Every Girl's Crazy 'bout Some Sharp Dressed Men!

ZZ Top had it right. Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man or in this case some sharp dressed little men. The boys loved the See's candy suckers they got after their visit with Santa. Candy always makes long lines worth the wait.

Santa's back on the nice list...

Ok, so usually we get our Santa pictures done nice and early before the crowds set in, but this year we procrastinated so we had to wait in a long line. I was amazed at how well the boys, all three of them, waited in line for over an hour to see Santa. Considering how long our wait was I am surprised no one left in tears. I am glad to see that our brainwashing tactics to convince Aidan and Ezra that Santa is really a nice person paid off and they are no longer afraid of him. Gabriel seemed fascinated by his beard and kept looking up at him trying to figure out if he knew "this guy" or not.

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!

For all of you who monitor my page and know how pathetic I am at updating here is a Christmas Miracle! A new POST!!! I love this time of time of year. I love the Christmas spirit that fills the air. I love the beauty of Christmas. The sparkling lights and magical displays. I love the excitement and anticipation of what Christmas can bring. I love the idea that all around the world people are coming together for a brief moment to look beyond themselves in order to do kind things for others. I am saddened though that it is getting harder and harder to find Christ in Christmas. I know we all the true meaning of Christmas and that we are celebrating the birth and coming of our Savior to the earth; yet, during this time as I look around there is not much that truly pays homage to our Lord.
I wanted to find a nice book to read to the boys about the real reason we celebrate Christmas and as I traveled from bookstore to bookstore there were only a handful of these books. I found books about snowmen and reindeers and this and that and some that still had very nice Christmas messages, but I found it hard to find very many books telling about the birth of our Savior. I know it is something that seems so small, but it really hit me about how important it is for me to really be able to teach my boys about true meaning of Christmas and about the coming of Jesus Christ to the world. I still want them to enjoy Christmas and all its fun and festivities and there is nothing wrong with that, but I also want to start to instill within them the idea that Christmas is about giving of yourself and serving others and doing the things that will bring them happiness and make them feel loved. So, I hope that anyone who reads this will take just an extra moment of your time this holiday season to help someone less fortunate than you. It doesn't have to be anything big...maybe an anonymous note telling someone they are loved and appreciated or leave a little sweet on someone's doorstep who might be lonely. Just do something that will help the Spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of Christ come alive in your heart and then maybe that small little act will perpetuate into something that will last the whole year and by next Christmas we will all find ourselves in a closer and deeper relationship with our Savior.
Finally, I just wanted to mention how grateful I am for my beautiful family. I love my boys so much. They are each so unique and funny. Aidan is my silly, imaginative boy-always embarking on some kind of adventure with Superman or Batman, Buzz or Woody, or his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or his pals Lighting McQueen or Mater, or whoever the lucky toy of the day turns out to be. He also loves to make and pick a character for each member of the family. I am grateful that Ezra is usually willing to let Aidan be the main character and doesn't mind being whoever Aidan chooses for him. Ezra is my technical genius. He knows how to operate the tv and dvd player and has in just a few tries master the computer mouse. He loves anything methodical like puzzles or building robots. He loves his alphabet and counting. He loves to tell everyone all the letters he recognizes whether they are on your shirt, in ads, billboards, etc...he also likes to tell you what sound different letters make at the beginning of words. Like he will say, "B-bird buh-buh-buh". Both of them bring us so many laughs and are growing up so fast. And then there is my little angel baby, Gabriel. He has been such an amazing addition to our family. I know I wanted a girl this last pregnancy, but I can't imagine having anyone other than Gabriel in our lives. He is so small, but he brings so much joy to us. I have to add how adorable he is and often I am unable to stop myself from literally "munching" on him because he is just that cute! And finally Brant. He is one of my heroes. He works so hard going to school full time and then working full time on graveyards so that I can stay home and raise our family. I admire how well he has done in school. He is a great father, a great friend, an amazing husband, and my best friend. I am so grateful to my Savior and Father in Heaven for blessing me with such a wonderful family. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

P.S. Hopfully, if you managed to read this entire novel a post you will enjoy this little reward of our more than humorous past pictures with Santa...we hope this year will reignite a love for Santa!!!

Santa, Naughty or Nice???