Christmas 2012 Recap

December can get pretty packed full as we celebrate the greatest gift God ever gave - His Son. We did our best to balance out and not meet ourselves coming and going. It's been great having all my chicks in the nest for a short season of rest before kicking off the new year and all that it brings!

 

 I captured a few events from our month of December. Overall, it boiled down to a lot of family time. We went to Dry Gulch, looked at Christmas lights, played games, gave and received gifts, attended Christmas services, baked cookies, decorated gingerbread houses, shopped for and exchanged secret Santa gifts, rode horses, hunted deer and occasionally coyotes, watched Christmas movies and savored our time together.

 

2012 wrapped up nicely and we have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to in 2013.

Cookies were rolled out, cut out and decorated!

The girls made a gingerbread house together

 Adding the final touches

 Rick and Hunter checked out the deer camera to see how many bucks roam around

Sometimes we just gathered in the kitchen to visit - this actually happens a lot

 At one point we went over to the 'dark side' and got everyone IPhones. They are really smart phones!

At Thanksgiving all 4 kids draw names for their Secret Santa gift exchange. This year it ended up the odds (Hunter and Addison) and the evens (Kyleigh and Preslie) drew each other. What fun! This is one of their favorite traditions of Christmas - ours too!

Preslie thanking her Secret Santa Kyleigh for her gifts

 Christmas Morning - the gifts have been delivered and we prepare to open! It's a very methodical event. We take turns - youngest to oldest and savor the moments! No chaos here, no sir! ; O

 After we open gifts at our house we go to MiMi's house to open with her and Uncle Shawn.
Love this little bunch!

Our last stop is Grandma's house. By the end of the day we are tired but thankful and as always, I'm beyond grateful for our many blessings. They are almost always in the human form but most of all I am eternally grateful for the greatest gift God ever gave the world - Jesus!

 

Happy New Year