Christmas -

Christmas was great. I am currently sitting at a new laptop blogging away. Thanks to Gary I am a PROUD owner of this! It's a wide screen beauty ...

Here are a few of the fun things we were blessed with this year.

I cried as I turned each page of a photo album that Kacey made for me. It was incredible. It seemed like we cried a lot this Christmas, which is very unlike The Shakers!

Gary got a pizza stone and paddle so he can make us some wicked awesome pizza since the Whatcott's have us addicted.

Kacey got a portable DVD player and Photo Shop ... both of which she promptly returned and is putting the money towards her $2,000 camera! Go girl! My favorite gift of Kacey's was a letter from her friend Tyler who just left a few weeks ago to serve a mission in England. I got the letter while she was in New York and I saved it and put it in her stocking. She cried.

Keaton received my favorite gift of all time. We had a DVD made of some of his football highlights with still shots of his family and friends and amazing footage of their last game. It was extremely well done and brought people to tears.

Jake (our airplane & Lego fanatic) was delighted with a 1200 piece Lego Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He spent the next four days studying it, hovering over it and completing it!

Garrison was so excited to receive his first magic set in a shiny silver suitcase. He's quite the little magician.

Jake & Garrison are also having a lot of fun being Nerf Superheroes.


Of course, we had our Christmas breakfast at Grandma's house ... YUM! AND we had some great conversation with Matt. He is doing awesome. His zone (group) got permission to go to an all-night Catholic Mass. He said that they were in this huge standing-room-only cathedral and the Priest walked up to him and rubbed his chest and pronounced peace upon him. Yeah for peace! He loves all of the different experiences he is having and he loves gator! Last year, when it was time to hang up, we were a little sad. This year, there was no sadness. He is where he is supposed to be and he knows it. What a gift to be given the privilege of serving the Lord full time ... especially at Christmas. Only eight more months!