Merry Christmas from Conlinville!

It was another wonderful Christmas!

We started off the day with an 8:30 church service.  The boys don't get up before the sun on Christmas anymore, so with our early church time, Adam and I realized that we'd have to put Christmas stuff on hold until we got home from church.  I have to admit that my first instinct was a bit of an internal groan.  But then I kind of metaphorically slapped my own face--what is this day about, Colleen?!  Who is it for?  All season long, don't you work hard to keep Christ and giving--not the getting of gifts--as the center of the season for your family?  Wasn't this a perfect way to start off Christmas?!  YES!  And it truly was.  The boys were fantastic, and not a one of them did any groaning about having to walk past those full stockings and brown paper packages as we left for church, amazing boys that they are.  It really was the best way to start the day and I am so glad we were able to sing Christmas songs, listen to the story of the First Christmas and be with our church family to begin the celebration of Christ's birth.

We jumped right back into our pajamas when we got home and I put the casseroles in the oven.  THEN it was time for gifts!  The boys were all really excited about the things they received and I loved watching their faces light up.  They each made each other a gift this year (the younger boys with a little help from Mom and Dad), as they did last year, and it was just the best.  It makes the giving just as exciting as the getting for them.

It was a lovely day filled with a lot of joy and so much goodness.
    
We really are so grateful for all that we have, the hard work Adam puts in to provide for our family and the joys that the fruits of that work affords our boys on Christmas Day.  But mostly, we are grateful for our Savior whom we celebrate and the meaning that his life and sacrifice give to our lives every day of the year. 

A white Christmas!

Merry snowy, windy Christmas!

Back in pajamas and ready to open!

The third Hobbit movie!  Luke's been asking to see it ever since he finished the book and the other two movies--but we didn't have it.  Thanks, Santa!

We had Tommy close his eyes, then Adam put the cage on the ground and the hamster food in Tommy's hands.  He was so confused at first, but Luke wasn't.  He knew right away what that food meant.  I love how excited Luke is for Tommy to get this gift!

Welcome to the family, Daisy Nibblesworth Conlin, Tommy's pet Chinese Dwarf Hamster!

For Ben to hang racing bibs and medals, made by Josh.

Dark chocolate sea-salt caramels for Zac and Josh from Tommy and Luke.

A stuffed-animal hammock for Tommy from Zac.

A paper crane mobile for Luke from Ben.

 

Playing with new toys, a Minecraft stop-motion movie creator.

Buddha board art...ohm....

Putting together the metal detector from Nana and Papa.

Relaxing with a new Christmas movie: Kubo and the Two Strings!

Taking a break from Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit to watch Luke's Minecraft movie.

Josh with his two favorite gifts: his beanie (first favorite) and sax (second favorite).  Wait...is that right?!  Haha!  Earlier in the day, Josh said his favorite gift was his new beanie.  I told him that his comment was noted and that next year we wouldn't bother with a large gift like his sax, and he said, "Wait!  No!  I forgot!  That's my favorite!  I mean the beanie was also a favorite."

Hi Daisy!

Christmas Eve in Conlinville

Christmas was a small affair this year, with just our little family (of 7!) together, but I LOVE Christmases like this.  It was quiet and we could just kind of flow with the day and enjoy plans and events as they popped up.  We started off the day with our favorite family breakfast tradition of aebelskivers.  Soooo yummy!  Adam even made a special batch of gluten-free, that Luke said were just as good as the original.  We shared the goodness with Ben's buddy, Micah, because we like to share the love! 

After a relaxing day of hanging out, prepping dinner, watching It's a Wonderful Life and pulling a few last-minute things together for Christmas {read: a trip to Target}, we drove down to the Broadmoor to see the lights and the giant gingerbread train.  We marveled at the size and scale of the train and how much candy, cookies and frosting it took to create it, then we walked around the pond in the twilight amid the twinkling Christmas lights.  It was such a fun way to spend the early evening! 

Back at home, we had a delicious dinner and Christmas Eve mousse, popped our Christmas crackers and opened Christmas jammies.  We finished off the night reading the story of the first Christmas and leaving cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  The boys tucked in awaiting the magic of Christmas to arrive.  And they were not disappointed!

I will end the telling of our Christmas Eve with a story of what I saw as a tiny Christmas miracle--a little, non-consequential, but still wonderful, gift from God.  All week long I had been watching the weather, disappointed as the chance of Christmas snow plummeted from a 50% chance predicted for Christmas the Sunday before to a 0% chance by Christmas Eve Eve.  Darn!  Who doesn't wish for a white Christmas?!  Well, I do.  Every year.  Then, in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve, something amazing happened--a flash, unpredicted Christmas snow popped up in the forecast!  I had to look three times before I could believe it.  Yes!  It wasn't much snow, but just a perfect amount to blanket the world a bit in white.