Christmas has come and gone! What a great time it was - fun time with family and everyone seemed to have such a great time. I love my family - from my mom to my sister and brother in law, brother and sister in law and their families to my in laws, mother and father - brothers in law and sister in law - I love them all! My children are my favorites though...I love Taylor's sensitive spirit, humble attitude, gracious life. I love Parker's spirit, spunk and sense of humor and I love Raber's sweet spirit, caring attitude and quick wit. They are at once similar and different. God graced them with such special gifts, musical, love of reading, care for others, similar gifts used differently. They have grown so quickly into young men.

Taylor and Kirra are such a wonderful couple, perfect together. It's a joy to spend time with them - they love each other and have such a respect for one another it's fun to watch! I love that Taylor chose such a sweet, kind woman to be my first daughter in law!

Ahh family - all special all unique! Gifts from God every one!

Ahhh, Christmas season - goes by too fast every year! Just when I'm really enjoying the lights, decorations, baking, shopping, wrapping, family...it's almost over! I love shopping, I love giving gifts - I love watching people open gifts - especially when the boys were little! I love being around family. I love baking goodies and giving them away. I love church - the decorations, the music, the message at Christmas. I love Jesus coming as a baby, a baby savior, a humble servant savior, my savior. I love celebrating him. I love spending time with friends, cept this year not much time for that...I love wrapping the presents and thinking about each person - praying for them as I wrap! Ahhh, Christmas season - Oh come Oh come Emmanuel...

Thanksgiving was not what I expected or planned - but it was wonderful just the same. I missed being with my family in Arizona, Doug missed being able to visit his parents, I missed the opportunity for Parker and Raber to hang out and play with their young and old cousins.

God had other plans and we stayed home - so very fortunate we found out Parker had been given the swine flu vaccine BEFORE we got to Rob and Julie's! The four of us had a nice dinner - amazingly I had most of the ingredients - even made an apple pie! Just had to get a fresh turkey - mine was too frozen when we found out at 8 Wednesday night that we wouldn't be going to Arizona.

So much to be thankful for - family, friends, health, Jesus!! Now on to my very very favorite holiday of the year, I LOVE Christmas - the lights, the decorations, the shopping, watching people open presents, cooking, eating, visiting, remembering Jesus human birth...so much of Christmas I would love to hang on to all year!