Christmas Morning

I really enjoyed this Christmas season. There was a lot of anticipation of Christmas in our home. Early in December, Makena asked, "Are we going to see Jesus at Christmas?!" She was disappointed when I told her no. This little girl really wants to see Jesus. The other day she was complaining to me that Kyle was taking too long on the iPad. She said, "I've been waiting forever for my turn, just like I've been waiting forever to see Jesus!"

This was the first Christmas in two years that we didn't move in December! That in itself made it a more enjoyable season! But on a more serious note, our church did the Advent Conspiracy. It was about turning our Christmas upside down and instead of getting lost in the season, it helped us to focus on the following: Worship fully, Spend less, Give more, Love all.

For me, I was able to focus on the miracle and wonder of the birth of Jesus more so than in years past. Derek and I decided to limit our Christmas budget to the money I earned from my consulting job. I am thankful for the opportunity and its timing. It's been about three or four years since I last worked for them. That helped eliminate the financial burden of buying gifts, so we were more joyful in our gift giving. It also gave me a chance to be more creative with our gifts -- I'm always up for a good challenge.  =) The kids had fun making some homemade gifts that hopefully were more meaningful to the recipients. 

Here are some pictures of the kids opening their presents. It's always fun to watch their excitement!

 

There were a handful of things that Makena really wanted. She received all of them and was surprised by a couple more things like the horse outfit she's wearing in the pictures and pink horse slippers. She said it was the best Christmas ever (over and over again). She then asked, "Do you know what I love more than all these toys? Jesus!" 

The aftermath!

Then it was time to play with all their new toys! Karis started right away on her Lego Friends with the help of Daddy.