Blessings...

I have fallen behind yet again...in my blessings. My excuse...I have been enjoying my blessings way too much this month! I have been cherishing the most important blessings most of all; my family, my friends, and most of all, my Savior. This December I was ever so blessed to realize how commercialized i had made Christmas in years past. I always tried to focus on my Savior and his birth in years past, but this year I REALLY realized and set in stone my testimony of what the true meaning of Christmas is. This year has been a hard year for our family. However, it has been one of the best years as well. Through the challenges that we have faced lately I have learned a lot about myself and one thing I have realized about me is how much I really do depend on my Savior and His atoning Sacrifice for me and for my family and all of those around me. I have truely gained an enormormous appreciation for the atonement and am so grateful for it in my life and in the lives of my family. I have been truely blessed with the knowledge of Him and His love for me and if I but come unto him and ask Him, He will take my fears, sorrows, and trials from me. I have found immense comfort in this knowledge this month and therefore I have stengthened my testimony of it greatly and have found that it has been the best way that I can celebrate HIS birth. I know that my Savior lives and he knows who I am and He loves me.

Here's some things that have happened in December with my blessings...

Sledding Down our icy driveway is one of the kids' favorite things to do in the winter????

My annual cookie exchange with my friends! One of my favorite Christmas traditions of the season.

Visiting Dads and Grandpas. Merry Christmas! We love you! We miss you!

The PEACE girls on Christmas Eve in their new Peace jammies

Ice Cream cones Christmas morning! What a great breakfast!

Michael and Calli having their Christmas Carol Jam session. It was so fun to watch them play together. It kind of made me want to start learning the guitar!!

The Kiddie table Christmas Eve. So adorable! Yummy dinner too.

We had Christmas Eve with my family. It was so fun to have Jon and his family there and Michael and his family, and don't forget...Tim and Ben. We had a great time eating dinner and opening presents from mom. It was hard not to have Dad there for the first Christmas, but hopefully we served his memory proud by enjoying each other so much. The kids love being at Grandma's and love surrounding themselves with their cousins. It was a special night.

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

Blessing #47

My mom left for a little vacation to go and see my sister Sara and I have missed her sooo much. Since I have been thinking about what my life would be like without her, I realized that I had not done a blessing post for her yet! My mom is one of the most amazing blessings in my life. We have a lot in common. She is the most supportive woman I know! Anyone can go to her and get the support that they need in all things. She amazes me everyday with her good attitude about life and her love for her family. She and I do a lot together. Mostly we go to lunch and go shopping and get diet drinks together. She loves to quilt and is the most incredible quilter I know (and I'm not saying that because she's my mom-I mean it!). She is a great cook, her house is always clean and homey, and she knows how to give an incredible gospel doctrine Sunday School lesson. She is a super duper Grandma too!! My kids adore her as much as I do. I joke about how my mom fell in love with Jeff before I did and she has always been such a good mother-in-law to him. Losing her husband has been one of the most difficult things that she has gone through. But she has triumphed and has shown all of us her testimony in forever families by the way that she has conducted her life since he has been gone. I am sure that Daddy is so proud of her! She truly loves us and we truly love her and the blessing she is in our lives!

Blessing #47...MOM

Blessing #46

I was finishing up on the decorating for Christmas this morning. I was setting up all of the nativities that we own. Most of them are Calli's. Grandma Nelson gets her one every year for Christmas. Some of them have angels that go with them. This year I felt differently about the angels as I was placing them in their position watching over the nativity. I am little ashamed to admit that all of the other years, I have hesitated to place the angels. I feel almost sacrilegious saying that-but it is true. I am not sure what held me back...If I can be so bold, I wasn't sold on the angel idea. I believed in angels I guess. The scriptures speak of angels. However, I wasn't sure, for sure, until this past year. I can now say that we have angels watching over us and looking out for our best interest and they are assisting our Heavenly Father in the work with the Living and on the other side. I am truly blessed to know that there are angels, true angels among us.

Blessing #46...Angels