Trimming the tree

Away in a manger,

No crib for His bed

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head

There really is something magical
about having a Christmas tree
in the house.
romance.

spirit.

cheer.

festivity.
warmth.

Going through the ornaments with the girls

brought back so many memories.

When we first got married and bought our

first home my mom got us a key ornament.

When the girls were born they got their

"1st Christmas" ornament. And over the

years we buy them an ornament that

represents what they love or what they

were into the past year.

Always ballet.

Jolene LOVES piggies. Raychel LOVES horses.

Jolene collects Snow White dolls.

By the time Raychel was 2 she could quote Cinderella.

She collects Cinderella dolls.

Setting up the tree is only part of the fun.
And when all the lights are off

and there's nothing but the glow
from the tree--
that's worth waiting for all year long.

So many nights we sit in the

"Christmas" room,

it's quiet, peaceful and warm.

After the tree is done we celebrated our

hard work by eating scones!!

Lighting Ceremony

The holiday lighting ceremony at the

historical Hotel Colorado. Nearly one million lights

will signal the start of the holiday season!! It was so

beautiful!! The streets were closed, which allowed them

to fill up with people. There was a huge screen so you

could see not only hear the songs. The Christmas songs they

sang were beautiful. It was a VERY cold night but we

had fun visiting with family and enjoying the sounds of the season.

Just after 7pm there was spot light on the top window of the

hotel, and looking up you could see Santa waving at all the

people! Then the million lights were turned on. The hotel

was completely lit up with reds, greens and whites. While we

were still taking in all the great decorations the firework show started!!

It was amazing, the colors, the sounds the excitement was

contagious! I am so glad were were able to be there and enjoy the

start of the holiday season. After the fireworks we headed

to Sterling's for hot chocolate and

sweet potato donuts!!

YUMMY!!!!!!

Jolene got tired before it started and Raychel's

feet were cold, what better way to rest

and warm your sisters feet!?

The true love of my life!!
Our little family
These three love being together.

Hundreds of people turn out for

the lighting ceremony.

Raychel watching the fireworks.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We had a great day with family and friends.

We were able to spend the day with Ward's

brother, Sterling and his family, along with

their in-laws, and friends. It was a house full,

about 30, but that is what made it Thanksgiving.

There was plenty of eating, laughing and playing games.

(I made my first pumpkin roll!!

It was super YUMMY!! and nowhere near as

hard as I thought it would be to make)

Emily and Raychel
Lots of room to eat!!
Emily, Raychel and Jolene

So many homemade pies!!

Playing games with cousins

Since we weren't home for Thanksgiving we had our

own then next day. We make Thanksgiving dinner

just on a smaller scale. It is nice to be around our table

in our home, enjoying our food and being

thankful for the eternal bond we share.

Jolene enjoyed the chips, she made her own

"coat picnic" she had been outside helping Ward.

Yummy Turkey!!

A Day Off

What a great day!!

We went to GWS to go ice skating and out to lunch

with some great friends! It was mine and Jolene's

first time on ice, she fell a few times and I managed not

to fall at all!! I kept my distance from those I thought

might take me down with them! It was so much fun,

the girls had a great time!!

After skating we went to lunch, all the girls ordered hot chocolate!!

While we were eating, warming up and visiting it was snowing outside!

What a great way to spend a

day off from school!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!!

Yep, I'm another year older and hopefully wiser!!

I opened the door this morning to send Raychel to school and was greeted by

a web of PINK!! The "Birthday Phantom" got me again this year!

That evening we had parent conferences for Raychel.

Ward surprised us and made it home in time to go with us instead

of trying to meet up with us.

The conference went great!! Raychel has been getting A's and A+'s on

all her papers and tests so it was no surprise to see her grades

were the same. Her teachers said she is doing great, she is coming

out of her shell and participating in ways I never would have imaged.

She has been doing the morning announcements for the Christmas

fundraiser her class is in charge of, over the intercom for

the whole school to hear! Her reading scores improved 216 words,

they said the average student only improves 100 words for the year!!

She did this in the first quarter!!

We are so proud of all she has accomplished a such a short time.

After the conference we went to dinner at Sammy's to not only

celebrate my birthday but Raychel's great accomplishment as well.

Earlier in the day I received flowers, they were from

my oldest sister Carey. What a great surprise!!

They were so beautiful! They brought a little bit

of Spring with them!