Our trip to Boise

A very tired Kristi on Christmas morning.
Olivia woke me up before I was ready. But
then again, who is ever ready to be woken
up on Christmas morning?







Garrett was all too ready for Olivia to wake him up.
He has been waiting for Christmas for quite some
time now.










Where did Matt go?







Here's the early bird! Doesn't she look cute?











Olivia's favorite stocking stuffer is her own
can of easy cheese. It is a treat. I don't buy
it any other time of the year. I mean...Santa
doesn't buy it any other time of the year!


Below are the kids with their cousins, waiting
patiently to open presents.

Our Faux Christmas

Friday, December 19th, the kids pestered Matt all day to let them open their Christmas presents before we left for Boise. I went shopping and when I got home, Matt said that we were going out to eat. He took us to the Mandarin House. Our Christmas Eve tradition is to go to Chinese food. This was the first sign. The second was that after dinner, Matt took us to Santa Claus Lane. A neighborhood that goes all out in decorating their homes. Another Christmas Eve tradition. When we got home, Matt took out his Bible and read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Another Christmas Eve tradition. All of this to say that the kids won out. We
opened our gifts 6 days before Christmas! an you believe it? I still
can't!

Ladies Christmas Tea

On Tuesday, December 16, the UBC Women's Ministries held their 4th annual Ladies Christmas Tea. We had it at the Rosewood Reception Center. It was beautiful. Some ladies volunteered to hostess a table. They brought their dishes and decorations from home. Each table was unique. It was a lot of fun. We feasted on tea sanwiches, truffles, biscotti, and cream puffs.

Our entertainment for the evening was the Trouver singers from Highland High School. They were amazing. Their music filled the
reception hall. I was amazing. I was thrilled to hear them sing the traditional Christmas songs that tell of the true meaning of Christmas. The birth of our Savior, Jesus.

A Long Time...

I know it has been a long time since I have posted on this blog, and this is going to be short.

We were watching "Kung Fu Panda" last night, and one of the characters said, "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That is why it is called 'Present.'" Even though it is just a line in a movie, I think it is a pretty profound statment. We need to make the most of every minute of our lives. We need to live our lives to the glory of God.

On Christmas Day, my uncle, Jim Barnes, my birthmother's brother, went to meet Jesus. He was very close to my birthmother, always there for her. He was the only uncle that knew about me before I was born. He knew Jesus Christ as his Savior. It is because of that that we can have peace about his death. This is why we must live every minute of this gift, this present, this today, to it's fullest. We never know when God is going to call us home, if we know Him, and we must be ready.

I love you, Uncle Jim. I am privileged to have known you.