Family Friday: Christmas

My lack of posting on here now has nothing to do with classes.  Now it is because I needed to get pictures off the camera.  I don't want to bore people with just my words and I feel like I have to have pictures.  I am not sure why.  Christmas vacation was wonderful. We spent most of it just detoxing from the intense semester we all had. We got together with family on both sides, which was  never long enough, but mostly spent a lot of time getting reacquainted as our own little family.

Festivities began with getting a tree.  For months Sophie had been keeping an eye on a tree she could see when we drove by, that she INSISTED was The. Perfect. Tree.  It was a hike to get to it, through frozen streams, tall grass and several fields.  This is not the tree, though we tried to convince her it was.

When we arrived, we determined the tree at the top of the branchless trunk was perfect (it really was.)  In the end we did take the tree that Sophie picked.  It really was perfect.  When we began cutting it Sophie said in surprise, "you're taking it!?  I didn't think you would actually choose it!"  I am not sure if that makes me feel like a good parent or a bad one...?

This is an important manly job that requires the expertise and advice of all males present. 

This one his on here just for me.  I still get twitterpated when I see Aaron.

The tree was decorated, and decorated, and decorated many times over the next couple weeks thanks to a toddler who shall remain nameless.

Proof that I exist.

We got bolga baskets at Easter thinking they would be the holiday baskets and they would be the kids "stockings" for Christmas.  In the end it just didn't look right without the stockings so we did both.

We had an extra bounteous year.  We caved and got a Wii with most pieces being second hand.  I got a Wii fit which was one of my stipulations for getting a Wii.  Aaron carved amazing wooden guns for the boys and they also got helmets and canteens on belts.  Sophie got an American Girl Doll that looks like her and at this point her name is Miri (My-Ree).  Sophie saved up half the cost by selling cookies.  I had a secret santa that got me the 1812 American Girl Doll, Caroline.  I know it is silly for a grown woman to have a doll, but it is like having a toy Dashwood sister which you have to admit sounds appealing.  We also got a toboggan from my sister.  We waxed it up and took it for a run and look forward to many more.  Aaron has to wait for his gift of a 30 flying lesson.  He could do it now, but wants to wait for nicer weather.

While the gifts were bounteous this year we are ever aware that not every one is so materially blessed and that we have an obligation to serve and love others as the Savior, whose birth we celebrate, would do.  The gifts are not about expense or number, but about learning the joy of giving and seeing the joy it brings to others. We had such a wonderful vacation, just detoxing from the intense semester we all had because of me and life. We got together with family on both sides.