Happy New Year!

Ok! So I have been really bad the last two months about updating my blog. Sorry to those people who have continued to check for something new (like Amanda)! The last two months have been so busy at home and at work that this just got put on the back burner and not a priority. I am going to try really hard this year to do better and update more often. I am not going to promise to do it every day but will try to update at least once a week.

We had a great Christmas. We left Christmas Eve morning and headed to Nashville to make a stop at Vanderbilt to visit Bro. Bob and his wife Mrs. Ollie Mae. Bro. Bob has been in the hospital for a couple of months so the kids made him a Christmas card to help cheer him up since he would still be in the hospital on Christmas. We visited with them, gave him the card and sang a couple of Christmas songs for them. Then we headed out to Illinois to my parents house. We ended up meeting them in Benton at Pizza Hut for our traditional Christmas Eve meal of pizza. Then of course we had to make a stop at Wal-Mart for any last minute shopping. My mom doesn't think she can have a Christmas Eve without going to Wal-Mart. It is something that my Grandpa Don always did! She didn't have anything she needed to buy this year but felt like she had to buy something so she ended up buying herself some new boots.

We then went on to my parents house and took care of a few more traditions. We opened our one present that we always open on Christmas Eve: new pajamas. After we all changed and took a few pictures we watched a Christmas movie and ate cheese dip. The kids got their cookies, milk and letter ready for Santa and then finally headed to bed.

We had a great Christmas morning. As usual the kids got way more than they needed but it was fun watching them open their presents. We took all of our presents from us to my parents. So they had their Santa gifts, presents from us, from my parents and my Grandma. After what seemed like a long time we finally got all the presents opened and my mom started on our big Christmas morning breakfast while we started trying to open toys for the kids and get everything together. They also had their present from my sister Emily. This year we told her she could just put all the money together that she spends on the 6 of us and get us a Wii. She was all for that since it made her shopping so much easier. The kids were so excited and so was Jeff and I. I think we have had as much fun with it as they have.

Later that day we went to see my Grandpa Don. It was so good to get to see all of my family. I wish we could have seen all of my cousins and their families. It has been a long time since we have all been together on my mom's side. Hopefully one day soon we can all get together.

We came back home Saturday afternoon. We needed to be home for church on Sunday because Jeff was preaching in the morning service. He did a great job and I am so proud of him. That afternoon we had Christmas with the Jeff's side of the family. His sister, Lisa, and her husband, Scott, and Jeff and I all played on the Wii. I don't think we have laughed that hard in a long time. That evening the kids stayed with Granny and Papa while we went to church for a business meeting. They were voting on licensing Jeff to preach. They voted 100% to license him. So this will last for about a year and then he will be ordained. He is now the Associate Pastor/Minister of Christian Education at our church!

I have been on Christmas break since last Wednesday and it has been wonderful. I don't go back to work until next Monday. The kids will also go back to school on that day. I haven't got as much done on my break as I wanted to but it has been nice being off work.

That pretty much catches you up on our Christmas. For New Years Eve we had a Watch Night Service at church. We watched "Facing the Giants", Bro. Eddie gave a short devotion and then we ate and waited for the new year to begin. Kylee is in Arkansas with Jeff's mom. They went to visit Granny Jones. She was so excited to get to go with her Granny. Jeff's Dad couldn't get off work so we let Kylee go with his mom so she would at least have someone to help keep her awake. I know that Kylee is having a great time and making some great memories that will last a lifetime!

I hope that you all have a very Happy New Year! I am excited to see what God is going to do in 2009!!! I will try to post some pictures later. I have some family pictures that we took earlier in December. And then pictures from our Christmas.