Christmas Time!

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We had a great Christmas this year. The kids wrote Santa their letters and then we went to the mall and mailed our letters at Macy's. They had a big red mailbox where the kids could drop off their letters to Santa. With Jerry's mom's family we do "Advent" every year which is a German tradition. We get together 2 times before Christmas and then Christmas Eve as well. On Christmas Eve, Jerry's Grandma made her famous German dinner complete with dumplings, sauerkraut, and purple cabbage. We also did the nativity and then a family gift exchange. Earlier on Christmas Eve, my family has a tradition of going to the movies. So we went to see "The Tale of Despereaux" which was a very cute movie. Then we went back to my mom's for some food and open our traditional christmas eve present of pj's for the kids. With Jerry's dad's family they had their annual christmas party at the sports complex the monday before Christmas. (that's the only place big enough to hold his whole family!) We had dinner and did the nativity and then let the kids play. So Christmas morning finally came. We had to wake the kids up at 7:30 because I couldn't stand waiting anymore! : ) They were very excited to see what Santa brought. Nana and Bronti spent the night at our house and it was nice to have them there with us. Nana made yummy crepes for breakfast and Aubrey and Travis came over as well. Then we went to my parent's to open more presents, eat and talk to Curtis. After that we headed over to Jerry's dad's for more presents again, food and spending time together. Our holidays get pretty crazy with family being so close. But I am so glad they are. Then Josh and Stephanie decided to come down on Friday so we had another dinner at Jerry's mom's house and then Saturday we had a family soccer game at the complex. It was a fun holiday season, but I am sad it is already done! Christmas is our favorite time of year. The kids are already asking when Christmas is coming again! Hopefully you all had a very merry christmas. I know we did!

Cassie's Blessing Day

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On Sunday, we had Cassie's blessing. I just love these special days. Cassie looked beautiful in her blessing dress. (I used the one my mom made for Briana.) If we have any more girls, I would like them to wear that same dress, as well. A beautiful heirloom to pass on. We had so much family there to support us. I am grateful that they are so close to us. Then after the meeting we headed back to our house for a luncheon. We had planned on setting up tables and chairs outside to eat, but it was way too cold, so we all squeezed inside. We had yummy food, great company and enjoyed the time together. Thank you so much to all who came and helped with the luncheon. We love you all and you are all a big part of our lives.

Family Pictures

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Thank you Tricia for taking these beautiful pics!

Happy Birthday Dad!

How lucky I am to have such an amazing father! I just wanted to share a few random thoughts/memories about my dad!
- He is the King of Bad Jokes! Every time he tells one, you groan and shake your head! But you can always count on him to try to make you smile!
- I got all my bad habits from him! Dr. Pepper, Ice Cream, and my annoyance for dumb drivers!
- Some of my favorite memories growing up was waking up early to go to basketball with him down at the church and hoping he would take us to Circle K for a treat. (usually donuts and a Dr. Pepper)
- He taught me how to work. He is such a hard worker. He taught me the importance of a good work ethic, and had us kids working at a young age helping him clean offices or doing yard work etc.
- I could almost always count on him (and my mom) to be at any sporting event I had. I also could always tell he was there because he would be the loudest one cheering me and my team on. I especially remember the time when I had a volleyball game on Halloween and he came all dressed up and was even louder than usual!
- One of his favorite lines when I was growing up was "Don't kiss the boys!"
- I learned to appreciate "the oldies" from him. We always had to listen to the oldies when he was driving. That is how I have grown to love The Beatles and Elvis.
- He is an amazing grandfather. When he hasn't seen the grandkids for awhile, he will say he needs to get his "grandkid fix" because he misses them. He shows so much love to my kids and I am so grateful for that.

I could go on, but I won't. I just want him to know how much I love and appreciate him for always being there for me and supporting his family the way he does. He has a wonderful testimony and knowledge of the gospel. Thanks for everything Dad! I love you!
P.S. I wanted to put up a very embarrasing pic, but I couldn't find it! You lucked out!