Christmas '08

Merry Christmas to all and a very happy and blessed new year!! We decided to stay home this Christmas due to the fact that John is working at my sister's and brother-in-law's car dealership. He is enjoying the change of pace. It's so much different than teaching, but he will be glad to step foot in the classroom again after break! We got to celebrate with my parents and Diane's little family (they have a baby now...almost a year old!) last weekend. And then next week we will be off to Michigan to visit John's mom for New Year's Day. Poor Luke and Caroline have been battling bronchitis this Christmas, so it was good that we decided to stay put for a little while. Hopefully, they will be healthy enough to make the trip to Michigan.


Christmas morning was very fun!! It started out with Jake wanting to wake us up early, but we were scrooges and told him he had to wait until 7! Then as soon as 7:00 came, he woke up the other kids and quiet Caroline came in our room shouting, "Wake up shepherds, come with me, there is a baby you must see!!! Wake up shepherds, come with me, there is a baby you must see!!!" So we all went down and first of all checked to see if baby Jesus was in the manger (we don't put him in the nativity scene until Christmas morning) Then we headed off to open the presents. One of my fondest memories of this year will be the fact that the kids were so excited for us to open the presents that they had made/bought for us! Those were the first presents that they grabbed. After presents, we had a special breakfast and then we just played the rest of the day.

Having fun at breakfast together.

Enjoying a game of Monopoly... the modern way...debit cards instead of paper money!!

Just like Jake's!!!

A favorite present... Marshmallow, the hamster... it will definitely be well-loved!!

Caroline reading to the hamster....like I said, it will definitely be well-loved!