Christmas!

We had a very enjoyable Christmas this year.  We started off with a very nice Christmas Eve service at church to celebrate the real reason for Christmas and to remind us in all the business of Christmas activities that we are here and celebrating only because Christ was born and died for our sins.  I know that we all get caught up in all the family affairs and activities that we often forget this, but I hope that you will try to remember with me.

Here we are - Ava cheeses it up for the camera and I do feel as big (or bigger) than I look in the picture:)  It is a great thought that, God-willing, we will be celebrating next Christmas as a family of four!

 Ava has enjoyed her new art desk that we got her for Christmas.  I love watching her be more creative and into making things lately.  Hopefully all of her crayons, markers, coloring books, paint books, stamps, etc. stay a bit more organized now:)  And we were even brave enough to also get her some finger paints, so she has enjoyed painting pictures too.

 After having our family Christmas together Saturday morning, we spend the rest of the weekend with the rest of our families.  AVa really enjoyed sledding around on the ice on the pond with Daddy and Grandpa Carroll!

 She also enjoyed trying out cousin Cody's new rocking motorcycle that Grandpa Carroll made.  My dad is really talented with wood-working projects and has made all of the grandkids beautiful rocking things - including Ava's pig and the twins' team of Clydesdales.  Cody really loved his motorcycle too!

Best we could do for a group shot of the Woods cousins - Ava had fun playing with Lilly and Bella!