Michael was so excited about our wet snow fall that he had to take Benajmin outside to build a castle with him. I don't know who had more fun, Dad or Benjamin. When Bekah discovered that the boys were outside, she had to go join in the fun. Michael loves being able to work from home and share these kinds of experiences with the children.
Grandpa stole Benjamin's sword for about a minute before Benjamin wanted it back.
Michael taking pictures as usual.
Michael likes his BYU jacket that I got for free from a promotion back in September.
Sword fighting with sister. 
Bekah was afraid of brother's tiger rug at first, but after a little more exposure she decided it wasn't so scary after all.
Gary was surprised by what Santa brought him.
Waiting for Aunt Mary to go downstairs.
Playing with the play dough from the activity kit Mary and Gary gave them. They love it and I love that they can use it in the kitchen and not on the carpet. 
Bekah was so excited to get clothes for a Christmas that she had to go get dressed right away. Needless to say, she was the first one dressed that morning.
We had a wonderful Christmas! My parents, sisters, and Mary's fiance, Gary, all came to our house for the holiday. It was great to have everyone here. We played in the snow, took engagement pictures, went fabric shopping for wedding stuff, ate a lot of yummy food, and spent time visiting with one another.
On Christmas Eve, we shared our favorite scriptures about Christ and his birth. My favorite scripture is John 3:16 which reads "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" because it talks about the greatest gift that we have all received. Christmas is a time of gift giving, but the most important part is to take time to remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the gifts that he gave to each of us by setting an example, teaching, and giving His life for us. To me, that is the true spirit and meaning of Christmas.
After we shared a spiritual message we opened our one Christmas Eve present and sent the kids to bed. Then, Mom and Dad played Santa and went to bed so that Grandma could finish playing Santa.
I woke up bright and early on Christmas morning and laid in bed reading until the children woke up around 7 a.m. I found this surprising because Benjamin woke up at 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve because he was so excited to have people at his house for Christmas. Once everyone was awake, we went to the family room to see what "Santa" had brought us and then took turns opening presents so we had a chance to see what everyone else received. I love the Christmas tradition of taking turns to open presents because then we can all share in the joy and excitement of each other as we see what was given to everyone else. This makes the holiday more meaningful for me because we share one another's joy instead of having a opening contest to see who can open their presents the fastest and ignoring the giving part of the season. We then had some friends over for our Christmas breakfast and spent the rest of the day enjoying spending time together and our gifts. Michael and I decided that we did not like the idea of having two big turkey dinners within one month of each other so we incorporated to tradition of Christmas breakfast where we have a big, yummy breakfast after we open presents and then we have the rest of the day to enjoy. We were planning on having cinnamon rolls with our eggs and bacon, but we ended up having pie instead (another good tradition, pie for breakfast). Yum!
Christmas was wonderful! And, I look forward to having it again next year, and for many years to come.
Benjamin and Bekah were really excited to get cute pajamas for Christmas! 
Gary was very enthusiastic about his Christmas present from Kristina. Can you tell that he is an outdoorsy kind of guy?
My children love to play. They even like to play with each other. It is so precious to listen to them play pretend together and giggle and laugh with each other. I love my children and I am so glad that they love each other. Who could ask for a better playmate than a sibling that you love and enjoy spending time with?
Bekah loves to pretend to be a mommy. She likes to pretend to cook and clean and she takes her baby everywhere. Here are some pictures of her playing in the kitchen at playgroup. It is precious to watch her mimic her Mommy and try new things. Our children love to dance. Lately, they have been dancing to the Christmas music Mom has been playing. I love to listen to them giggle and watch them spend positive time together. This is too cute not to share!
We are excited to celebrate the spirit of giving that comes with this time when we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus will be coming to our house tonight to symbolize the abundance that Christ gives to us all year long. In return for the abundance that we are given, we are asked to give something in return so we leave a small treat out for Santa to symbolize the offerings we give to our Savior Jesus Christ. When we are willing to give a little bit of our self, our Savior gives us so much in return that we cannot comprehend how much he loves us and is willing to give us.
To me Santa is the very symbol of the season when we consider him in this perspective. He wears red like our Savior did the day he was hung on a cross. He gives gifts to everyone in the world (in theory) just as Jesus Christ gave the gift of eternal life to all mankind when he died on the cross on Calvary. Santa also reminds us of the spirit of giving which is how Jesus Christ is. Jesus is always giving to us and wants us to give to our fellowmen.
To me, Santa is not a symbol of greed or thinking of one's self, but an opportunity to think of others and give to all those we love and care about. I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus more than the actual man. I love to give to others whenever and wherever I can and I have found great joy in thinking of and serving others. I love this time of year and the emphasis that is put on gift giving and thinking of others. To me that is the spirit of the season. Merry Christmas!
Benjamin loves animals. The other day Benjamin took his sister's dog for "a walk" and when he was done he tied the dog up so that it wouldn't run away. He is so dang cute!
I know, I know. A few days ago I was complaining about no snow, but I didn't think we would have six feet of snow for Christmas! Benjamin is ecstatic! And it is still snowing . . . . . . .
