Well we sure had our white Christmas. The snow and ice were fun for about 5 minutes. The large amounts of time together as a family made up for the craziness outside. If you are wondering about all the mattresses in the living room…well every Christmas Eve Eve we all sleep under the Christmas tree (got that idea from our friend Mary). The boys basically wrestle all night. I am pretty sure Christmas Eve Eve living room wrestling matches will be a big part of their childhood Christmas memories.
Here’s a few peeks at our Christmas (no crazy ice will keep my dad from grilling the Christmas ham):
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I do want to point out one of Baby Sister’s Christmas presents. 3 of her cousins (girls 9, 11, 11) worked together to make her this hat. So thoughtful of them and I am pretty impressed by it. Thanks girls!
On Christmas Eve blizzard conditions hit our state. I left my parent’s and headed home with the kids. Chris headed to the church for our Christmas Eve service. After the service ended he called to say he was headed home. At this point it was dark out, windy and snowing hard. About 5 minutes later he called to say he slid off the road, was stuck and the tow company said due to the weather it would be at least 8 hours before they could help him. (Both of our cars decided to stop working last week, he was in my grandparent’s SUV and I was left without a way to get to him). Did I mention this was Christmas Eve? He hung up in order to save his phone battery and I gathered the boys. We prayed and asked God for someone to be kind enough to stop and help daddy get home. Fifteen minutes later the phone rang again. “Jim” saw Chris stranded, pulled his truck over, unwrapped a brand new tow cable and helped Chris get back on the road. I told the boys what happened and Biggest Brother exclaimed, “God answered our prayer! He sent an angel named Jim!” So to Jim and his family – thank you for getting out in a blizzard to help my guy get home. Thanks for being a little late to celebrate the evening with your family, so that my family could be together. Thank you Jim.
by AshleyAnn
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Charla Lane - I was @ the Christmas Gathering and have been following your blog. You take the most extraordinary pictures. I was especially excited to see your pirate patches, then noticed the Christmas pic with the pirate hat and patch, I have two boys they are both into pirates, one is having a pirate b-day and I wanted to know where you got the hat it is EXTRA cute.
ashlee - Isn’t God so good!!!
Lisa - Wow, I have goosebumps. Thank heaven for Jim!!! What a scary 15 minutes you must have had, but everything turned out ok
Georgia - PS We had a Christmas Eve miracle, too. We left that morning to drive to my parents’ house in West Texas. Four hours later we were back home after a round trip to Oklahoma City. (the first miracle, we were so thankful to make it home safely) We weren’t going to be able to pick up our dog until Saturday because the vet had closed at noon, 1 hour before we got back. But since we drive right by there, I decided to try. It was dark, no one visible but I knocked on the door anyway. Josie’s sweet vet, Dr. Hooley poked his head out of the other door, and let me in to get our mutt. He had come up that moment to check the doors before leaving for the day. I know it seems dumb to want your dog at home, but it meant so much to us and just a little “hug” from the heavenly Father.
Georgia - I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I check it every few days if not daily, and it is a little treat for my day. You have a craft project which I love seeing or a great story and/or pictures about your precious children. Thanks for taking the time to share your life.
Steph - Very sweet! Last year Utah was hit with a huge storm on Christmas Day. As nice as it is to have a white Christmas it sure makes traveling anywhere a complete nightmare!
I’m so glad your hubby made it home quickly & safely!
It looks like you & your family had a wonderful Christmas.
amanda torres - Love the mattress idea, and your Christmas Eve miracle!
Kate - Yeah, Jim!
Emily - So glad to hear how God took care of Chris & got him home safely! I love your Christmas collage, and Baby Sister’s hat is just precious!! Her cousins did such a great job!
christina larsen - What a wonderful story. We slid all the way home on Christmas eve, too. Was wanting a white Christmas, not an icy Christmas.
Brooke - Just wanted to say thank you for the comment on my blog, and your children are precious! I love little sister’s hat! What a wonderful gift. So glad to know you were all safe and able to be together Christmas Eve!
Shannon Phillips - I am so glad that you were able to be together on Christmas eve. What an amazing God we have. I love your sweet 16 Christmas photos. I did the same exact thing for tomorrows post with the circles! Tell your Dad that I would love some of that ham.