Merry Christmas To all & a Happy New Year!!

Christmas is on it's way!! I am about tuckered out of the whole "commercial" Christmas... really ready for it to be done!! I think the family is too! We have been talking about the true meaning of Christmas & thinking about it all month, we did our Family Home Evening on Monday & read stories, scriptures, & even re-enacted the Nativity (where we took a family pic!!) Ha, ha, ha!! It is our Christmas photo for 2009!! Gotta Love it & I actually think Dave is excited about it!! Garrett knew I'd post it all over the Internet & the younger kids are so happy to be able to be the main characters of the Nativity finally!! :) Anyway - Monday felt like it should have been Christmas eve!! We did everything we normally do - except open a gift!!

So back to being ready for the "Commercial" Christmas to be over....
We have made plans to spend Christmas with Dave's younger sister's family & go skiing & such for Christmas & as it all approaches I think we look forward to getting away & being together more than the whole jazz about Santa & presents. So .... after a few days of it we have finally made the decision to call the North pole & see if we could have a special delivery made ahead of time... knowing Santa won't be bringing the gifts himself - but this way we could open gifts early & then take off & spend Christmas with family! (Little do the kids know it is tonight... in about 20 minutes they will be home & Santa had approved the early delivery!!) They all think we are just opening our Christmas eve gift & then going to bed & hope that the delivery makes it by morning.... well I bet the consensus of the kids will be to go ahead & do it all tonight!! I am all for it & then they can wake up, play with their items - then we will take off tomorrow & go spend some time away doing something we enjoy, with family!!! I am more excited about that... but know the look on the kids faces tonight will be priceless!!

Anyway... we are almost done with the commercial part of Christmas & it is feeling very good!!

I want to wish everyone that might read our blog a Merry, Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!! We love you all!!

Here is a 2009 slide show I put together of some of our fun times together... couldn't include them all or it would be a couple hours long... but here are some fun trips & times we had as a family this past year:

I read everywhere this year that it isn't so cool to send a "Family (brag) letter" anymore with your Christmas card (& I was actually really shocked at how few we got this year.... as I LOVE THEM!) Of course mine is always a BRAG letter as I like to record all the highlights from our year so I can put that in my journal & use it for quick reference. I feel we have enough hard times in life... of course we aren't going to send out a depressing letter - SO I really like the final letter of the year reminding myself how truly blessed & fortunate we are aside from all the hard times & trials we have!!!

So despite all those who think it isn't cool anymore - I went against the norm... (which I always do!!) & I still wrote a review of our past year & condensed it as best as possible, mainly for our family .... for the future!

To view our Christmas Newsletter visit: www.sweetwaterclassifieds.biz/christmas09

Using Log In ID (all lower case): yacc & Password is: 2009

After writing our review - I realize we are truly blessed, especially this time of year when so many are having hard times with their health, so many are out of work, so many are losing family members... I am so grateful for all of our many blessings & I am grateful for my beautiful family I get to share my life with!! I am grateful for the Gospel & all the help & guidance it gives me in being a mother & wife!! I love my Savior Jesus Christ & know it is only through him that we may live again & be with our families forever!!

Merry Christmas friends & family where ever you may be!!
WE LOVE YOU!!