Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is always one of the craziest for sure, but it is SO MUCH FUN! I love the parties, the programs, the goodies, and the spirit of the season. This year we have really loved watching Emma perform in Showtime. She has been so excited to be a part of this group and has gone from not wanting to have any attention on her to wanting a solo. She has also made a really good friend in the group, and they had a great time performing together.

This year we also started a new tradition of beginning 12 days before Christmas and reading a Christmas story together. Some are more meaningful stories than others, but it has quickly become my favorite tradition. With each passing year the season seems to fly by more quickly. It seems that by the time Christmas came both Ted and I were exhausted and felt like we hadn't really enjoyed the season. This year has been different. Every night we have been forced to slow down enough to sit quietly and read a story. The kids love it, I love the time together as a family, and it has been a way to solidify to our kids what this season is all about.

However, the season wouldn't be complete without the Christmas picture. In years past this has at times been most unpleasant. By the end of the picture everyone was upset, and the spirit of Christmas was the furthest thing from our home. This year we decided to make it much less structured, and we all were laughing. No, the photos aren't the best, but the experience was far better than usual. I'll take an imperfect photo anytime so long as we are all laughing at the end and still enjoying being together.

We hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas. We love you all and want you to know how grateful we are for each of you in our lives.