Our Family: 2009

Feeling the Spirit of CHRISTmas!

I love the feelings that I feel so strongly during the Christmas Season! I often hear of how commercialized Christmas is and that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. I am amazed every year at how much more I disagree with this statement! I know that there are those who want to make it a winter holiday and not celebrate the birth of Christ. I know that you can also find those who love the Lord and want to rejoice and celebrate the birth of Christ! So I thought that in this post I would share some of the highlights of the season for me! I think that the start of this feeling this year was when Tiana came home from School choir so excited about the song she was singing! The words went something like,"let's go to the manger of the Christ child- let's go to the cradle of a king!" I enjoyed listening to her beautiful voice and felt great joy that they were still able to sing songs like this. Imagine my greater surprise when I opened up her Choir folder and found the song "This is the Christ" by James E Faust! I burst into tears and read the words to my girls! The choir ran out of time to sing it, but I was glad it was a song they considered! I was amazed at the countless hours I saw and heard of in service. So many people around me were finding their greatest holiday joy in serving others - feeding the hungry, showering those in need with gift and visiting the lonely! I was inspired as I heard people share with me the great joy they felt as they served others! I loved getting a call from my husband who was so touched as gift bags were delieved to the veterans- from the Kalamazoo Relief Societies! The Veterans were so thrilled to be thought of! I loved that in the absence of having our extended family far away that there were so many people willing to share their time with us and making us feel like had family here! I loved reading Tiana's class newspaper where one student wrote, " Christmas is really about the joy of Jesus when he was born!"

Another highlight was when Tiana came home with this card and a present from a classmate!

She often calls Tiana one of God's angels. I am so grateful for the holiday season and for the love and joy that I feel in this season! I know that I can sometimes go a little overboard with the holiday, but I really enjoy most of all the true meaning of Christmas!

Christmas Day!

The girls actually woke us up this year!! They were up early and wanted to open up presents!!! Here are the girls waiting to see what Santa brought!

The girls only ask Santa for one gift and he is obedient and brings one gift and their stockings! Tiana opened up an out fit for an 18" doll - I sure hope she gets the doll!!!

Larisa opened up some Pink Ice perfume - yum, her favorite!!

We did it a little different this year! We first opened up the gifts from Mom and Dad. I hid them in different rooms and then gift by gift I would send them into a different room to find their gifts. It made it last a little longer, and of course I had them open the gift the wanted most - last!!

They started out opening gifts to help them remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Yeah!! Tiana got the gift she wanted most!! She calls it her fake American Girl Doll!! It is really cute!! Her name is Eva and she also got fabric and patterns so we can make her clothes!

Larisa is excited - she knows this has to be the camera that she asked for!!! Yep, it is!!

Tia loving her doll!

Then we went up stairs and had our traditional breakfast casserole!! It is so yummy!! We then went back downstairs and opened up gift from family!! Tiana wanted to make lots of presents this year! You can imagine my surprise when she asked for a potato to make her dad a present!!! She made him a potato snowman! She then wanted a frame so she could draw a picture of the potato snowman so that when it became gross - he would always have a picture to remind him!! I love this creative child!!!

I always love(NOT) the aftermath of Christmas morning!! All of the carefully chosen gifts and wrapping paper on the ground!!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and sleeping through movies!! It was a wonderful Christmas and I am already counting down the days until next year!!!

Christmas Eve!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve this year. The missionaries and Seth and Julianne Green came to spend the evening with us. We had a yummy Ham dinner with twice baked potatoes, salad, party in your mouth jellos and of course rolls! We then had a really nice time going over the Christmas story found in the scriptures. After that we each shared our testimonies of the Savior. We started out reading the testimonies of the missionarie's parents. I had called them and they emailed me their testimonies to share. It was a beautiful night and I loved hearing each of the testimonies.

Then it was time to open up on gift! Elder Johanson's grandma sent each of the elders new pajamas!

Elder Hinkle

Our family also each opened up new pajamas!

The Greens opened up a new blanket!

We bought the Missionaries Nerf guns! They had fun playing with them! It made me laugh!

Of course, Chris decided that we needed to join in, so out came the marshmallow guns!! It was a blast!! I was making Hot Chocolate and all I could see was a blanket of marshmallows on my kitchen floor. I loved hearing a puff air and then her an "ouch" and a "yes!"

Then we had all sorts of yummy treats! We made the Elders favorite family tradition treats. They were hocus pocus roll and butterscotch haystack candies. The greens brought a yummy chocolate and lemon pie. We also had Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon rolls!! Are you sick yet?? Tiana learned that Hot Chocolate followed by apple cider will give you a bad stomach ache!!! Then it was time to go to sleep!! The girls always have to sleep in the same room on the floor!! I love that they were so excited for Christmas!! I was annoyed that I had to tell them to go to sleep so many times, but at the same time so happy that they were excited about Christmas morning!!! It was a wonderful Evening!!

Our Caroling Tradition!!!

On December 23 we went out caroling with our friends the Wesels! We love this family and they are just wonderful! We went last year and such an amazing experience, that we knew we had to go again this year. Jess made wonderful treats to share with the families that we went caroling to! We had a great evening and I hope that we will continue this tradition every year!

It was also out night to protect the tree from the Grinch! We watched the classic Grinch movie and then the girls slept by the tree to protect the gifts and tree from the Grinch! It is a simple tradition, but one that they really love!

Another year without a visit from the Grinch!

Tale of 3 Trees

So this year I heard a few comments about having too many trees or looks from people like they didn't get it!! Well, I thought I would explain it and let you know why and how I feel about each tree.

This is the tree in our living room. I bought it on clearance for I think$7, if I remember correctly. It is a little pathetic, but it works when it is decorated and with the added garland. This tree is all to do with the true meaning of Christmas! The ornaments are all nativity or about Christ. I also have my nativity collection in here. I love sitting in here and feeling the true spirit of Christmas. I sit in here a lot during the season and just reflect on the great gift of the Savior.

I shared this last year, but these are the balls on my tree, all with the different names of the Savior.

This tree is in the Family Room downstairs. We bought this the first year we were married. We had bought a real tree, but it was the cheapest one we could find and I had to make very light ornaments to put on the tree or else the tree would fall over! Chris surprised me and came home one night with this tree. This was the 22 year we have used this tree and I can't imagine ever getting rid of it! It is tired and worn, but I love it!! This is the tree that has all of the ornaments that we've collected through the years. The girls love to hear the different stories about the ornaments and to put there special ornaments on. So many happy memories are stored on this tree!

This is the tree in my Sun room. I Love this tree!! It is all nature ornaments and with all of the windows in the room it look like we brought some of the outside - inside. It helps me enjoy winter and I love it! We bought this tree when we moved here and because it is on a wood floor we started a new tradition of putting the Lego train underneath it! Then we build a Lego village to put underneath it! Since we stayed home this Thanksgiving it was a fun thing for everyone to work on while dinner was cooking.

This is the Christmas house Tiana started and then we worked on together.

Tiana really enjoyed it this year and made several things. Her favorite is this ice skating rink she made!

Larisa made a Christmas Pyramid!

Chris made Scrooge's House. You have to notice the 3 ghost on the upper level - pretty creative!

The girls do have small trees in their rooms. They love putting them up and they get to put up an ornament every time they do an act of service. It is a lot of work and some might think it is crazy, but I love it!! It brings me a lot of joy and I really enjoy the seaon sooooo much!

A Green Family Home Evening!!

We had our friends the Greens come over for dinner and family night! They are such an awesome family! They are a lot of fun and always so willing to help others! After we had dinner, Larisa read a story that was shared in Young Women's. We sang songs and visited and a wonderful evening. Of course, we had dessert too!! I forgot to take any pictures, but here is an earlier picture of 2 of their little cuties!

Thanks Greens for such a fun evening!

Yes, Deer!!

The other night I went outside to turn off the Christmas lights. I was very startled when I opened the door and saw a deer a few feet away from me! If you think I was startled, you should have seen the deer!! We both stared each other down and then the deer pranced away! They next morning I looked out my window and saw some more deer in the back yard! I love all of the beautiful wild life that I can see in my own back yard!

Choir and RS Party!

We were excited to have our Relief Society Christmas Party, but we had to postpone it because of a blizzard warning. We rescheduled it for the same night as Larisa's Choir concert. The Relief Society Party was wonderful! We had a nice program with lots of singing and yummy food! It was so fun to visit with the sisters and feel the warmth and joy of Christmas. Larisa was singing the same songs as she did the previous week, but I was still sad to miss her concert! I was especially sad when I heard that it was at the Kellogg Manor! It is an old mansion now owned by Michigan State. I have wanted to go to their Christmas dinner since I have lived here, but could never afford it! I sent Chris with the camera and asked him to take some pictures -

Isn't it beautiful???? This is right on the lake, and it a home I have always loved!! I guess it is time to start saving so Chris and I can go there on a date next year!!! What a beautiful night for all of us!

Evening with Friends!

We had so much fun with our friends the Leflers last year that we had them over again this year! We had a nice dinner and we enjoyed their company so much, they are an awesome family!! The children all had to come up with a skit to put on! They did a great job and even wrote a song - I'll post the lyrics if I can find them!! We enjoyed sharing the evening with them!

Mary on the donkey!