Christmas at the Chapman's

This Christmas season I had a hard time feeling the spirit of it all. It just didn't seem as fun for some reason, and I didn't spend a whole lot of time pondering the real reason for Christmas, so it just seemed kind of empty. We read a chaotic Christmas story to the kids on Christmas Eve and then told them to hurry and get to bed so that Santa could come, with hardly a second thought of the birth of our Savior. Christmas morning I finally felt it. We had a lot of fun opening all of our presents and of course got much more than any person really should, but the best part of Christmas came after the wrapping paper was thrown away. It came when Isaac took the time to sit down beside me and tell me how much he was thankful for the things he had been given and when he took the time to write a "thank you" note to Santa without any prompting from anyone else. It came when Carter told me what an "awesome job" I did on his army outfit and picking out his army hat. It came when my boys were happy for each other and their gifts and freely shared them (not a usual case!). It came while I was watching my family enjoy time together. It came as I finally pondered the gift of a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son to earth for us. It came as I pondered Christ's gifts to us - His love, His example, His mercy, His forgiveness, and ultimately, His atonement. I'm so glad it came because I had a wonderful Christmas! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

(Who needs a dollhouse from Santa when he brings great things like toothbrushes, toothpastes, and slim jims?)

The "HAUL"

After the tree was finally empty and the kids thought they had got all they could get, Uncle Mickey arrived with two new sets of golf clubs for the boys and a beautiful little rocking chair for Ashlyn. He took the boys outside to try them out and I'm not sure who had more fun! He's starting them early so that they are ready for a grudge match between his friend's grandchildren and our boys in fifteen years! :) It was great watching them play together and I appreciated Mickey taking the extra time to show them how it was done. Ashlyn loves her rocking chair, now. She wouldn't have a thing to do with it with a stranger watching her!

It was also a lot of fun watching Isaac try out his new bow. He really got the hang of it fast and will be quite the competition for his Dad soon!

I decided I'd like to take a shot, too, but one was one too many. I released just as Eric started to say, "You're aiming way too high." We'll always remember my shot that went a good hundred yards past the target and hit the back of the garage. We tugged and pulled, but that arrow is now a permanent fixture. Everyone had a good laugh over it except for Eric. He was too busy mourning the loss of his new arrow. Poor thing!

Merry Christmas!