There is no Santa

So there comes a time in a family where the serious discussion of Old St. Nick seems to be the hottest topic of conversation. Sunday night after a busy weekend we sat down as a family, popped some popcorn and watched "Elf" the movie. The kids loved it....and daddy probably laughed the loudest. After a discussion about what the kids thought about Santa we realized Grace was fully convinced that Santa is real....and that Christmas would not be the same without him. While we have never emphasized Santa...we didn't exactly discourage him either. We pretty much would just fill their stockings with toothbrushes, socks and other things that Santa loves to bring....of course! Why Grace thought Santa would actually bring these types of things I have no idea, but we decided we needed to remind our children why we celebrate season....which is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Plus, knowing Grace's personality we believe reinforcing the idea of Santa could confuse her faith. We don't want her believing so strongly and then be upset with us that we lied to her. We also didn't want our kids to think of the very real Jesus like they think of Santa. So, we very gently told the kids that we like to pretend about Santa....and that their was a man that lived who made toys for kids....but it's just pretend. Where as Jesus is really God who came as a little baby...etc. etc. Grace was just beside herself, while Elijah completely got the fact that we just pretend that Santa comes and was just fine. We specifically told Grace that lots of her friends still believe in Santa and she didn't need to share her new epiphany. Well, let's just say Grace is not very good at keeping secrets. She came home from school the next day only to hear she has spilled the beans to her whole class....and several of her classmates were crying and very upset. Of course, it has to be my kid who has to speak the truth. We were more upset with the fact that she disobeyed us. I called her teacher....who was so gracious with the whole thing. She said it was actually really funny....and it's bound to happen every year sooner or later. I guess we have to stand by our decision to speak truth to our kids. Besides, I firmly believe you don't have to have Santa to enjoy Christmas. I will be truly happy if our Children show just as much excitement about celebrating our Saviour.

Our first Thanksgiving (just us)

So, we just celebrated the first family Thanksgiving all by ourselves. As much as we missed being with our extended family it was a great weekend. I was excited to cook our very own turkey and make all the trimmings. Everything turned out pretty amazing.....well except the turkey! I guess it wasn't that bad....but I am really really picky when it comes to my cooking. I wanted it to be the most amazing thing I had every eaten on Thanksgiving, but I think we cooked it to long. I did inject it with plenty of garlic butter and seasonings, but I am convinced my thermometer was broken. The good news is my gravy saved the day....I have to say it was almost the star of the show. Although David and the kids seemed to enjoy the homemade french silk pie I made the most! On Friday we got up at 6:30am and ventured out to the chaos at the only mall in Great Falls. And suprisingly it was pretty busy. We mostly wanted to get a new blender, because ours is not working we managed to snag one. It was a $100 dollar cuisianart for $30 dollars. Pretty good deal I thought. We found a few more gifts for the extended family (not telling)! Then we came home and watched "Home Alone" and ate popcorn. Micah is the biggest popcorn fiend in the family. Probably because we have denied him from eating it for so long due to the choking hazard. But now he is old enough to know to eat one piece at a time. Elijah was pretty hilarious during the movie. He kept saying that Kevin was such a smart boy for knowing how to get rid of the robbers! Elijah is a smart boy himself. On Saturday we went to watch the new "Enchanted" movie. Mostly for Gracie's sake....but all of the kids enjoyed it. Sunday we finished the fantastic weekend with a great church service followed by putting up our Christmas tree and decorations. I have to say it was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of great quality family time.

It's a winterwonderland

Today is a great day! To our amazement it was the first official snow in Great Falls, Montana. The kids were beside themselves. They could hardly finish eating breakfast...but after telling them they had to in order to go outside, they gobbled up the rest of their waffles. We grabbed all the newly purchased snowpants, hats gloves, snow boots and headed outside. Well, at least everyone but mommy. I was still in my pajamas. Daddy was home for the morning because he has a night helicopter flight tonight. So, he dropped Gracie off at school (with all her winter gear) and began shoveling our sidewalks and carport. The boys had a blast throwing snow on each other and actually just spending most of their time rolling around in it. Oh how blessed we are with a wonderful fenced backyard. I actually managed to get a few pictures of the fun. We are so excited for the winter season here in Montana. We are particularly excited to try out the new ski's daddy bought for Mommy, Daddy, and yes Grace and Elijah too (Sorry Micah and Nathan...you have to wait a year or so). Don't worry Boppa he bought helmets for the kids! David and I have always talked about wanting to teach the kids to ski, (as well as ourselves). We figure now is the best time seeing as we only 45 minutes from pretty good skiing....and 3 hours from Big Sky. We are going to take advantage of everything their is to do in lovely Great Falls, Montana.

It's a miracle

Yes, it is a miracle that I am attempting to create the "blog spot." After the billionth time of telling people wow that's cool....I should do that, I have decided to give it a go. I am sure that this site will not be quite as cool as several others you may have browsed but it's the thought that counts. Plus, with 4 little ones to juggle...my time is usually limited to say the least. But maybe David can help me "pimp" our site out. Hopefully, my goal is to keep you updated on the adorable, horrible, and downright funny things that happen among our family that we don't get to share when filling people in on our life in Great Falls, Montana. So, stay tuned!