Christmas Highlights

I'm going to post a few photos that illustrate the highlights of our Christmas week.  We're especially grateful this week for the precious gift of our Savior's birth.  It comforts us like nothing else ever could, and fills us with hope and peace.  Happy Birthday Jesus, and we'll see you again, Grandma.

Isabelle and I (and two sick boys  :(  ... ) on our way to school...

to deliver these...

I spaced it (dealing with sickies all week, no doubt) and forgot to purchase gift cards, so we left extra early before school and found ourselves here...

Poor Ethan couldn't even eat a doughnut because he still wasn't feeling good, so we dropped off his teacher's gifts and headed back home.  So sad to miss out on the one of the most fun school days of the whole year!

How cute are they?!?!

We were surprised with a lovely holiday dusting of powder later that day...

Not enough for much (yet), but that didn't stop Jonah...

We had 2 back-to-back doctor's appointments, but then the real fun began...

piling up on my Dad, Grampy, with cousin Darianna

decorating cookies that Mimi, my Mom, baked all morning long

I just realized that I didn't get one picture with Mimi...   :(

I was extremely disappointed to discover that my camera was somehow set in a manual mode that made for some very blurry, grainy photos of pretty much all our Christmas festivities from this point on, and this wasn't discovered until...yesterday.

Here we are before heading over to my aunt and uncle's for dinner, and then to church for the candlelight Christmas Eve service...

Right before we all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus bright and early Christmas morning...

Santa ate half his cupcake and cookie, and Rudolph had nibbled away at this carrot  :)

The calm before the storm ~ and this is the LAST pic I will ever post of that poor, naked fireplace!  hint hint hint ~ come back soon for the Big Reveal...

Each year our children draw names and go shopping alone with Daddy to get one very special gift for "their person."  These are the first presents they open, and each child excitedly rushes over to the tree to retrieve this special gift for their sibling.
Jonah had drawn Isabelle Kate's name, and he was SO excited to watch her open his gift.  I try to remember the perfect joy in moments like those when they aren't behaving, well, so joyously.

Hooray, Lukey likes his present too!

I have no photographic representation of the events that followed...but we enjoyed a lovely brunch with my parents, and we celebrated with Bill's side of the family later on and the next day.  It was a wonderful, joy-filled Christmas.  Most of the time.  There were a few moments where, as a parent, I found myself worrying that I may not be doing a good job teaching my children things like generosity, gratitude, selflessness.  This part is so hard!  I want to do the very best job I can, but we all fall short, don't we?  As parents and as children.  We'll never be perfect, so I'm trying to focus on using life's little moments as teaching tools.

And it feels good to know that it really isn't up to me anyway...God will use every mistake I ever make for His ultimate good, and for someone who makes a LOT of mistakes, I take comfort in that!