Merry Christmas. This year we celebrated the birth of our Savior in our home. It was nice to not have to travel this year. We didn’t travel, but we’ve been busy!

Early in the week, Mama offered to feed a neighbor’s horses. Each morning and evening she goes to feed the horses. Sometimes she takes the boys. Underfoot loves to see the horses. K2 doesn’t seem to think they are anything special.

On Christmas morning, Mama fed the horses, and we decided to go all together. Some friends joined us. They ended up at our house afterward and eating Christmas breakfast. It was quite a feast. After our friends left, it was time to participate in the phone call from Elder K. (Mama’s brother on a Mission in Washington D.C.) Mama enjoyed hearing his voice and listening to his experiences while in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol. He recently had a tour of the Capitol building and met all the Mormon Congressmen (3 Senators and about 10 Representatives).

After the phone call, we opened a smattering of presents. The highlights were a a Cars table and marble works game for Underfoot, musical instruments for K2, a camera for Mama, and a wagon for me. I also got a Lowe’s gift card to help me finish off the projects I’m working on this week.

On Monday, Mama and a friend were in a local grocery store. This particular store is not in the best part of town. As Mama and her friend were leaving, they noticed a man running out of the store. It took them a few seconds to realize that he had not paid for the items in his bag. Mama learned an important lesson about where not to shop.

Later that evening we attended a local neighborhood’s light festival. The streets are like a maze, and most of the homes participate. One house had “snow” being blown out by a fog machine. It was soap bubbles. Another house had done a water show. Pretty amazing what people will do to decorate.

Mama has been involved in editing documents created by her great-grandfather, MEC. It has been interesting to read about his life, his ancestors, and the people around him. We’ve learned about his trials, triumphs, and other interesting tales.

On Saturday, I spent the day building storage space in the attic above our garage. My head is full of cuts, bumps, and bruises. Hopefully it will be all completed before it’s time for me to return to work in a week!

Our 7 month old: