Christmas Eve

Driving into St. George on Christmas Eve, this is the incredible view we captured of the red mountain backed with the snowy white. Can you see why I miss this place?
Emily was thrilled to see "Papa."
And she literally ran into her Grandma's arms, which melted my heart. We all had missed them so much!

Jon was excited to see Aunt Ruthanne and had fun playing peek-a-boo with her and giving her kisses through the wooden railing.

And he had lots of horsey rides since there were more people around to give him attention.

That night, after we read the Christmas Story from the Bible as a family, Emily retold the story using the children's nativity set. She had a little help from me, but she actually knew most of it herself. We were all impressed. When Emily was finished, I asked her, "But what was the most important gift of all?" To our surprise, little Jonny said, "Jesus!" Wow, can you believe that? My little one year-old had been listening the whole time!

Jon and Wade

Catherine and Ruthanne

my Grandpa and Grandma Lang

For the last part of the program, my dad sang, "Let Him In," I sang "Mary, Let Me Hold Your Baby," Austin played "O Holy Night" on the piano, and then we all listened to a special recording of a child telling the Christmas story. That night as a family, it was easy to remember why we celebrate this time of year as all of our thoughts turned to the Savior. It was a really special night.

After we put the kids to bed, we all played Rummikub around the kitchen table. Of course, even when the game was over, the boys (Austin, my dad, and Wade) were determined to figure out a way to play every last piece, and they did!