Our Christmas Day....

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Yesterday was Christmas Day -- the day we celebrated Christ's glorious birth!

If you haven't yet had a chance, please read Amanda's blog....Amanda describes Christ's birth in a wonderful way! Thanks Amanda!

Before I tell about our Christmas Day, I want to jump back very briefly to the night before....Marc did something that many parents do -- he put together toys for the next morning. So, here are a couple of photos of Marc, preparing Luke's new truck as well as his farmset.

In all seriousness, I think he was "playing" with the truck more than anything :)





******

Christmas morning, I was actually the first one up which is NOT normal. Marc generally is the first one up. But, I didn't mind. It was a wonderful morning to look outside -- a WHITE CHRISTMAS. Here in Kansas, a white Christmas is not all that common. In fact, one of the local weathermen said last week that in this part of the state, we've only had 13 white Christmas days since the 1880s. Now, because of this Christmas, we've had 14!

So, here's the view of our yard and cul-de-sac from our front door -- hope you don't mind seeing our neighbors' house. It was COLD! I wasn't about to go outside in my pajamas just to snap a photo of our house.



Before Marc and Luke got out of bed, I prepared breakfast -- egg casserole and Monkey Bread.



After awhile, Marc and Luke got out of bed. We took Luke into the living room by the tree for presents! Luke wasn't quite sure what to make of everything just yet. First, Marc showed Luke his new truck.



After a bit, Luke started to figure it out and really enjoy it. He mostly enjoyed the sounds that it makes.





After showing Luke the various animal sounds that the farmset makes, he too was enthralled with that gift.



At that point, we decided it was time for breakfast -- but not without first getting Luke out his pajamas and very wet morning diaper. Luke normally eats egg casserole very well, but when given egg casserole WITH Monkey Bread, he certainly chose the Monkey Bread.

He's eating his breakfast in his new plate he received from his Aunt Amber. You can't see it in this photo because of the food, but the plate has cars, trucks, and trains on it -- VERY CUTE for Luke!



After breakfast, Luke had to once again play with his truck and farmset. By this point in the morning, he was getting the hang of it.



From when we were first married, we established something -- that Christmas morning and afternoon were OUR'S. So, we've always stayed home on Christmas morning and afternoon.

So, this year was no different. But, after Luke's nap in the afternoon, we headed to a town very nearby to visit Marc's parents.

We had a nice supper that Marc's mom fixed -- we didn't go home hungry!

We also exchanged gifts with them. Luke received a new block set with a little pull wagon for the blocks of which I have yet to be able to get a new photo.

So, you'll have to use your imagination.

After awhile as it started to approach Luke's bedtime and the fact that he had a leaky diaper, we headed on home.

It ended up being a fantastic Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

*****

To keep going with my previous post, I want to mention something else I'm thankful for from this book....



Today, it's #147 -- Hikes in the Woods....



This awesome photo was actually taken by me in Redwood National Park in northern California. We were in this park in July/August, 2007. We didn't spend a great deal of time in this park because we were trying to get to my aunt and uncle's by a certain time that day. But, we did stop briefly and hike amongst the tall trees -- probably only a mile or so.

Even though we didn't hike far, I clearly remember being so amazed by the tall trees. It was amazing to see God's creation! The other thing that distinctly sticks out about that short hike was how Q.U.I.E.T. those woods were -- so VERY peaceful. It would've been a great place to spend considerable amounts of quiet time with God.

The other part of that hike and trip in general I remember was the peace with God I did feel. We took that trip very shortly after I had miscarried our first baby and subsequently had been hospitalized after surgery. I was emotionally a mess, and that trip with Marc was one of the best things for me at that time.

So much to be thankful for....including hikes in the woods.