Christmas in Connecticut

(Thanks for the post title Carolyn - it does sound lovely)

Christmas was so relaxed and enjoyable this year. We stayed at our house, just the five of us, and didn't go anywhere or see anyone (except a few neighbors here and there) for Christmas Eve and Christmas day - it was wonderful! (Although I think we all would have loved being in ID and UT with family as well.)

I really wanted us to do better this year at keeping our focus on Christ this Christmas, but it didn't seem to be happening. I think I wasn't doing a very good job myself at keeping that focus. So, a couple days before Christmas I asked Carly - when her mood was right (we are definitely at a point where we have to wait for just the right moment to introduce certain subjects with her) - if she would please plan something for our family to do that would help us remember the true meaning of Christmas. Carly is such a planner and organizer and so I think she was pleased to be asked. She found a little presentation idea from the Dec. Friend magazine and wrote down all the parts and got it all organized. We did this on Christmas Eve and I think we'll make it a tradition - it was really neat (so neat that the edges of our vision started to fade into perfect whiteness - as shown below).

We were trying to decide on a nice Christmas movie that we would all like to watch, and Aaron was a little skeptical when we chose Little Women, but it turned out to be a great choice. (There are a couple different Christmas scenes, so it definitely qualifies as a Christmas movie.) I love the March family and the fact that it's a family of girls. I love that they live in New England. I appreciate their love for each other even though they aren't perfect and don't always get along - makes me feel a little better about my own little family. I love the simplicity of their life and their work ethic (such a good reminder when so much of Christmas is centered around commercialism and what I want). And of course I love the love story.

All day we had been telling Aubree that Christmas was tomorrow, so as we were sitting on the couch before bedtime she asked, "In the morning is it tomorrow?" She's so cute!

Christmas morning was so fun! It's so wonderful to see kids open gifts and see the surprise and delight on their faces!

Carly MADE this basket (from pieces of wood, to an actual basket!) at school and gave it to me for Christmas.

The girls got this typewriter for Christmas, (my neighbor sold it to me for $10!) and have been writing all sorts of stories with it. I would highly recommend this as a gift for any kid who loves writing (thanks for the inspiration Shawna), or for a kid that you want to get writing.

 Here is Aubree's first work of fiction:

 She sounded out some of these words with only a little help from me (and some words all by herself). I am so proud! For a girl that has never been formally taught her alphabet I thought this was pretty impressive!

Aaron's Grandma Helen passed away a few days before Christmas, so Aaron's parents flew him home for the funeral. He left the day after Christmas and was gone for 5 days! I was not to happy with the arrangement, but what can you do? I was glad that he got to go to see all of his siblings and a lot of other relatives he hadn't seen in a long time. He said his Grandma's funeral was beautiful and inspiring - she was such an example of kindness and love. (I think funerals are always some of the most spiritual and uplifting meetings, and I love the eternal perspective gained after going to one.)

The seven original Kathy and Leon Parson kids:

Troy, Aaron, Holly, Justin, Brett, Franci, and Jordan

A couple days after Christmas we headed to the West's to house- and dog-sit for 10 days. It was just the girls and I for the first 5 days until we picked Aaron up at the airport on the evening of New Years Eve. The first couple days we were here it was close to 50 degrees outside - so the girls had some fun running around out there. I try to make our stay here as much like a vacation as possible. So, the girls watch too much TV and I buy frozen meals - it's pretty cool.

 We had our last church meeting here on Sunday which is a little bitter sweet. This was the place where our beloved little branch was created, where kids came outside to go crabbing after church, where Sandy the church dog joined us for our meetings, and where our branch started to become a family. But, we are excited to be moving on too! It will be nice to not worry about the wear and tear on someone's beautiful home (even though the West's were always very inviting and uncomplaining about it all). And it will be SO nice to have our own (rented for now) building in Westerly. We will be meeting at another chapel for the next few months until a building is ready for us.

I captured these rare, but precious moments while we were at the West's as a reminder to me and them that they really do love each other.

 Some cute hairdos (because it doesn't happen very often)

Sandy the church dog, and Ellie enjoying a book. It's been so nice to see Ellie read a book on her own for pleasure. This has just happened in the past few months.

New Years Eve was celebrated by picking Aaron up at the airport, eating a lovingly reheated frozen meal with sparkling juice, and watching Despicable Me 2. We went to bed at 9:30. When we lived in Utah we used to celebrate the new year with New York, but now that we are in the NY time zone we need to find an island in the Atlantic to celebrate with (London is 5 hours ahead - probably too early).

I just finished reading "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielsen. It was a really good read and definitely reminded me of all I have to be grateful for. I want to be a better wife and mom.