As we all knew it would, Christmas break has gone by entirely too fast and we resume school tomorrow. We have enjoyed spending many hours with the kids, watching movies, playing games (Yahtzee is the current favorite) and trying to beat them at "speed stacks" (cup stacking) -- they're getting much too fast though! We have fresh snow outside right now and I'm guessing sledding is in our future for this afternoon. We've also enjoyed our daily trips to the mailbox, seeing new pictures and receiving updates from friends (which is, for me, one of the best parts of this season). One of our special highlights of the past few weeks was praying with Samuel as he asked Jesus into his heart (after a discussion we had while making Christmas cookies). Emily and I enjoyed a trip to the Nutcracker Ballet with "Auntie Penny" (and our good friend Patty). The kids were indulged in (again by Auntie Penny) a fun night at Chuck-E-Cheese's, while Kevin & I were able to sneak off for a date--which was 1 part dinner and 2 parts homeschool planning--but it felt like a date nevertheless! With enough sleep (and a little caffeine tossed in!), we're excited about getting back into our "school routine" and looking forward to what 2009 has in store. The pictures below start with Emily's worship dance performance a few weeks ago, as well as cookie making, Christmas Eve candlelight service & Christmas Day.
