Christmas 2009

Christmas was a little different this year. We didn't put a tree up in our apartment because we thought we were going to be in our house. We were in a big mess with packing and boxes everywhere, so we went over to my mom and dad's on Christmas eve and spent the night. Monica, Dewey and Ellie were staying there also, and MiKell, Lee, Kaden and Grandma Monsen all came over. We had the whole family minus Kyler :( and it was a lot of fun. Mom made a yummy dinner, then we read the Christmas story out of the bible and Kaden sang some songs for us. My mom and dad had just gotten a package from Kyler that had a bunch of Canadian stuff he had sent home, so we took a while and looked at all the fun things in there.

The most special part of the night though came when my mom handed each of us girls a present. My mom had gone down to Blanding the first weekend of December to meet her brothers and sisters and start cleaning out my Grandma McDaniel's house. For years my grandma would give us each books for Christmas, and I always loved opening them and seeing what book she got that year. We opened our presents and they were books from my Grandma. She had already bought them and had names on them of who they were to going to be given to. She always had her Christmas shopping done early on in the year. She passed away in October, so never got the chance to give them to us. I was so touched, and we were all a bawling mess! I will cherish all her books forever, they mean so much to me.

It was a lot of fun staying the night at my mom and dad's and waking up and having Christmas morning with them. We got up and made a yummy breakfast, then opened presents and then got to talk to KYLER on the phone! It was so much fun to talk to him. He sounds so good. He's loving his mission. Then we went over and spent the day with Ben's family. It was a wonderful Christmas, and even though we were virtually homeless and had absolutely no decorations up, I'm sure it will be one we'll never forget!

My mom LOVES peanut M&M's and Kaden was so excited to give her present to her

Ellie loved the Canadian flag Kyler sent home