Christmas 2015 + A Christmas Miracle

Christmas break started at 1:00 PM Thursday, December 17, 2015.  Why give such an exact time and date you ask?  Well, I have NEVER been so excited to have a break from school.  Since school started 10 days after we moved here on July 29th and we were moving all summer I feel like we haven't had a break for a very long time.  And what an nice break we've had the last eleven days.

Bo and I spent a couple of days shopping for Christmas.  I had ordered everything online but packages were being returned because of an address error.  I'm not quite sure if it was the Post Office or Amazon, but either way we had to get some last minute gifts.  Even though it was an added stress it was really fun to go out with Bo and buy gifts in an actual store.  The long drive was nice having him with me.  We also spent a day at Sea Life Park.  This is one of the kids favorite places to visit.  The rest of the time we spent at home for the most part.  I think everyone enjoyed just being home with no responsibility.  I'm sure Bo would have made a few more trips, but nobody except him wanted to fight the traffic on the roads.  It was really busy with all the tourists visiting for Christmas.  

We did of course make gingerbread houses.

The three younger boys made this house

Hailey and Conrad made this one

On the evening of December twenty-third we took the three oldest boys to the PCC to a canoe ride Nativity.  It was really cool and you could really feel the spirit floating through. 

Here's a link to a video of part of it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B13FCTVi3n78Q1dwYVBHcWpOeWNhVTNtSVZ3dENLdTc3VEQ4/view?usp=sharing

 Christmas Eve was pretty relaxing and we went to the PCC for a buffet dinner.  It was definitely a different kind of Christmas Eve for us but we enjoyed it and I enjoyed not having dinner dishes.  No, there is not a dishwasher in this house. :)

Here we are waiting for our seats.  Those murals are amazing.  I love this place.

Just have to add this pic.  I love it!

Christmas morning started out at 6:30.  Caleb came running into our room saying "We open presents"!  I said, "Go get the other kids up".  He reponds with a huge smile saying, "Hailey waking them up".  It was fun to see him and the kids so excited.  Normally we have crepes and get dressed before they open presents but we were all still full from dinner so the kids began opening gifts.  We had a great time and the rest of the day the kids just played with their toys.

Now for the Christmas miracle.  As I've mentioned in earlier posts the kids have been fighting non stop since we moved here.  But the Sunday before Christmas, Bo and I were still in bed and the kids were out playing. Not fighting, not bickering...just playing together.  I know that this may not sound like a miracle to you but, if you'd lived in our home at all since we moved here you'd understand that it was.  An outsider would have wondered if they even liked each other.

This was the first time the kids played all morning without fighting every few minutes since we moved here. It was so quiet that I layed in bed extra long just to listen to them enjoy being together.  Since then our house has been peaceful.  There have been a few fights but, they have played together and spoken kinder to one another and to Bo and me.  They are friends again.  I'm not sure what changed. but it's definitly a blessing from our Heavenly Father.  

The break has been great for all of us.  There aren't many respinsibilities at the moment we've all been rejuvinated and are better able to handle our new life.  I think we are finally settled and rested.  Bring on the next six months! :)