankful Thursday {Paige in glasses}

I am oh-so thankful for this sweet girl.

We just picked up her new glasses today.

Doesn't she look so much older!

Paige, our sweet, sweet lovebug.

Everything is just a little bit clearer today.

Down

I must admit that I am feeling a bit homesick today.

 I am missing my family. I am missing my friends.  I am missing the usual routine of the Christmas season.  I am missing my church family.  I am missing my morning run with my super duper running buddy.  I am missing the wildlife (I know, right, I haven't even seen a bunny).  I am missing the fabric store.  I am missing my neighbors right across the street.  I am pretty much missing my life.

A very wise woman once told me that a pity party is no fun because it is only a party for one.  I am the only one at my pity party today.  I guess I better get up off the couch, put the Christmas cookies away, take off this old FHS sweatshirt from 1992 and get moving.

Today is the first day that I have really felt sad about moving.  We are so blessed and grateful for this move. Living here rocks and  I do love it.  But today I am missing all the familiars just a bit.

I keep telling the kids that even when something (school, routine, friendship)  looks different, it doesn't mean that it is bad.  Just a different kind of good.  Maybe I should be taking my own advice.

Chin up, Jennifer.  Life is good.

***WWHBUT

***What we have been up to.

It has been a crazy month. Isn't December always a crazy time and it blows by so fast?  It is a mystery to me.  It is so hard to believe that Christmas is only a week and a half away.  No matter how much we try and enjoy the season, it seems to speed by in a flash of red and green.
So.....here are some pics from the last couple weeks.  Warning: these pictures are *SOOTC. No editing was involved in the making of this blog post.

* Straight out of the camera.

Yeah, we got Christmas spirit. Do you?

Alice decorating the Christmas tree

Where should this ornament go?  So many spots, so far away.

Decorating gingerbread choo-choos. Are we having fun yet?

Sam and Mason displaying their gingerbread house. They were just happy to have finished before their sisters.

Friends from COS come to visit and the girls perform a dance.  

Mason hanging out with his "girl"friend.  They were showing off their weapons.

Scott's parents are here visiting for a week.  They got to see the stores today and check out the kids' school.  Last night we attended the school holiday program.  It was very cute and so worth the third row seats.  I, of course, still had on my crazy parent hat on and got to the school gym 25 minutes early to get some decent seats while all the other parents came strolling in at the suggested time and got their seats with no worry. I gotta lose this hat, like seriously throw it in a ditch full of snow. Oh! Did I mention it is snowing?  We love snow.

I hope you are all having a fantastic and blessed Christmas season.
Love, Jennifer

Hiking to Rainbow Lake

This afternoon, after watching two movies, our kiddos needed an outdoor break. Scott has been running a lot of the trails around Frisco and scouted this one out just this morning.  It was a little over a mile up to Rainbow Lake.  Very hikable (probably not a word) for the 10 and under crowd.  It was a perfect trail for releasing energy. The kids had fun sliding on all the ice.  Knees, bellies and bums all worked for slip sliding around.  

Now I know during the summer months you all get very tired of seeing us running around in bathing suits.  Now you better get used to seeing us in hats, boots and winter gear.  It sure is pretty in the winter but I know we are going to appreciate those warm summer months too!

Off to make some hot cocoa and warm up!

Jennifer

The Hunt

Our annual hunt for THE Christmas tree started out really well. We were actually hunting for two trees this year, a large one for the basement and a smaller one for the front window.  We found the smaller one pretty quickly but the hunt for the daddy tree went on longer than four kids can handle.  After quite a few tears and a stop back at the car to warm up hands and toes, THE tree was found.  Alice and Scott did the honors of cutting it down.  We hauled both of the trees on top of the car and headed home (well, Scott hauled them on top of the car but I was there to take pictures and moral support so I am going with WE).  Here are a few of the many (113 to be exact) pictures I snapped.

I hope you are having an awesome Saturday!
Much love, Jennifer