Ho Ho Ho

Well, we've now got our shopping complete and most of our cards ready to mail out, so we're in good shape! We really cut back on gifts this year, which is so nice. I agreed with most of our friends to just do little things like cookies and photos, and it is such a joy to not have a lot of shopping stress. I've heard rumors that this economic crisis is going to get a lot worse over the next few years before it gets better, so it feels good to put our extra pennies into service projects around town to help those most in need.

Today after church the Sunday School class and parents went on a field trip to Pamida to buy gifts for children off the "Angel Tree." The angel tree helps kids locally get gifts when their parents can't do it. It was quite the adventure to take so many little ones at once to shop for things they couldn't have, but it was a great lesson for them and good fellowship all around. After we spent the alloted funds, we took the kids to the local pizza parlor to wrap the gifts and have lunch. We had a great age range, with the two youngest being one year old twin girls (I guess Beckett was technically the youngest, but we spent a lot of time in the car changing messy pants and outfits while Daddy was in the store). It was so fun to visit with the other parents (including some daddies) and see the kids get excited about helping others. Sharon, our super-amazingly-awesome Sunday School teacher, explained to the kids that Christmas isn't all about gifts, but that we use the gifts as a symbol for each other as we remember that Jesus was God's gift to us. I thought that was a great way to explain how the gifts fit into Jesus's birthday. Anyway, here are some pictures from yesterday...

Sally's Classic Pizza looked a little like Santa's workshop...


Natalie helping Katie put tape on their packages...pizza was a little more pressing for Natalie at the time, but she did help me wrap gifts for Daddy and Grandpa at home this week.

Baby Beckett hanging out while supervising the festivities...

Nattie and her pizza...she ate three pieces.

And here are all the kids standing with their gifts. It was a lot of fun!

We hope you all are staying warm and toasty...when I went to the gym at 6:30 this morning it was -17, and I think we may get up into the 20's today! The weather hit hard this weekend. We didn't make it to a baby shower we wanted to go to on Saturday in Hyattville after we turned around when we slid through a stop sign in town. With no more play time outside for the little ones, we're already getting a bit stir crazy inside! These days just make us so thankful to have warm homes and good jobs so we can keep it heated. We went up to Billings to get one last gift Monday while Kyle was off, and we had every intention of getting to Columbus to meet Baby Gracie. However, wouldn't you know it that Kyle got called back to work early and ended up going to North Dakota until Friday! He barely beat this storm back, and for that we are truly grateful. But I'm dying for some Mommy time with Suzi and to meet Gracie...so a good visit to Columbus gives us something to look forward to in January!!!

Natalie made the most adorable Christmas tree art project at school the other day, so I will try to remember to take a picture of it to share with everyone. It just warms my heart. I'll sign off with a beautiful poem her teachers sent home this week that really captures the magic children bring to our lives if we just slow down and listen.

GIVE US THE SPIRIT OF THIS CHILD

Give us the spirit of this child; Give us the child within.

The child who trusts, the child who imagines, the child who sings.

The child who receives without reservation, the child who gives without judgment.

Give us a child's eyes, that we may receive the beauty and freshness of the day like a sunrise.

Give us a child's ears, that we may hear the music of mythical times;

Give us a child's heart, that we may be filled with wonder and delight;

Give us a child's faith, that we may be cured of our cynicism;

Give us the spirit of the child who is not afraid to need; who is not afraid to love; who is not afraid to believe in miracles. ~Sara Moores Campbell

"Joy to the world and peace on Earth."