End of School Year Happenings

The Official Christmas Eve Pictures!

Every year for their Christmas album, they have their individual and group pictures taken in front of the tree on Christmas Eve. We all love looking back through those books and seeing how they all change and grow from year to year. I do realize that a lot of our traditions revolve around pictures, but they are important to me. The kids will appreciate them one day.

After these pictures we went to church and had a wonderful Communion service and sermon from Daddy.

Then we came home and had a delicious dinner of hot taco soup, changed clothes, and had Christmas together as a family. Those will be in the next set of pictures.

The Bryants are here!

As you can see, The Bryants arrived safe and sound from Texas.
(The silly face picture is a yearly tradition).
We love our yearly visits from them! Ashley and I were best friends back in high school, having met when we were 15. It is a little mind blowing to think that our oldest boys are about the age now, that we were back then when we met. It was a short visit this year, but a good one. Lots of playing and talking and laughing. Come back soon!

Aaron (15), Collin (14), Alice (14), Kaitlynn (12), Lindley (11), Sydney (10), Christopher (9), and Kaebrie (7)

Bumps Arrives!

My dad, Bumps, arrived on Sunday the 18th. He left Alabama really early in the morning to get here for our morning worship service. This is his third year in a row to be here for our Choir performance at night.
These pictures got so out of order during the upload, but o well, they capture the story of the few days of fun!

Above: After we got home from the concert, we had Christmas together. Kaebrie got a Saint Jude bear that she names Bekah-Bear. She loved it!

Below: Bumps wit Tiff and Kaebrie before the concert.
On Monday, Kaitlynn took Bumps out to meet Boone and let him watch her ride. The new cowgirl hat was his Christmas gift to her. It could not have been a more perfect gift!
Collin rode a little too.
Kaitlynn (and her great hat) and Boone.
Tiff loved his gifts as well!
Kaebrie loves to ride Boone!
This gift brought me to tears. In 1948, my grand-father bought this shotgun. When my dad was 14 it was passed down to him. It skipped the next generation of all girls and my dad just passed it down to Collin. He was stunned! It is not often he is speechless. In this photo is Collin, with his grandfather and a photo of his great grandfather - all owners of this shotgun. What an amazing gift. He was instructed by Bumps to take great care of it and pass it down to a son or grandson at the age of 14. Collin agreed.
On the 19th, we drove up to Canton at sunset for the Victorian city of lights display. The kids had fun riding the merry-go-round.
(Out of order!!) Kaitlynn on Boone.

We had fun taking pictures with the light displays.
Kaebrie said this was the biggest Christmas tree she had ever seen.

I am so going to use this as a blackmail photo one day.







The best part of the night was having fun taking silhouette pictures. These really captures their personalities!



They even got a horse drawn carriage ride!



What a fun few days with a fun grandfather. Thanks Bumps for the special visit. Come back soon!
(Bumps was the first guest to sleep in out almost finished guest house)!!!!!

Kaebrie and Benjamin

Meet Benjamin, one of Kaebrie's best friends. These two are something else together. He already proposed to her last year, but she said no. We love his entire family and are glad they get along so well, but the topic of a dowry has come up a few times between the daddies. :)

December Begins!

Our December celebrations started on the 1st with the Jesse Tree devotionals. I did the ornament exchange with 20 women from the church, so it is exciting to think about all the new families starting this favorite tradition. After that, we put up the tree and Kaebrie had fun posing all her rag dolls for photos.

As this is Kaitlynn's first year in the Youth Group, she had her first Youth Group Christmas party. Collin won first place his fist year, and she was after that lofty goal as well! I think she did great, but she didn't win. O well, she had a great time!
Covenant Christian School put on their Christmas musical and it was wonderful. The 6th graders played hand-bells and drums and the rest of the school sang beautiful songs. Kaebrie got to play Mary and took that role very seriously.
On the 18th, it was time for our church choir Christmas performance. Christopher and Kaebrie also sung a few songs in it. The talent in this church is amazing. The songs were meaningful and sounded incredible.

We also went on the annual caroling hayride, had Sunday school parties, and had a lot of fun getting in the Christmas spirit!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Wetumpka, Alabama is something we are thankful for! Each year Poppa and JuJu get a group family shot in front of their house. We missed several of these when we were away in Idaho and it made me sad. My mom joined us as well, but she had recently had a bad fall and was all bruised and scraped up n her face and did not want to be in any pictures this year.

Above: The group shot. Sam's parents and siblings and 5 out of 6 grand-kids. Brooke was in Florida this day.

Noah getting a shoulder ride from Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam ruining a great picture! :)
Uncle Phil, Aunt Heather and Cousin Noah
The original Smith family (plus Yazzi).

We are thankful for so many things, family being very high on that list. We love coming home for the holidays and making memories and establishing traditions. It was indeed, a very happy, and filling, Thanksgiving.