Ezra really wanted to have “secret santa” in our family this year so we decided to do it, but have the item come from our house and be something that is yours that you give away or something you make.  Marian got Ezra and wanted to make him a stuffed animal-she found old socks and was trying to hand sew, it wasn’t working very well and she was complaining.  I told her she could try her sewing machine but that I had NO idea how to operate it so she was on her own (Grandma got it for her last year and has been teaching her).  She got it out, sewed some stuff, taught the boys a few things and fixed a hole in Kelly’s jean pocket that he was ready to throw out.  We were quite impressed! 

You have to love Facetime right:)  The kids singing carols to Grandma & Grandpa B in Arizona . . .

Ezra disappears to his room for awhile one day and comes out acting like a robot with a bag hanging beside him and a sign that says “Pencils 25 cents”, along with a basket of pencils.  He was a pencil machine.  I don’t like pencils but I love Ezra so I bought a couple, Kelly bought a couple and so did Marian, he buys more pencils the next day at school (for $.25) and tries to sell them again.  I need to teach him a few things about profit margins and market saturation but it was cute anyway!

Later in the week, Tobin started selling for him and they opened a store in their bedroom

They will a little pushy with the merchandise and tired to sell some of my things but I admire their entrepreneurial spirit:)

We have an outreach event at our church each year making gingerbread houses

It’s a pretty big operation, a couple used to invite the Sunday School kids over to their house, Jim created a template for the house and used cardboard to make the frame of the house-we still use this template now and makes it so young and young at heart can all create!

This year there was a Christmas production as well, Marian sang Away in a Manger

Ezra’s cool window

Marian’s too

Over the years, people have gotten pretty good at this!

Tobin looks sad because his trees were falling off, he was trying not to cry

We started telling him jokes, and he finally cheered up

Had a low key day, Marian got a gingerbread cookie decorating set from her Secret Santa at school, so we got that out

Looks like a professional!

They turned out pretty cute (but didn’t taste very good!)

And, then we went to our candlelight service,

I always love it, lots of singing and scripture reading, helps all of us keep our focus on what Christmas is really about – NOT the presents to come in the morning but on the greatest gift ever given, a precious baby, born to die and born to save.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6