The Reason for the Season

My favorite & the best part of Christmas....the birth of Jesus. I love explaining & telling the story of Jesus's birthday to my kids. My kids are at the age where their minds are like sponges. They adsorb every detail & ask every question. However, I don't think they can grasp it all! So, it all became surreal to them when I took them to Bethlehem at a church nearby. Our good friends were Mary & Joseph, along with their precious baby Logan- she was baby Jesus. Inside the church they had it set up like Bethlehem. You could walk to about 10 different stations each showing the kids different things, like baking bread, making olive oil, making a broom, candles & the lay out of the manger with baby Jesus in it. It was breath taking!

Decorating cookies!

Another tradition we do around Christmas time is decorate cookies with the cousins! This is the time everyone gets doughy & all sprinkled up!! I also think it gets a lot more messy too! Oh well, it is so much fun to eat while you work! Lilly would have a little bit taken out of her cookie- a trademark for her. Brock seems to lick in between every icing & sprinkle decor- thank goodness we are family! Bryce, Hayden & Kayla are what you would call the sterilized cookie makers. Very clean & perfectionist!

Bryce using his cookie cutters.

Lilly pressing down really hard to get her sled shape.

Kayla making her cookies- so cleanly!!

Hayden getting started!

Brock eating as he goes!

Lilly a little messy. Actually, she looked like a big flour pot. If you think she looks messy, you should have seen where she was sitting?!?!

Bryce, like his sister, bathed in it!

What a great time we had- thanks Hayden & Kayla, can't wait till next year! However, my kitchen can!!!haha

The kids special ornament

One of our favorite things to do at Christmas time is to decorate the Christmas tree. The whole family participates & the kids seem to look forward to doing it every year!

Bryce adding his favorite Storm Trooper ornament!
Brock with one of the TMNT!

Lilly loves her "Max" ornament, it is a German Shepherd!

The whole gang having their second wind of the giggles. Every time the other one speaks, they all crack up at each other! Bunch of goof balls!

Our new addition

We have added 2 new additions to our family!! Lilly has 2 new kittens. There names are Rex(dark) & Rocky(wht & brown). They are so lovable, playful & most of all so full of energy. Like Shane & I don't have enough energizer bunnies around the house!! Lilly's specialists gave us the "Okay" upon getting the kittens. Lilly has had less than 5 breathing treatments in the year of 2008. God is healing her lungs everyday. The doctors always told us that Lilly just needs time to grow new lung tissue.... it is working. Once again we have time on our side, everyday, every hour, every minute & every second!!! Thank you God for inhibiting the growth of new lung tissue & letting Lilly fill her little clean, air sacs up with fresh air!

Merry Christmas everyone!