Merry Christmas!!!

There is something just SO magical about Christmas Morning with young kids.  I have great memories of our little ones and the excitement of waking up and being so anxious to open their gifts.  I am not sure how they can get to sleep that night, because I sure have a hard time with the anticipation of the morning.  This year the older two were up and excited at about 5:30... I had JUST gotten back in bed from feeding the baby when I heard Andrew get up.  They came in a couple of times to tell us stuff even though we had told them DO NOT WAKE US UP BEFORE 7!  Just a few minutes before 7 they were all worried because they could not get Trevor to wake up.  A second later we hear Trevor with a burst of excitement and the little pitter patter of his feet in the hallway was all it took to get us excited and out of bed.



Santa DID find our house.  He found the treats the boys left out and in return left us a load of gifts under the tree. 
The boys waited semi-patiently for us at the top of the stairs to come down... a tradition that Aaron holds strong to, that we must all walk down together.

This was Jared's First Christmas!  He was not too thrilled to be woken up and for no reason except to play with paper and bows!!!  But he did have fun with that.

The one thing that Andrew had really wanted and was told he would not get was a DS.  Mom said that he was too young to have something that expensive because he doesn't take care of his things.  He did get one, because Santa is nicer than Mom and Drew has made sure to take GOOD care of it so far!!!

After Christmas toys were opened and played with and Grandma and Grandpa had gone we took the family to Temple Square to see the lights.  It was a wonderful way to end the day.  To remember the reason for the celebrations, to remember the reason for the gifts and the Joy and the Love that we experience this time of year.  The Visitor's Center was closed but we were able to see the Christus through the window and pause for a minute and remember our Savior and the wonderful gifts that were given to us, the gift of the Son from our Father, and the gift of life from our Brother.




This year has been one filled with so many wonderful blessings.  We were able to have a new little brother join our family, healthy and strong.  Aaron's job is steady and he enjoys it, which is key.  The kids continue to learn and grow and are friends with each other.  The Gospel is the foundation of our home and family.  Andrew is excited to be baptized in a few months.  We have a home that keeps us safe from the world and elements. We have so many things to be thankful for.  We have seen hard times in the past, we have had to suffer and really reach inside of ourselves to find out what we were to do, to learn and how to grow from the experiences.  I am so grateful for a husband who has always stood strong, put his faith in the Lord, paid his tithing and then worked as hard as he could to provide for our family.  He has done what he needed to make sure that we are always taken care of and happy.  We have learned self reliance and discipline.  I am thankful for him, for our four precious boys and for the life that we have built over the past 8 1/2 years.  I know that the hard times have built us up, made us rely on each other and on the Lord and that without the refiners fire we can not become what He needs us to be.  I hope that 2011 will be a wonderful year and that our motto for this year, "What matters most?" can help us to turn our days into monumental moments filled with teaching and love.  Enjoying the things that do matter most in our lives and not letting them slip away too fast.