Christmas Day

What a fun Christmas day! And I even got dressed before the kids got up so no pink robe in these pictures. First thing we do is open the "Christmas Box" and read all the service we did or noticed each other doing as our gift to the Savior in the month of December. Then we do stockings and presents! This year the kids seemed to just appreciate everything more, there was no exclamation of "What else?" or "I wanted ___ not socks!" We took our time opening everything and Grandma and Granpa Schauers were here and Uncle Todd to participate in the fun. I will be sad when our kids are grown up too much to merit the Schauers presence on Christmas morning. We left the spoils around 10:30 and went up to Eagle Mountain to participate in more Christmas giving/recieving. It was a non-stop fun day, and we were all a little exhausted the next day. I think it is a perfect end to a really great year. We are so blessed.

One of the things the kids and I did for Grandparents this year was a calendar of pictures the kids made. I generated the months with pictures of family members on their respective birthdays on the computer, but the kids hand made the pictures for each month. Here are some of the pictures they drew for the calendar:








Jared and I were commenting on how the Christmases are all starting to run together, we couldn't remember one from the next. This is what I want to remember about this Christmas:
-working on Calendars for grandparents every Saturday in October and November
-the kids got water bottles just like Mom's in their stockings and loved them!
-Calendar for Uncle Todd too, and he loved it!
-the first year I obeyed Jared and did not buy him any Christmas gifts (he bought himself an ice fishing pole and auger
-luggage for the kids full of clothes for their "big" gift
-giving money to many people in need, at Jared's direction
-Secret Santa for a neighbor family
-the kids passing out treats for the neighbors
-our fiber-optic Christmas tree light bulb finally burning out
-all Fiora wanted was a glitter ball, 2 bucks
-Weston and his remote control car
-Savanna waking up first and dragging the other kids out of bed, and watching "A Christmas Story" until Dad got up
-The nativity at the Barretts
-Progressive dinner with Schauers on Christmas Eve, and my kids singing "Chocoloate in my Stocking" (Weston), "Up on the Housetop" (Fiora) "Away in a Manger" Savanna
-Singing "Peace Peace Peace" with Shawna Schauers
-No fighting all day!