~Christmas Memories 2008~

I really didn't mean to start this post with a picture of my Christmas present, but I forgot to add a photo of it below and I just had to show it off!!!:) It really is the coolest and most comfortable bike! I love it! I was having a tough time finding a cruiser bike that was comfortable (hey, I'm not that young anymore!). Dale did some research and special ordered this for me. Thanks sweetie!!! I love it!

~Christmas Eve~

Christmas Eve day was spent visiting neighbors and delivering goodies. We always go to the early candlelight church service at 5:30 and then come home and let the kids open one gift. This year we were invited to spend the evening with Reed's best friends family so we did things a little different and let them open their gifts before church. I also had Faith take a nap before church because I knew it would be a long evening for her. She actually fell asleep which was a real shocker! She never naps anymore. I had to wake her up just in time to get going to church on time. And of course I had to get some photos before we left! Even with the family complaining and the boys calling me the "Christmas police" I insisted on photos!!:)

Faith still half asleep before leaving for church.

She's wearing her pearls I bought for her when we were in China....

Faith was so sleepy, but I just love this photo of her

Faith and Mommy in their matching pearls

My Christmas blessings..........

We used the self timer to get these family pictures. It was hilarious because the dogs were jumping all over us like we were playing some kind of game.

I guess they wanted in the photo too!!

We had a really nice evening at our friends house, but it did make for a pretty rough night with Santa not coming to our house until 3:00!!! (And I have to admit I missed our cozy quiet traditional Christmas Eve) We got home around 10:00, but Reed could not fall asleep, I think from all the excitement of being at his friends house. This is also the first year for Reed to start having doubts about Santa.

We also had to say farewell to our "elf on the shelf" Tom! See you next year Tom! Thanks for sending Santa such great reports on the kids!:)
(Faith really enjoyed this elf on the shelf! It was the first year we started it and every morning she had to go find Tom. The boys had to act cool about it, but they even had fun searching for him. Although he did creep Reed out a little:)

~Christmas Morning~

Yes Reed! There is a Santa Claus!!!!!coming down stairs Christmas morning.............

Santa came!!!!!!!

Each year Faith puts a Santa hat on Christmas morning. It is a tradition she started all on her own. So so cute!!!!

The kids are always complaining about the pencils in our house needing to be sharpened. With all the homework they have we are always sharpening pencils! So I bought them an electric pencil sharpener. Here they are opening it together.

With all the excitement we forgot to let the dogs out. They were waiting patiently.

the boys checking out their new Star Wars collection

Just love those faces!

Reed working intently on his special Lego set

Faith loves her new mini from Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Hey, Mommy wants a mini too!!;)

Daddy taking a rest on his new chair back massage.

Reed summed our Christmas up as he does every year!! He says "This was the best Christmas ever!" When he said it this year Dale and I looked at each other and laughed. Honestly he says it every year. It is the sweetest thing. We said to him Reed, you say that every year! His reply was "but seriously this really was the best one!"
With the kids growing up a good part of their childhood military (especially the boys) our Christmas' were always spent in a different house, state, or country. We never were fortunate to spend Christmas around extended family (with the exception of one year when were stationed in the DC area around Dales family) Long ago it used to really bother me that our children would not grow up having Christmas memories around a bunch of family, but in time I have grown to love what has become our traditional Christmas. With all of our travels it has made for some exciting and interesting times around the holidays. One year while stationed in Spain we took a Mediterranean cruise right near Christmas time. We went with some friends of ours and together our children romped through Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Pisa, Monte Carlo, Pompeii, Malta, and an entire Spanish cruise ship. But with all of our travels we have always made sure we our "home" at our house on Christmas Eve and Day no matter where that might be. It is the one thing we felt we always wanted the children to have. There may be years that it is only us celebrating together as a family, but that's OK. I think we have taught our children the gift that home is where the heart is and that can be many places.

So here's to our Christmas 2008~our 4th Christmas spent in California!
It may have just been us, but it was the BEST Christmas ever!:)