Christmas

We are already into 2017 so I need to get caught back up on the blog!

Everyone says to start your holiday preparations early before the snow so we did. We got our lights up long before the first snow and I am glad we did!

Then the snow came and hasn't stopped! The kids love the snow!

 Then the kids set up the Christmas tree.

 We had to opportunity to attend several activities here in town where the kids got to do some fun crafts, selfie stations and see Santa.

 Christmas Morning the kids let us old people in the house sleep in a bit. When they decided we had slept long enough they woke us up to get on with the celebrations! Stockings & Presents! Christmas was on a Sunday this year. We had a storm come through so we shoveled the driveway and found out church was cancelled. It wasn't safe to travel on the roads so we stayed home and enjoyed our family time.

 Then next day, after the city plowed the roads we went to Grandpa & Grandma's house. The kids got to open more presents, eat lots of yummy food, and play with cousins!

We sent out a Christmas Letter to a few of our friends and family. Those of you that didn't get one and would like one let us know so we can add you to our list for next year :)

Dear Family & Friends,
We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Many of you we haven’t seen this year but know we think about you often. Some of you have been keeping tabs on us through Facebook or our family blog and we are glad we have social media to keep in touch.
We have had lots of opportunities to love, serve and find joy in our daily lives this year. Each one of our friends, family, and neighbors have helped us on our way and we want to Thank You! 
Here is a quick snapshot of all the things going on in our lives. The kids have kept us busy with all their activities and antics. We enjoy watching them learn and grow!
Josh – umpired baseball, referered soccer, works for Pepsi and supports our family, 11-year-old Scout Leader, rode for Bike MS again
Brenda – sings with the Choralaires (two concerts a year), Bear cub scout leader, works at Falls Valley Elementary part time, plays volleyball for fun, cleans/organizes home/storage unit for a friend, sells honey and maple syrup for parents’ business
Brayden - completed the D.A.R.E. program, rode 300 miles for a bike challenge in two months, started Junior High, is learning to play the saxophone/joined band, turned 12 and was ordained to the priesthood, attended the temple for the first time, earned his Life in the Scouting program
Kaytlin -  turned 8 and chose to be baptized, changed schools and is in third grade, has fun attending activity days, went to a cheerleading clinic and cheered at a football game, played basketball, got her ears pierced
Alayna – turned 6, lost her first tooth and many more, changed schools and is in the first grade, learned to ride her bike without training wheels, went to a cheerleading clinic and cheered at a football game, played T-Ball
 As a family we took lots of family vacations to other states (adventures), we attended several temple open houses, attended movies in the parks, participated in lots of different family bike rides throughout our community, went camping, did some home & car repairs and so many other fun things. We stay busy and we all support each other with all the extra curriculum activities we are involved with.
This year’s memorable moments to us were all the visits with friends who came to visit or we visited you, the simple ways people have found to serve us, and most importantly finding ways to incorporate Christ in our lives.  We loved seeing you all and for supporting us with such love in all we have going on! 
        We want to thank you all for helping make our 2016 AWESOME! We want you all to know we love and care about each of you and think about you often. We love and miss those that don’t live close enough to visit and hope to see you soon!
We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
                                              With all our Love,
Josh, Brenda, Brayden, Kaytlin & Alayna

 We hope you have a fantastic 2017!