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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.