Christmas Day

When we woke up Christmas morning, it was snowing.  The world was silent, peaceful and perfect.  This year our family has been taking a lot about how Santa is a symbol of Jesus Christ.  He love us, he gives us the best gifts, he wears red and while, and he spends his life serving others.  We’ve talked about how all things at Christmas time point to Christ and how believing in the magic of Christmas is just another way to express our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  So this year, the ornament that Santa left for the kids was a figurine of Santa with the word “believe” written across his sack.  I hope as the kids look at it through the years they will remember that Santa and all the magic and hope he embodies are representations of our Savior and his ultimate gift to us, the Atonement. 
Santa brought Halle an amazing doll kitchen for her dollhouse.  She also got her favorite book, “The Limit,” a doll science set, and a Sequence game.
Josh’s Christmas was so fun this year. He did not make any sort of list, or make any gift requests.  He wanted to be totally surprised.  And I think Mom and Santa did a great job.  Santa brought him an Anki race track with two cars that are controlled by his ipod.  It was a huge hit.  He also got a Timeline game, Lego Fusion set, and his favorite book set, “The Land of Stories.”  He was so excited when he opened his books.  I was sitting next to him and he tackled me with a giant hug and said, “Thanks so much Mom!  I just love this Christmas.”  Melt my heart.
Santa gave Blake an awesome Hot Wheels set that adheres to the wall.  He’s had a great time putting it together and zooming cars down the track.  He also got a giant stuffed monkey named Coconut, a cool electronic dog named Spot, and the Ultimate Dot to Dot book.  Fun stuff! 
I didn’t get any pictures, but the elves did an excellent job hiding stockings this year.  It took the kids FOREVER to find them. They were finally discovered in the shower :)

After the snow quieted, Rusty and I decided to go for a run.  We took Fenix with us, and Fenix basically dragged us along for 4 miles.  We’d take off sprinting as fast as we could and he was still tugging at his collar, begging to go faster.  Running with dogs is so much fun. 

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out with family.  We headed up to the Banks house later in the evening where all the cousins got to show off their new Christmas toys to each other.  All in all, a perfect day!