Merry Christmas

Since moving to Florida, every Christmas Eve we go to the Pearce's house for food and a little Christmas Program.  This year Elyse had the privilege of being Mary during the reading of the Christmas story.   She was so cute and really took care of that baby!

Ben and Sam had quite the argument about who was going to be a wise man and who was going to be a shepherd.   They both wanted to be shepherds.  Finally, I was able to talk Ben into letting Sam be the shepherd.....his conceding the role was an early Christmas present for Sam.  Ben was quite amusing to watch as he was worshipping the baby.  In his mind he was one of those moving mechanical figures and he would bow up and down like one....he is so crazy!

 Sam wanted to be a shepherd just so he could wear the head band.  I guess he really likes that look!

Christmas morning brought the discovery of an electric scooter for Ben. 

 The scooter moves much faster than our little John Deere Gator toy.......Ben enjoyed the speed!

 Ben is giving Sam some instructions on how to make the scooter run.  I sure hope Sam is listening so he doesn't get himself thrown off!

 Yep.....he's got it all figured out!

 What would Christmas be without candy?  Elyse is looking at her Princess Ring Pops to decide which color is the one she wants.  She then voluntarily shared the other ring pops with Ben and Sam......what a good example their younger sister is to them.

A new watch so she can help her mom get places on time!

Mara is figuring out how to put together a music stand that Keyan bought for her and I over in Germany.  It's just what we needed and wanted......now the old metal one with duct tape holding it together can finally rest in peace!

Ben is a great gift giver.......here is a creation he made for me out of plastic bottle caps.  I'll call him recycle man and he can be our family mascot to help us remember the 3 R's :  reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Isn't it cute?

Mara is longingly looking over my shoulder as I check out a gift I got.  Notice the duct tape on her pants......I think she's trying to start a new fashion!

Christmas lunch was the traditional Riley gnocchis........Mara is taking a fork to the dough!

Look at that beautiful rope of dough made by Keyan.  I guess he is pretty good with his hands........and he's pretty good at multitasking too (notice the phone next to his ear).

Christmas had it's good and bad points this year.  This year I really felt the need to help myself and my children to ook outside of ourselves and see how fortunate we are and then to see how we can help those in need around us.  Instead of  a big family gift, we decided to do lots of charitable giving.....purchasing animals for less fortunate people in honor of teachers and family members, giving extra money at church, letting the kids pick an organization to donate some of their own money to, and doing anonymous gift giving to friends and neighbors.  I just really did not feel the need to purchase gifts for every single person we know or come in contact with during our days....really, who needs more stuff?  We all have so much in comparison to others in the world.  I think it has been good.  I don't know if it made a lasting impression on the kids or not, so we just may have to continue this throughout the year and for Christmas next year, too.  I guess the ultimate test would be to just completely give up all gifts........but I think it is o.k. to give and to receive a few gifts, too.

The thing that bothered me this year is that I just think at Christmas time there should be no fighting or sadness and that just didn't happen this year in our family.  I really felt like the atmosphere in our home was so completely opposite from what it should be.  On Christmas Eve as I listened to my children fighting, I felt like Longfellow who penned the words in "I heard the Bells on Christmas Day" when he wrote "and in despair I bowed my head, there is no peace on earth I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth good will to men."  I felt like that was the atmsophere in my little corner of the earth.  But then after Christmas Eve festivities there was no more fighting and just laughter and excitement.  That atmosphere carried over into Christmas Day and I really felt the Spirit in our home that day.  It was a very nice day.  So, now I feel like the rest of the song "Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead nor doth He sleep, the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth good will to men."  It will all work out in the end.......God's plan will prevail.....and I just hope that my little family and I can endure through those hard days until we all "get it" and we will have peace evermore in our home.  Maybe that will take an eternity.......oh, well........we've got eternity thanks to Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas 2010!