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It's crazy how fast Christmas comes and goes. We had a wonderful day. The kids were great and loved all of their gifts. Yesterday I spent the day "finding" the house. It seems like the day after Christmas my house always looks like a tornado hit. I spent time going through the kids' toys. Getting rid of older ones and finding places for the new ones. I had to purge some of the Christmas goodies from the kitchen counter...so I could FIND the kitchen counter. It was a very productive day. Today I am going to the airport to pick up our friends. They are flying in from Oregon to spend a week. Very excited about that. I just have to throw this in for fun...I just noticed that it is 9:40 a.m. and both of my kids are STILL ASLEEP!!! Gotta love that!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.

Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

--Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 New International Version

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Twelve drummers drumming.

On The Eleventh Day of Christmas...

I can't believe it is Christmas Eve. This holiday season has gone by way too fast. Tonight we are going to the Christmas Eve service at our church. This is something we do every year. It is a candlelit service and is very peaceful and beautiful. Each year they have someone sitting in a big chair on the stage and they have all the kids come and sit around him and he reads them the Christmas story out of the Bible. It is so sweet to see them all sitting up there. Then they each get a candy cane. The rest of the service is riddled with crinkling sounds of candy canes being unwrapped and eaten. After the service we will be going to Scott's parent's house. We will have dinner and open gifts with them. I always look forward to this. I am so very blessed to have amazing in-laws. I love spending time with them. Well, it's off to get my house straightened up and get ready for the day's events. Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eleven pipers piping.

On The Tenth Day of Christmas...

Here are some of my Christmas favorites:

Song - Oh Holy Night
Movie - Santa Claus 2
Candy - Almond Roca (homemade)
Smell - Cinnamon rolls baking at mom's house on Christmas Eve
Memory - 2006 (see 8th day of Christmas post)
Tradition - Baking with my mom

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Ten lords a-leaping.

On The Ninth Day of Christmas...

I woke up with a major head cold. I need one of these....

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Nine ladies dancing.

On The Eighth Day of Christmas...

Today is the first day of Christmas vacation and I slept in until 9:00!!! It was great! We are going to meet my mom, sister, and niece for lunch this afternoon. That is all I have on my agenda.

Here's a question for you:

What is your favorite holiday treat? It can be a food dish, a candy, something baked, something bought, a drink.

Mine is my mom's homemade almond roca. I look forward to it every year. The first year we lived in Oregon I was able to come home to visit in November, so my mom made me some early. The second Christmas we were there I was not able to come home at all around Christmas. I was feeling very homesick and it was a hard Christmas. On Christmas morning Scott, the kids, and I were all sitting around the tree opening gifts. Scott handed me a gift. We had agreed we weren't getting gifts for each other, so I couldn't figure out what this could be. I was stumped. Inside was a Christmas tin that was very heavy. All of a sudden it hit me what it was. I tore the lid off and started crying as I looked into this tin FULL of my mom's almond roca! Scott had called her and asked her if she would make some and mail it so he could give it to me for Christmas. It was the best present I have EVER been given. I still tear up when I think of that story. What a thoughtful thing for my husband and my mom to do. These pictures are AWFUL, being as we just got out of bed, but I'm glad I will have these to look back on for the rest of my life!

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eight maids a-milking.

(Or in my case... a tin full of almond roca!)

On The Seventh Day of Christmas...

Not much happening today. Think I will FINALLY go grocery shopping. I have needed to do that for the past week but haven't had a chance. My family is ready to have some food in the house again. Today is Makenzie's last day of school until January. I'm excited about that. It will be nice to get a little extra sleep. Tonight I am going shopping with my brother. He hasn't even started his Christmas shopping yet. This should be fun. He's doing good this year though. He usually doesn't go shopping until Christmas Eve!

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Seven swans a-swimming.

On The Sixth Day of Christmas...

Makenzie did a great job singing with her choir last night. Not only did she sound great, but she looked beautiful too! I can't believe how fast she is growing up.
Tonight we have church and Caleb has been waiting for this night all year. It is finally his turn to bring the snack in his class. Every week he asks if it is his turn yet. The child who brings the snack that week gets to hold the flag when they say the Pledge of Allegiance, they get to pick their favorite song to sing during story time, and they get to pray for the snack if they want. Caleb is SO excited that it is finally his turn!
I need to finish up my Christmas shopping. Just need to get a few more stocking stuffers. I'm excited for Christmas next week. Then 2 days after Christmas our friends, Kerry and Sara, from Oregon will be here for 8 days. The house will be packed, but we don't care. Looking forward to having them here!

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Six geese a-laying.

On The Fifth Day of Christmas...

Yesterday I spent the day baking with my mom and little sister. This is something that I have missed for the past 2 years because we weren't able to come home for Christmas. This has been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. Even as a little kid, I remember my mom spending all day baking and then the 4 of us kids would get to decorate the cookies she made. We love to paint the cookies with a karo syrup/food coloring mixture. It gives them a stained-glass look and it is way fun. Now it is the grand kids that get to do the decorating. They had a ball panting, frosting, and making a huge mess. Tristyn tried drinking the bowl of blue syrup at one point. Caleb couldn't grasp the concept of "sprinkling" the sprinkles, so his cookies had huge piles of sprinkles. This was on top of the gobs of syrup and frosting already on the cookie. They had a great time and it filled my heart to be a part of it again this year. Here are a few pics:

Today I am getting caught up on the laundry that I put off this weekend. Scott has the day off and it is rainy outside, so it will be a nice cozy day at home for us. Makenzie has her Christmas choir performance tonight. That should be fun. I always feel like a sardine at those things. There are so many people packed in to the school gym. But I am looking forward to hearing her sing. She loves to sing. God has blessed her with a beautiful voice and she always has a song in her heart. She is such an amazing kid! Ok, ok...I could brag about my kids for hours, and this post is already long enough!

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Five golden rings!

On The Fourth Day of Christmas...

I read this today and had to share it. What a great gift God gave us in His Son, JESUS!

Why Jesus is Better Than Santa:

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh.

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year.

JESUS is our ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies.

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited.

JESUS stands at your door and knocks,and then enters your heart when invited in.

You have to wait in line to see Santa.

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap.

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name. All he can say is, "Hi little boy or girl. What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name even before we were born. He knows our history and future. He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is "HO HO HO."

JESUS offers health, help, and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry".

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me, for I care for you."

Santa may make you chuckle.

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree.

JESUS became our gift and He died on a tree... The cross!

(And in keeping with the 12 days of Christmas theme...)

On the fourth day of Christmas, My true love gave to me: Four calling birds.

On The Third Day of Christmas...

We successfully made it through the weekend craziness without any battle wounds! The Christmas program was excellent. All of my Babies had a part. Makenzie sang in a trio, and did a FANTASTIC job, Caleb (along with all the preschoolers) got to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" while beating on his coffee-canister drum. They also sang "Away In A Manger", along with cute hand motions. Scott sang "Glory in the Highest" while 3 ladies and a bunch of the cutest little girls did an interpretive dance. It was so good! Caleb wasn't happy with being woke up at 6:45 this morning to go to church, but once he got moving we were doing good. I don't have even the small amount of energy it takes to go get the camera and download the pictures from the program, so I will post them later this week. Now I'm off to put on my pajama's and spend the rest of the day lounging in my comfy chair with a good book...until tonight when we will watch the Survivor Finale!! WooHoo!!

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Three french hens.

On The Second Day of Christmas...

As Christmas gets closer we get busier. Today I have to get laundry done, clean the house, and then of course we have to be to church early for the first Christmas program performance. Then after church we have Scott's work Christmas party. Hope to get home early enough that the kids get a good night sleep since we have another long day tomorrow.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Two turtle doves

On The First Day of Christmas...

I am spending the day baking cookies for church this weekend. I usually do this each week. On Saturday nights after church they have cookies and coffee for people who want to hang around and visit. There are a couple of us who make a few dozen cookies each week for that. This weekend is the Christmas program, so we are having to bake so much more than normal to prepare for the larger crowd. I am making chocolate chip cookies, snicker doodles, and chocolate peanut butter cookies. On top of all the baking, I still have to run to the store and pick up a gift for Scott's work party tomorrow night, and Makenzie's class is having a sale on things they have made. They are learning what it takes to run a business. The class was divided into different groups and each group had to come up with a product, create the product, price it, and advertise it. Today they are selling all the different products they have made, so I am heading to the school to buy some wonderful hand-made things made by 4th graders! Oh the memories!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A partridge in a pear tree.

The Golden Compass

There has been a lot of controversy on this new movie. I have added a link to a blog that has a lot of useful information. I'm hoping you will read it so you can decide for yourself if this is something you will go see. As for me, I have no desire to support this movie.

http://barryhughes.blogspot.com/

Our Fabulous Weekend

This past month Scott won a contest at work that included dinner and a 2 night hotel stay. We were able to use it this weekend. Here is how it went:

Friday: Scott got off of work and we headed to the hotel to check in. We were staying at the new Hampton Inn in downtown Boise. It was a very nice place and the bed was one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in! Nice change for a hotel. After checking in and unloading, we walked across the street to P.F. Chang's for dinner. We had a nice, leisurely dinner...enjoying the fact that we weren't in a rush. After dinner we walked across the street and got some coffee from Tully's, then went back up to our room to relax. We were on the 9th floor facing the mountains, so the view from our room was gorgeous! Especially when waking up to snow on the mountains.

Saturday: After sleeping in we went down to the lobby for a complimentary hot breakfast. It was delicious! There was so much to choose from. Biscuits & gravy, eggs, oatmeal, bagels, muffins, donuts, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit. After breakfast we headed out to enjoy downtown. After visiting many of the little shops we walked to Proto's Pizzeria for lunch. This is a great pizza place! After a day of shopping (finishing most of our Christmas shopping), we headed back up to our room where we relaxed until that evening. Saturday night was the annual Bank of America banquet. We got dressed up and headed over for an evening of food and fun. We had a great time visiting and laughing as we watched a lot of drunk people trying to dance. We then headed back to the hotel for another night of blissful, uninterrupted sleep.

Sunday: After, yet again, sleeping in and having a fabulous breakfast (this time french toast and sausage), we made a quick stop at the mall to grab one of the last few gifts we needed to buy. Then we headed to my parent's house where we spent the day. We were having lunch with my sister in a belated birthday celebration.

It was a busy, yet SO relaxing weekend. The kids stayed the weekend with my parents. THANK YOU Mom, Dad, and Aleana for helping out and keeping the kids even though this particular weekend was crazy busy for you all. I appreciate it more then words can say!

'Tis The Season To Be Shopping

This past weekend Scott's aunt and uncle came from Nevada to visit. The town they live in is very small and has no shopping, so they wanted to do as much Christmas shopping as they could while they were here. We met at my in-laws for breakfast and then hit the road running. First stop was Walmart. We spent about an hour and a half there. Next we moved to the mall. Yes...you read that right. We are CRAZY and went to the mall on a SATURDAY in DECEMBER!!! The place was packed! There were 10 of us that were shopping together. Have you ever tried shopping with 10 people (5 of them being children) in a busy place without getting separated? Impossible! Good thing we all had cell phones. We spent a lot of time calling each other to see where the others were. How did we shop before cell phones? After spending about 5 hours at the mall we all headed back to my in-laws for dinner. There was talk of going out again, but after sitting and resting our feet we decided not to. After a good meal and some rest Scott's aunt mentioned that there were a few things she had meant to pick up at Walmart that she forgot. By this time it is closing in on 9 pm. Scott decided to head home with Caleb, and my mother-in-law started getting kids showered and ready for bed. So, 4 of us decided to head back to Walmart. We shopped until ten when I finally headed home for the night. It was a taxing day, but not one I would trade for anything. It was so fun to spend the day with family.