Christmas Cuties

Ohhhhh these girls....the siren call of matchy-matchy is soooooooo hard to resist.
Trust me, I did NOT think that this was my "thing".
And yet, here we are.

Alternate titles for this post as follows:
"Hurry before they stain them with candy canes again"
"The full range of Poppy"
"Lily smiled like a champ through 54 photographs"
"Up next...Easter Dresses!!!"

Christmas Morning

This year, I walked around all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a heart full of gratitude.
For my Savior Jesus Christ,
For my testimony of His love for us and His great plan,
For my eternal companion, whom I love AND really like,
For my adorable children and this particular season of life,
For our health and our home and many many more blessings.
I kept thinking about how swiftly my lot in life could change,
but that what I treasure most about my life... (my family)...
is a blessing and gift that I can keep forever.
I can't fathom anything more precious than that knowledge.

Advent Upgrade

This year, in addition to a small treat in our advent calendar, each day held a slip of paper with a suggestion for a small act of service.  They were things that the kids could really do on their own for the most part.  I loved hearing about their experiences each day.  We strung popcorn and cranberries for the birds,  delivered goodies to our neighbors and left quarters and notes on vending machines, in hopes of brightening the day of our fellow man.  One day we left a note and some Carmex for our mail carrier.  (I tried to think of a universal gift seeing as we have a different mail carrier almost daily)  The next day, she rang our doorbell to deliver a package and told me she really enjoyed the kids notes and that she was wearing the Carmex! :)  It was such a tiny thing, but these opportunities really added a special feeling to our month. We all agreed that we definitely want to do this again!