Tradition Tradition

We gave out our Christmas Light Awards this year again...Ryan, Lauren, Christian and Kirsten each chose a home to award...and I did too...we gave candy awards out...it is a fun ding dong ditching tradition we do.

We also did a twelve days of Christmas with a nativity set to a family in our ward...it was so fun, and we shared a story with the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.

Here is the story we shared...

WILL THE CHRIST CHILD COME ?(Author - Gaye Willis)Halfway through December, we were doing the regular evening thingswhen there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a smallpackage with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning!!We waited excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, withthe gift of a matching shepherd, did we realized that the lamb was part of a nativity set.Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive.Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch thegivers as we slowly built the scene at the manager and began to focus on Christ's birth.On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, but the baby Jesus.My 12 year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and beganto devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came.Finally we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Evetraditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the frontstep - no Baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus andthere wouldn't be anything coming.Somehow, something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was afeeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and I putout Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if theJesus had come - no, the doorstep was empty.In our family the kids can open their stockings when they want to,but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them.Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see ifperhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that pieceof the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed myfocus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I wasexcited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mindwas the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child. We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the childrenfound one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. Hehanded me a small package from my former visiting teachingcompanion. This sister was somewhat less active in the church. Ihad learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so thattheir focus was the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package - new dishtowels, the next year's lesson manual-not much, but something for herto open. I was touched when at Church on the day before Christmas,she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token ofher love and appreciation.As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and wasfilled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away,I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was thebaby Jesus. He had come!I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into ourhearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for him tocome, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying offeet" but he came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude, and love.This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit ofChristmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on theSavior. But we will most likely find him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship and service that we give to each other.This Christmas I want to feel again the joy of knowing that Christ isin our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than thatI want to open my heart to him all year that I may see him again. Don't forget the reason for the Season

The Christmas Shoe

My sister Becca sent me a most wonderful gift...she sent me a shoe for my tree from my nephews. I have a tradition of hanging my babies" shoes on my tree...and I have both Kaden and Trae's shoes...so she added a shoe that her two boys have worn...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, My wonderful family i cant wait until i get to see yal, see you on christmas!!!

kiki's Pegasus softball tryouts

Softball tryouts are coming!!! On January 9, 2008 kiki will tryout for the Pegasus softball travel team! She is trying out for an older age group!!! She is very excited to tryout and hopes that she makes the team. The softball team is something that she hopes for every year.

Home for Christmas

We are looking forward to Ryan being home for Christmas this year!!! He is on his way as I type...he has a few stops he is going to be making...one in Jacksonville, FLA and then he is off to Colorado Springs and then on to Las Vegas...a transport bringing my son home for Christmas...a great perk I had not considered before:)

We are also planning a visit up North to see Sean, Marci and my girl Eliza! We will also see Branden, Ilia and Kanden and Trae...and some friends to boot.