Merry Christmas 2009!

We had a very Merry Christmas! It started remarkably early when Landon woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. He was unable to sneak a peak at the presents under the tree because Bruce was sleeping in the hallway... Upon returning to his room he reported to Xander that he didn't see if Santa had come yet, "because Dad had grabbed his ankle." The boys quickly returned to sleep and awoke a little after 7. Landon and Xander enjoyed the excitement of the morning and searched for presents with their names on it while we waited for Ryker to wake up.

Grandma and Grandpa Otto were able to join us Christmas morning. It was so much fun to have them enjoy the wonders of Christmas morning with our family!

The boys had a great time playing with all of their presents. The morning was filled with an amazing amount of brotherly kindness and sharing.

Ryker's favorite presents were chapstick and a Tinker Bell sucker. Another one of his Christmas favorites was a Nativity scene made out of popsicle sticks that he got from his teacher at church. He loved carrying it around and showing people baby Jesus and the star in the heaven.

Bruce and the boys before church.

Christmas dinner with some of the Stanley cousins.

We also had a great New Year's party with the Otto's. After a late start, we enjoyed a dinner with great variety and family time. We continued the tradition of a homemade gift exchage. The highlight of the gifts was a DVD made by my brother Paul of my dad's slides.

We are grateful for new memories and time shared with our loved ones this holiday season. We are mindful of the amazing health and happiness we have been blessed with and recognize the hand of God in our lives.

God bless us all to make 2010 a year to remember!