Presents or Coal?

That was Kendall's fear for an entire week!  She received a video message from Santa that warned her she was on the "naughty" list!  She was so nervous to even listen to the part of whether she had been naughty or nice - she ran out of the room.  There were several times where she had been bad before Christmas that resulted in tears, more like sobs, for fear Santa was going to bring her coal.  Christmas morning found Andy and I up first.  We wanted to see the look on Kendall's face when she realized she made the "nice" list.  She was overjoyed!

 Anxiously awaiting Pappy's arrival - have to have coffee before anyone can open gifts, right?

 Santa DID bring her a Strawberry Shortcake bike!

What's In The Bible series 

Installment #5 and #6

Riley got a few new games for his DS:

Ninjago, Pac Man, Super Scribblenauts, 

A Barbie Princess Charm School movie

 They both love ripping through the wrapping paper

Long gone are the days when my Nanny Stauffer use to ask us not to rip the paper because she wanted to reuse it - who asks a kid not to rip wrapping paper?  I guess that happens after you live through the Great Depression.

 Look at that face - think he likes it?

Did you guess what it was?

A FOX chest protector for riding his dirt bike!

Can't get a new bike without a helmet, right?

A LeapFrog Tag reader for Kendall

Riley also made out with a ninja costume that he was wearing around the house all of Christmas day.  If it ever snows and amounts to something, Riley will be able to use his snowman kit that contains wooden peg coal eyes, carrot nose, coal mouth and a red scarf!  Both kids got some extra stuff in their stockings like new slippers, peg games, lip gloss, necklaces, etc.  

After presents Kendall and I put on our aprons and baked a cake for Jesus' birthday.  Ironically I realized afterwards that the cake box she picked out was a devils food cake!  Oh well.  Next year we'll try to remember to make an Angel's food cake instead!

I made us a traditional Hershock-styled Christmas dinner while my parents entertained the kids.  We had turkey, dried corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed tators, green beans, with pumpkin pie and chocolate cake for dessert.  We were all stuffed and ready for bed after all that!  We even ate dinner in the dining room off of my great grandmother's china.  

Andy and I exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve after everyone had gone to bed.  I was anticipating a new pair of cowboy boots for Christmas as well as maybe a new Bible that I was interested in getting, but Andy really surprised me this year.  The first thing he gave me was a beautiful ring that I had seen online weeks ago that I had mentioned to him.  It's a silver heart shaped ring with a cross in the middle of the heart.  It has a celtic style to it, which I love.  Then he really got me when I opened a box containing a new ipad2.  He said he knew I'd never ask for one (we had one for a few months while he was in grad school but had to return it when his work schedule no longer allowed him the time to complete his work) so that's what made him want to get it for me.  

Of course then I felt bad only giving him a few things.  He really wants to get an HD video camera to mount on his dirt bike helmet but hadn't picked out which one he wanted.  I was just going to contribute towards that camera once he knew what he wanted.  He did get a new Fox shirt, a new beer glass and a cool ring styled bottle opener.    

The best part of our Christmas wasn't the presents, nor the food.  It was hearing our kids talk about the story of Jesus birth throughout the entire month.  I did a new activity with them were each night we'd open an envelope with a picture and scripture in it - sort of like the Easter Countdown we do.  Each night we'd discuss the scripture and why that picture was included.  To make the story come to life even more, my parents shared about their adventures in Israel last month.  They brought them items from Israel and then discussed them with the kids - why they brought a camel and a donkey, the money they'd kept, the relationship between the US and Israel, going to see the cave where Jesus was born, etc.  What a great way for the kids to understand the story of Jesus.

I hope you and your family had a very blessed Christmas this year and keep that spirit alive all year long.  For unto us a child is born.  Unto us a son is given...