Christmas Weekend with Granny and Grandpa Free

I saw this quote on one of my friend's status updates on Facebook.

Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. ---Author Unknown

"Light of the world" by Greg Olsen



On Christmas morning, the girls set their alarm clock for 6:00 AM. John and I slept only a total of three hours, grrrr! However, it was fun to see their excitement on their faces when they opened their presents!

Big sister with her "Secret Mrs. Claus" gift! WOW, she was so shocked to see a mountain bike- A Vision Hyper Aluminum that is white, pink and black!



Little sister was surprised with a doll American Girl Lanie Doll that looks just like her!



With Grandma Hawley's Christmas $$,they got some new winter gear: hats, gloves, and scarves from Old Navy on the left and The Children's Place on the right!



Big sister got a Penguin Pillow Pet! She is fascinated by penguins lately!



Just what she wanted a soft and cuddly Lady Bug Pillow Pet!



Big Sister got little Sissy a colorful butterfly necklace.



She never expected to own a Apple iPod nano 16 GB Pink either! Thanks to a great layaway plan! I'm so tired of her stealing mine, lol! She has shown us how responsible she is this year past year by baby sitting her little sister as well as helping around the house. We are confident she will take good care of her new electronic device!



Another Barbie to add to her collection! Oh joy!



Grandpa and Grandma Coleman sent the girls each a Hallmark reading book, which had a recording of my Dad's voice reading them a story! What a fun gift! Thank you so much, Dad and Kathleen!





We quickly cleaned up our Christmas mess, packed our bags, and headed out the door to Grandma and Grandpa Free's house! Before we started our journey to southern Utah, we had to make a stop to a couple extended family member's houses to drop off our Christmas treats! Our first stop was the Nelsons, then the Frees, and lastly my Mom at the Nursing home!



My Mom was so very happy to see us and was especially excited to see the many baked goodies. She told me this year she missed making Christmas treats and was too ashamed to tell her family or friends that she is living in a nursing home. It is sad. She looks older than her age because her body has been battling with so many illnesses. Poor lady! It just breaks my heart how much she has been through.



After visiting with my mom for a few minutes, we started our holiday traveling! John and I divided the driving time for our road trip to southern Utah. We were so exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before! He was first and then I drove most the second part. There was tons of fog on the roads! UGH! We finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner, which was a lovely turkey dinner, loaded with lots of veggies a tossed salad, carrots, sweet potatoes, and Granny's homemade bread! For their Christmas gift, we gave them the perfect wall hanging that says:

Bless our house as we come and go. Bless our children as they grow. Bless our family as we gather. Bless us all with love and laughter!



My sister gave me the exact same wall hanging to me for my birthday this year. Because I loved it so much, I knew my in-laws would love it too! In addition, I gave them some of my home made cookies, brownies, banana bread, and pumpkin bread! We watched Despicable Me(John got it for Christmas from us) and the kids played Chinese Checkers with their grandparents. The next day we went to church and had brunch (French toast, bananas, bacon, and juice). The girls were happy to spend some time with Granny and Grandpa!





After church, John took a small nap and we were off to our next adventure to play games with my ex step brother's family-The Hahn Family!

My family has been truly blessed this year. We have enjoyed spending time together with many extended family members and friends. We are so lucky to have the gospel in our lives and able to feel love from Jesus Christ. I am very grateful for Jesus' wonderful example when he lived on this earth. We hope we can strive to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We hope your household had a Very Merry Christmas! ♥ Jen