Christmas

Christmas was wonderful! My mom and dad and EMMA were able to come be with us. I LOVE, love, love having my family around. My mom is such a great friend to me and I love just being near her. My dad is always, ALWAYS doing something to help and make life easier. Emma is so fun to be with and the girls absolutely adore her. I LOVED having them here. 

Here is our humble tree. Zach and Rachel brought it to us and it was perfect and tiny and cute. Grandma Jan gave the children their cute stockings. We've never had a matching ornament set; just ornaments we've collected over the years. We tied some ribbon bows and the girls traced Christmas themed cookie cutters onto paper and colored them and cut them out. I punched holes in them and tied ribbons to them and the girls hung them all over the tree. It was really cute and fun.

This was only supposed to be a test photo for the one below. I wish I had composed it better. I still think it's kind of cute:)

The kiddies on Christmas Eve, ready for Santa to visit.

The Christmas morning set up.

We made whoopie pies for Santa this year instead of cookies and oh man did he think they were delicious! I wish I had a picture of them because they were as cute as they were tasty!

Here are the girls discovering their Christmas gifts. My mom and dad and emma were in the other room because they were Skyping with my brother Andrew who is serving a mission for our church in Chile!

{learn more about LDS missionaries by clicking here!}

Aunt Jamie and the rest of the Johnson Clan gave us the game Headbands for Christmas. We had lots of fun playing it later that day!

and here is the cutest floppy antlered reindeer I ever did see.

("The Adoration of the Shephards" by Gerard van Honthorst)

I love Christmas. I love being with family. I love the lights and the gifts and the magic. I love joy that the season brings. I'm grateful for the opportunity it gives me to reflect on the birth of my Savior. It's strange to imagine that the Jesus Christ who we love so dearly, who performed miracles, died for our sins, and was miraculously resurrected, was born under such humble circumstances. I am grateful for His birth and His life, His love and His example at Christmastime and all throughout the year.