Merry Christmas 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!  We are focused on celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  In reality, we celebrate His birth and death every day of the year, not just on this one day.  We are so very thankful for the last year and all the transitions we have made only through the grace of our Lord.  Today, we celebrate this Christmas with some new traditions but many of the ones we started in America with our family.

This year, we have been just as busy as we were in America.  The kids school had programs, fundraisers and parties right up until the last day.  We had Grandma Alice here for most of it, which is a huge praise.  And then friends and co-workers began having parties and celebrations.  We feel very blessed that the Lord has surrounded us with so many brothers and sisters of the faith to reduce our homesickness during the season.

Here are pictures of the kids opening presents...there was much excitement once we put presents out this year!  We are so thankful to all of you who helped us get goodies from America!

The kids got to open 1 present of their choice on the 23rd...we were trying to lower the craziness of shaking boxes and guessing what they were getting.  Katie opened her "big" present and got ZhuZhu pets...she loves them.

Nathan got a car, although it was not the Lightning McQueen he has been asking for since July!

Christmas morning, Katie and Nathan slept until 7:45!  But they woke up ready to go.

At this point Nathan was telling us, "I am so unhappy"...still no Lightning McQueen.

He was so upset that he got a bucket...

But then he opened the bucket and everything changed!

Nicholas was very happy about his new Star Wars Lego...

So happy he got up and danced.

Nathan's next gift was also huge hit!  Mack with Lightning.

Our neighbors came up to have birthday cake with us for breakfast...yes, that is our tradition on Christmas to have cake for breakfast.  Now we are just relaxing at home, of course the power is out today but we are counting our blessings.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!