A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

December is always a whirlwind month for us.....the first half of the month is stressful with finals and then it's a scramble to get things ready for Christmas. This year was an even bigger adventure because we all came down with colds two weeks before finals and then the next week, we got the stomach flu. Lovely timing, right?

The good news is that we got it out of our system in time to enjoy our anniversary and Christmas!

showing off our cranky faces (and eating shirts)

very happy child

a girl who loves her pearls (or at least her mama's pearls)

Stocking time!

This Christmas I enjoyed the little things...and rejoiced in the reason for the season. A wonderful time to ponder and grow in the spirit.

The Hair Story

The Hair Story

A little old lady went to the mirror one morning and noticed that she had only three hairs on her head. As she looked into the mirror, she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." That's exactly what she did. And, she had a great day.

The next morning, at the mirror once again, the little old lady noticed that she only had two hairs on her head. Looking herself right in the eye, she said, "Today, I think I'll part my hair down the middle." That's exactly what she did. And, she had a great day.

The next day, as the little old lady looked into the mirror, there was only one hair on her head. She looked at that one lonely hair and said, "Today I think I'll wear my hair in a pony tail." That's exactly what she did. And she had a great day.

The following morning the little old lady looked into the mirror and there wasn't a single hair on her head. Her eyes lit up, and she said, "Yeah! I don't have to fix my hair today!"
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I love this story. And wish I could be more like the lady in the story. There are so many things that can weigh us down, and yet if we turn those things upside and look at them another way, we might have something to be grateful for.

Catch Up

I have so much to catch up on so here goes:
Fall Fun: Fall just takes my breath away. I can hardly say what I feel when I see all the beautiful colors and feel the crisp air. And to me, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can compare to the first leaf-crunching experience of Autumn. LOVE LOVE LOVE the crisp mornings and warm, golden afternoons....

Halloween Festivities: Katie really got into Halloween this year. We're lucky her costume actually survived long enough for her to wear it on Halloween. She would wear that thing every single day, and be bumme dout if I took it off long enough to wash it. Favorite quote from Halloween:
Justin, after first trick or treating door:"Katie, did you get some pretzels?"
Katie(sounding very pleased): "No, we got sugary things."


Thanksgiving Celebration: I received a shock when I learned (from Justin, no less) that not everyone enjoys parades, and there are people who don't watch the Macy's THanksgiving Day Parade. I love the parade. For the last few years, I haven't been able to watch it because I don't have TV, but I did watch clips of past parades on the internet to get my fix....It was a great way to start out the day.

Holy Smokes, we had so much to be grateful for this year. Like our NM experience, passing classes, overcoming significant personal trials, good health, and wonderful day to day experiences.
We did lots of thankful activities throughout the month to celebrate our blessings, but on Thanksgiving, we did a special activity that was the icing on the cake. Earlier in the week, Katie and I made, a turkey pinata(seriously, the turkey pinata was so fun to make)...sorry, no pictures of that (BUT there's a video ;)). And after we broke the turkey pinata, the kids found the candy had words taped onto each piece. Random words like "beds" or "underwear" or "electricity." Then we talked about why we were grateful for beds, underwear, electricity, etc... Such a great time bonding with Abbi, Spencer, and Emily.