This has been a fascinating week to see Christmas through the eyes of children that have never experienced Christmas in the USA. Josh & Cate have done great with the celebrations this week. We've had big adult dinners at restaurants, gifts arriving in the mail, family spending the night, and lots of family time. Josh & Cate have handled it great and we've all worked really hard at remembering the real reason for the season...the birth of Jesus!
We had several outings to see the sights of the city at Christmas time. We saw the big tree at Jefferson Point and had some fun there.
We drove to Indianapolis and spent time with the boys and their families. Luke took us to Speedway and showed us the Dallara building that he was in charge of building. It houses Indy cars and Josh was very excited to see these cool looking cars in the lobby.
After our time in Brownsburg/Speedway with Luke, Susi, & Sarah we headed to Carmel to visit Nick, Autumn, & Nolan. We spent the day playing Band Hero and then went downtown to see the big tree at Circle Center. We ate at the Spagetti Factory and loved spending time with our big kids and little kids.
We had a family dinner with my brother Kirk and wife Jenni plus Matt, Jon, & Jacob. My mom and Bob were there along with my Uncle Jerry and his son Michael. Michael and Diana have Raven, Savannah, and Tesla. There were 22 of us at the dinner. It was great to see the family and introduce Josh & Cate to everyone.
We baked cookies and opened presents that came in the mail. Thanks Aunt Dawn and Uncle Tim for the hats and fun things. We love them. Thanks Kim & John for your surprises. We love the Leapster games and other goodies. Thanks Erin, Mike, Jacob, & Joseph for the Traffic Jam game and the book. We love both. Thanks Lynn & Dan for the snuggly blankets. We love being warm. We have some of the best friends in the world supporting us.
Luke, Susi, Nick, Autumn, Nolan, and Grandma Joan all came for the Christmas weekend. It was great fun to have so much family in the house. Grandma Carol & Grandpa Bob stopped over whenever they could. It was a great family time. Courtney and Zach were missed and we wished they could have joined us.
Cookies. milk, and carrots were left out for Santa and his reindeer.
One of our favorite sayings at this house is "Families are Forever", We tell Josh & Cate each day that we are their Forever Family and we want all of our children to know that we will always be there for them. We truly believe that "Families Are Forever!"
So far all of this excitement has just been Christmas eve. Next... Christmas morning begins and it was so much fun!
Some gifts were hidden in random places with clues. It was a fun scavenger hunt for the older kids.
Bikes and skates were some fun outdoor gifts the kids got from Santa. They had to try them out right away of course. Luckily it was a decent weather day outside and not 0 degrees with snow.
Whenever there was downtime everyone went to the basement to play Mario Bros or Just Dance 3 on the Wii. What great entertainment for ages 10 to 81! Even if you weren't a player it was a riot to watch. We did enjoy our time together.
It's been a fun Christmas weekend full of Christ's love and family. Happy Birthday to our Savior. I pray you know Him and experienced Him this Christmas season. He continues to guide us as we Choose Joy in our life!
Merry Christmas!
