Christmas 2009

An early Christmas with Uncle Rich, Auntie Em and Kylie.

Kylie opens her gift from the girls.

Girls rule!

Christina and her two shadows.

Some of the gang.

Grandpa and Grandma.

Bounce house.

Mitchell gives a thumbs up!

Jen, Cat and mom.

Poor Mitchell... he loves it. :)

Let the gift opening begin!

Mitchell.

Kyle.

Grace wants to see what Faith got first.

We love Boz movies!

Cash, what every teenager wants, right?

Sleeping Beauty accessories.

Cinderella accessories.

Me, enjoying watching the kids.

Cute new jammies from grandma and grandpa.

A crown, fit for a princess.

Every girls needs another pair of shoes.

Hugging each other after their gift exchange.

Ready to bake!

Grandma got her a snuggie, just her size.

Gorgeous Faith!

They wanted to put on their dresses with all their new accessories.

Cousins.

Christmas morning.

Daddy helped them build a castle with their wood foam blocks.

Beautiful (and yummy!) chocolate cherry cake that Lucy made.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Whew! I think I'm finally recovering from all the fun Christmas festivities. Despite the fact that we didn't get to see all of our family this year, we had a wonderful Christmas celebration over the last few days. The girls had such a great time playing with all of their cousins. It was truly special to watch. For a minute, it even made me want to have some older kids around the house!

We are so thankful for the many cherished holiday memories that were made. Next year, we are seriously considering taking the whole month of December off from school. Although we only had school for the first two weeks of the month, we'd love to be able to do more baking, singing, crafting, and serving those in need around our community. We may even try to sneak in a family vacation next December.

Although the girls received plenty of gifts this year, I love the fact that their expectations are kept low when it comes to receiving. It's all about Jesus and we are so blessed to be able to freely celebrate this special time of year with our loved ones. We hope you had a joyous Christmas season!