Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve. I love the anticipation. I love the family togetherness. I love the focus on Christ. This is our first year celebrating Christmas as our own little family. We have always celebrated with extended family in the past. Though we miss them, it has been a wonderful opportunity to create our own memories and traditions. We spent quite a bit of time planning how we wanted a Mackrory Christmas celebration to look. We melded things from each of our families and integrated other ideas as well. So far it has been wonderful. Today we enjoyed working together to make dinner, wrapping gifts, and last minute shopping. Then we had our Christmas Eve dinner and festivities. So wonderful. It was so nice to just be together. Now to the fun preparation for tomorrow (once Brielle has fallen asleep.)

Everyone VERY ready for dinner. We were supposed to eat at 2:30 and the lamb wasn't ready until 3:30.

Christmas crackers

Pears...sugar sprinkled
Mom and Dad

Lamb, peas, carrots, potatoes and MINT SAUCE! Yum.

Mmm. Sugar sprinkles.

Mmm. More sugar sprinkles.

Sweet, loving Mary and her baby.And a handsome Joseph. Opening our one Christmas Eve gift.

"BUGS!!! Pajamas with a zipper and BUGS!" (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa)"Flowers! I love flowers!"

Happy sibling hugs.

From Nathan

When I got home from activity days tonight Jared mentioned Nathan had written his name all by himself. Jared had just reminded him verbally what each letter looked like (i.e. "N goes up, down, up"). I was impressed. I know he can do it, but he has to want to and he doesn't "want to" very often. I didn't think much more about it until I was straightening up the living room and found where he wrote it:He even got the "To Mom" on there!

For some reason it really touched me, bringing tears to my eyes.

Nathan has been going through what his Aunt Michelle called a "rough patch" the last few weeks and has been keeping me on my toes. Maybe that fact brought the tears a little more readily. I don't know.

But, I DO know, I sure love this boy..."rough patch" and all.

(The picture Nathan wanted me to take of him during Brielle's show today)

Pics for Grandma

Here is Jacob all bundled up for his first sled ride down the little hill in our backyard. Isn't he cute?!?

Brielle had her Christmas program today. She was a cow in the story of the gingerbread Man. "Mooo. Stop little gingerbread boy. I want to eat you." She did a fantastic job on her line and singing the fun Christmas songs at the end. She is a little performer. Great job Bre.

Visiting with Santa

Even Better

Brielle cried the whole way home from my last ultrasound, lamenting the fact that the baby was a boy and not a girl.

Today she was playing with Jacob and making him laugh. She looked up at me and said, "This is even better than a girl!"

Elijah - Revised

Last night for FHE we acted out the story of Elijah and the widow in an effort to teach the importance of giving. First Jared and I reenacted the story and then it was the kids' turn. First Brielle wanted to be the "mom" and Nathan wanted to be the prophet. They did a great job. When the widow's son died Brielle's eyes filled with tears--real tears which she quietly wiped away--as she mourned the loss of her son. Touched, I looked over at Elijah to prompt him to give the son a healing blessing. His eyes were filled with tears too. How blessed I am to be able to learn from their sweetness and compassion.

After take 2, Brielle wanted to be the prophet and Nathan wanted to be the mom. As his son, I told Nathan how very hungry I was. Seeing the Prophet Elijah approaching, he announced "I make TWO fires!" which he promptly did and gave both Elijah and I a cake, keeping none for himself. Elijah responded by breaking her cake in two and sharing with the widow.

I don't think they needed a lesson on the topic we chose, but we sure got one.