WiNtEr VaCaTiOn

Well winter has hit Michigan!  We have SNOW!!! I didn’t think we would actually have a white CHRISTmas this year…. But we did. It snowed Christmas eve and then the day after Christmas. The girls have had so much fun playing outside and sledding in the backyard.

(insert cool winter pictures here, if I had been a good mom and taken some)

 

It has also been nice to have my hubby home on LEAVE for the last 3 days!  I ACTUALLY have enjoyed having him home. For any of my “followers” that are military may know and understand, you get so used to your marine being GONE. Either on workups, deployments or in and I & I duty, they are gone A LOT for meetings and classes.  So in the 17 + years he has been in the Marine Corps, I have really gotten used to him being GONE and doing things on my own.  Taking care of our girls and the home and all that is included in that. This duty has been so different.  This duty has been more of the REAL WORLD than I care to be a part of.  I have always enjoyed living on a base.  Living in a neighborhood of military families. I don’t really like living in the REAL WORLD.  Honestly I would give up living in our OWN home to live on a base again.  This duty has been a little difficult on my hubby too, I think.  It definitely is NOT like a regular unit. 

Anyways, back to my hubby being on LEAVE. He decided to take leave and enjoy some time OFF while our girls were on Christmas break.  He was on duty the week before Christmas and then started leave the day after Christmas. He doesn’t have to go back until the 7^th of January.  He has helped with the girls, cooked meals and we have been able to enjoy some good quality family time together.  I am lucky to have such amazing kids and a wonderful husband.  I hope that I can enjoy ALL of the vacation and not go CRAZY having everyone home ALL THE TIME!  You know how it is with family???

As 2012 comes to a close, I am looking forward to 2013 and excited to see what it holds for our family.  We have BIG plans for 2013 and NO it DOESN’T include a baby. L

Merry CHRISTmas to all!

It is hard to believe that CHRISTmas is here (and almost gone). 2012 has been a year that has FLOWN by!  I felt so unprepared this year for CHRISTmas.  I had BIG plans of this to make and things I wanted to do with my girls.  Not much of the list got accomplished.  I just had to come to grips with the fact it wasn’t going to get done.

As a family 1st this year we went to cut down our CHRISTmas tree.  What a fun event that was. We LOVED it and are looking forward to making that a new tradition.

 We then decorated the tree and took pictures with the tree

This CHRISTmas as in ones past I wanted to focus on the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas and the reason WHY we celebrate in the 1^st place.  It is important to our family that we give to others that NEED.  We were blessed to be able to give to a few people this year who were in need.  I made BLESSING BAGS with my girls to give out to those on the streets.  We made bags full of hygiene stuff for our full time missionaries in our ward, as well as our senior missionary couple.  We also made plates of yummy stuff to give to our friends.  It  was so fun to spend time in the kitchen with all 4 of my girls --- AND my hubby baking yummy goodies.  Everyone helped. Everyone made their favorite yummy treat (my hubby’s favorite part was TESTING the goodies J)

 This year as like last, we are REALLY missing our family.  I was hoping to be able to spend CHRISTmas with my parents and brother this year. BUT it didn’t work out that way. So again it was just our quiet little family.

CHRISTmas eve was spent baking more yummy goodies, delivering them to friends, spending TIME as a family and enjoying watching the SNOW fall!  As is tradition, the girls watched CHRISTmas movies ALL DAY and colored CHRISTmas pictures.  My hubby read the CHRISTmas story to us by the fireplace, we took traditional new pj pictures..... 

and then we had family prayer, then we put the girls to bed.  YES it was 10pm and that meant a REALLY long night for mama…. Since I hadn’t even wrapped a single present.

Luckily, my hubby stood watch at the stairs (to make sure the girls stayed in bed and didn’t PEEK) so I could wrap and prepare for “santa” to come.  Amazingly enough we were in bed by 1am. And our WONDERFUL girls stayed in bed til 7:45am.  That is sleeping in for us!

 The girls were so excited to see what SANTA had brought them.  Haylee (our oldest) got a guitar and lots of clothes. Sydney (#2) got a tablet, a nice church jacket, and an mp3 player. Kelsee (#3) got a new DSi and a BIG Merida doll, along with an mp3 player.  Delaney (our “baby”) got Little People PRINCESS figures, a baby doll and lots of books! The girls also got 2 PINK BB guns from daddy… which they have already put to the test down in the basement.

We had a great time opening presents and spending the day together. Playing with all the new toys and watching CHRISTmas movies. I felt like I spent the day in the kitchen preparing and cooking our CHRISTmas dinner.  We had ham, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls and homemade apple pies for dessert.  It makes me happy that my family LOVES my cookin’.  I guess I am doing something right.

Well that is our CHRISTmas in a nutshell.  I am so grateful for this time of year that we have to focus on the birth of our Savior.  I am so grateful for HIS sacrifice for each of us.  We have truly been blessed to live in such a time that we may worship as we please. May you all feel the LOVE that our SAVIOR has for you and feel the blessings that our Father in Heaven has given you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!