We are in a new season of life this Christmas!

We have reached the stage of life where we have big kids that are working (and of course Kayla being married and having a family of her own), so we had quite a few schedules to consider when planning our Christmas celebration!

Addie Mae had to work on Christmas Eve until noon, but we still decided to have our family Christmas meal that evening.

I miss her when I work in the kitchen without her!!

Thankfully I had some guys that were very willing to help me out!!

Addie Mae did put her special touch on all the decorations and gift wrapping.

Everything looked SO beautiful!!

Blake blessed us by buying a huge ham at the Co-op for our special meal. It was delicious!!

Blake’s boss always gives gifts to all his employees’s children under the age of 10.

We let Lane, Tate and Eliza open their gifts from him on Christmas Eve.

I usually buy a new game each year as a gift for the family.

We learned the game Tenzi last year at a friend’s house on New Year’s Eve, and have been playing it with a jar of dice I already had by reading the rules on line.

When I saw they had cards to go with Tenzi, I knew it would be the perfect game to add to our collection!

Christmas morning started out with some cuddles, some of Addie’s yeast-free cinnamon rolls, and getting ready to head to church.

Oh my – we sang our hearts out at church! It was SO beautiful!!

After a quick, late lunch of left-overs, we packed up to head to Clyde’s new place!

David and Kayla had their foster baby girl on Christmas day, and we wanted to keep things calm and easiest for her.

We had drawn names within our family to exchange one small gift, but also the kiddos had gifts from my Mom to open.

I have lots of photos!!

The weather on Christmas day was crazy.

It started out pouring rain around lunch time.

Then the wind started to gust at around 50 mph here on the ridge!

We knew there was a great chance of icy roads, but on the way to Clyde’s place the roads were fine.

We only stayed a little while, but on the way home it was ICY.

We drove between 20 and 30 mph the whole way home!

SO thankful we all arrived safely home – because we all do not fit in our van anymore – we had a car load of our kiddos behind us on that highway.

After not feeling very good on Christmas Eve, by the time we arrived at Clyde’s place I was losing my voice and not feeling well at all.

That began the illness that has been in our home this past week, and still is in our home!

BUT – I will remember this Christmas with sweet, fond memories – because it was our newest granddaughter’s first one with us.

Which made it very, very sweet.

This last month or so has held A LOT of emotion!

The story that the Lord is writing leaves us in AWE.

As I read the book of Luke during my quiet time the week of Christmas, a lot of the words there left me in awe too.

I think Jesus’s birth has to be the BEST story ever, ever retold.

Wouldn’t you agree?!

We did not send out Christmas cards this year (hopefully next year!), but we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Happy New Year!!!