Merry Christmas 2014!

Christmas Morning

I woke up at 6 and couldn't go back to sleep so I went out to read my scriptures and enjoy the quiet of Christmas morning. Noah heard me, he was awake too. So I went upstairs and read in he and Luke's room. Christmas eve we just read Luke 2 and the kids asked about the wise men. I explained a bit about the gospels and how they don't all have the same information and that the story of the wise men is in Matthew.  The boys and I had 30 minutes to wait until 6:30 when the festivities would begin. Noah asked if I would read to him about the wise men. It was so sweet. He and Luke listened so intently. We read Matthew 2 and discussed the wise men, and then a bit about Zacharias, Elizabeth and John the Baptist. It was an amazing beginning for Christmas morning. The kids decided to close their eyes until they were in the family room, I think the girls just couldn't wait!

 Having Sam and Dessa here made Christmas a lot of fun!

Noah and Luke both got football jerseys. Luke the Packers and Noah the Seahawks.

 

The boys also got long awaited pocket knives. By the end of the day they had both cut themselves. Live and learn I guess.

 Give Molly a squeeky plush toy and she is in heaven! We will see how long this ones lasts. By the time she destroys them I am so done with the noise of it, I am happy to throw them away!

 Luke painted this fresco for Jason and I at school. We opened it as the first present from under the tree. He is so proud of it and was so excited to give it to us. It will become a treasured part of our Christmas decorations now!

 

 This pin toy from Grandma Smith was a huge hit! It has been played with by all of us all day!

Santa brought the boys and Jason remote control helicopters. The boys, Jason and Sam included, played with them all day. They are harder to fly then you would think, but by the end of the day they could all land on the piano bench some of the time! Noah's crash landed one too many times and Jason found out he can order repair parts on line for just a few dollars. Good thing. I see lots of helicopter repair in his future...

Sam left right around noon to fly to Florida. I am happy he can relax on the beach but we will miss him. We had a yummy ham dinner, and waaaaay too much sugar and treats. Luke and I made a tuxedo cheesecake and I baked a pecan pie. Plus Santa brought a huge box of chocolates along with all the other goodies and treats. I remember once at Christmas as a kid that someone gave our family an enormous box of chocolates. I loved it! Reading the lid map and figuring out what to try. Putting a half eaten chocolate back that you didn't like...

By the end of the evening the kids were actually asking to go to bed! We had sunny, warm weather. I always miss the snow at Christmas, but I am grateful for all we do have. It was a great day.

Christmas Eve

 We made Gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve this year. It was a bit of a bust. I got a kit of 4 small houses to make a village like we did at Halloween. It ended up looking like a  village  which was hit by a small tornado. Everything kept falling apart. Next year by unanimous consent we will go back to a big house we decorate together. It was fun to have Grandma Hardy here to help. Uncle Sam mostly watched. It has been so fun to have him here too. His gift to me was to fix the shelves in some of my kitchen cabinets and take apart, glue and redo all the screws in the stools for the island. Whenever I have family to visit I remember how nice it is to have family here!
 We had our 1st Annual Hardy Family Carol Sing Along! Each of the kids played a carol they had prepared (except Luke. He did not practice his at all. So he and I played it together, his hands on top of mine. Hopefully next year he can remember and be ready) Craig skyped in and I promise Sam enjoyed himself...

 Noah played Away in a Manger, Grace did Jingle Bells, Luke and I did Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Sophie played What Child Is This, Angels we have Heard on High and the First Noel. Dessa contributed Silent Night and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  I found a great website with free simplified carols and Primary songs both. It was fun to sing together and I am so proud of how much the kids have learned in less then a year of piano.

 Christmas Eve with Stockings

Christmas Eve with true craziness showing..

We read Luke 2 as a family, opened sibling gifts and had shrimp dinner. It really was fun to have Sam and Dessa here. Makes it all much more Christmasy. Grace made sure to leave some toffee out for Santa and carrots and oats for the reindeer. She has watched Santa tracker all afternoon and had us on a countdown to 8 o'clock bedtime to be asleep before Santa got to NC!

Happy Birthday Jason!

Jason turned 43 on the 22nd. He and Sam celebrated by getting up early and hunting in our woods. They actually ended up going for a few days. Deer won this time. Girls were super relieved to be honest. We celebrated with Ting and Wacky cake. Jason also got a bow. He and Grace have been shooting together and are both hooked.

 I took some pictures of the boys for invitations for their baptism and the chickens photo bombed. It is hard for me to believe Luke and Noah are almost 8.

Greensboro Christmas Parade

Last Saturday Sophie was in the Greensboro Christmas parade with her dance class. It was cold and rainy, but still fun. Gracie spotted a place under a bit of roof and we stayed mostly dry. Sophie got a bit wet, she had layers on under her tshirt and was dancing the whole time so stayed mostly warm. Sophie and Grace's good friend Caroline is in the black hat to the left of Sophie.

 This was my favorite balloon. It is fun to be at a parade that has helium balloons. Luke and Noah loved the bands. Some of them were pretty good. I remember the last year we went to this parade it was warm and sunny and we didn't bring anything to drink and ended up super thirsty. This year we stopped by McDonalds on the way home for hot chocolate. No one was impressed, me included. Not as yummy as I remembered.

                          Sophie, Noah, Logan, Luke, Devon, Bishop Williams and Tanner

Sherman Williams and each of his boys in succession have been our home teachers since we moved here to NC. We have watched each of them grow up and home teach us with their dad, our former bishop. Logan just returned home from France on his mission, Devon just became a deacon a few months ago and Tanner is a junior in high school. I love these men and boys. They have been faithful and consistent and I know I could call any time night or day to ask for help and they would be here as quickly as possible. Once when the kids were super little Bishop overheard at church that a tree had fallen in our yard. The next evening he and his family just showed up, chain saw and ice cream in hand, to clean up the tree and share a treat. My kids have grown up seeing first hand how home teachers help and bless in the Lord's place here on earth. The Williams boys have been an incredible example to us and I have enjoyed our time together. I hope I can post a picture like this after Tanner returns home and then Devon too.