Christmas

 I'm so sad Christmas is over. January has to be the most depressing month ever! We had such a fun Christmas and it's hard to know normal routine is right around the corner. Mark is usually CRAZY busy during the holidays because it is year end, but this year he was able to finish up all his deals the Friday before Christmas. For the first time in a few years, he has had a bunch of time off and it has be awesome! I've loved having him around. Christmas Eve was gorgeous and even though it was nice and clear, the temperature wasn't biting cold. Mark felt it was a good opportunity to introduce Paige to some sledding---country style. Paige was obsessed. She laughed and giggled the entire time. Mark pulled that crazy girl around for two and half hours and she still cried when it was time to stop.

 

 

She is pretty cute all bundled up. I ended up sitting on back of the four wheeler and catching some film filled with squeals and giggles.

 

 

Roxy loves the snow. She goes nuts and follows her nose a mile a minute. She has gotten pretty good about sticking close to home in the summer, but winter is a different story. If left to roam, she is long gone. When you do find her and call her home she totally ignores you and runs the other way. Mark whistles for her and Paige says "whoop whoop" since she can't whistle. Mark was laughing at her and yelled "Roxy whoop whoop" the other day and Paige freaked out. She told Mark that was her whistle and he needed to do his whistle. Either way, Roxy ignores them both! Roxy has enjoyed the sledding and sticks close enough to chase Paige around while we pull her. After two hours behind the four-wheeler, Mark and Paige slowed things down and tried some good old-fashioned hill sledding down the driveway.

 

We have awesome friends and they have invited us to crash their family parties lately. We feel so blessed to be a part and love every minute of it. I hope they realize how fortunate they are to have such a fun, large, loving family that all live nearby. Paige was a dove in the nativity and her little hat was too cute. She blended right in and barged her way into all sorts of family pictures

 

I woke up before everyone else Christmas morning and thought I'd set the mood. It was perfectly peaceful and beautiful.

 

I snapped this shot out my back window. All is calm. All is bright. Enjoying a few moments to myself was the perfect way to start the day.

 

This was the first year it was just the three of us on Christmas morning. We felt very small. With Paige getting older and more excited about things, it was a lot more fun and it reminded me of Christmas's when I was a kid with one exception, numbers. I love our little family, but in some ways it is really hard. I definitely felt like something was missing. Santa was pretty good to Paige and it was her turn every turn:) He brought me an iPad and Mark got a few days to a team roping school in Arizona. Santa was pretty excited about that gift, especially since he was smart enough to make sure Mark's best friend got the same thing so they could go together.

 

 

Paige's favorite gift came in the form of a fully equipped kitchen. I was able to FaceTime Mom and Dad so they could see her unwrap this. It was priceless. She immediately whipped them up some eggs. I hope she enjoys this for years to come.

 

As much as I hate the cold and snow, I love where we live. It's beautiful and there is a lot to do. The river flooded the pasture down in the bottoms and created this natural skating rink. Most of the water receded, but there is a huge 4 inch slab that our neighbor shoveled off. It is amazing how smooth and nice it is for being nature made. We may need to invest in some skates to enjoy our own private rink!

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and I really enjoyed the season this year, especially watching Paige truly enjoy it for her first time. It has been a difficult few weeks however, and I am working really hard on focusing on the positive and maintaining a hopeful attitude. I feel very discouraged at times and wish I could see the future. I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy the now, and that has been easy with so much to do. I have heard so many stories lately that are both scary and discouraging and it has been hard not to focus on them. I am not sure I could survive some of the experiences others have faced. I had to remind myself that while I have not been blessed with a baby this year, my Heavenly Father did save me a lot of heartache. Crushing heartache financially and emotionally. One situation we said "no" to ended up being a huge scam of sorts and honestly, I'm not sure I would have come through it in any positive way. I am fearful of January and things slowing down enough that I have too much alone time with my thoughts. I hope I can run on the optimistic fumes I have created the last little while to get me through it. Counting my blesses and focusing on things I do have sounds like just the right ticket.