
Last Sunday, the kids were blessed to be part of our church's Christmas program. They were so cute! Josiah's larger than life personality stole the show. Hailey was adorable in her Christmas dress and angel wings. Our dear friend, Billy, filmed it for the grandparents.

Hailey along with the rest of the toddler class clammed up when it was their turn to sing "Happy Birthday, Jesus". Oh well, they were still adorable!

Josiah was hysterical as he sang his solo line "two turtle doves" twelve times. He changed it just a bit each time, with a different expression or voice inflection. The crowd laughed
every time it was his turn to sing. Let me tell you, he was eating it up! The play director told him he needed to sign autographs after the play.

Here are the kids standing in front to the beautifully decorated church Christmas tree.

Here's all of us.

Here are our wonderful friends, Billy and Kay. They are the friends who invited us to Calvary Chapel. We first met them when we were all attending the Salvation Army when Michael and I were first married. We were their best man and matron of honor in their wedding. They moved away to become Salvation Army officers. We kind of lost touch, but due to amazingly God-coordinated circumstances, they are now out of the SA and living in our town again. We picked up right where we left off. They are like family to us. We are so grateful for their love and friendship. It was so great to have them at the Christmas program, cheering our children on and enjoying the show. They have the most amazing hearts!
We've had a few other Christmas blessings pop up. Michael found a position in a maintanence National Guard battalion in the Portland area. They have an officer's slot open for him, so the paper work will begin after the first of the year to get him reinstated as an officer. We will miss our friends in this battalion, but Michael is excited to start a new chapter in his Guard career in a battalion that is conducive to his strengths. It will probably take about 6 months for the paper work to go through, but it will be worth it in the end.
I received another blessing this morning when I went to Curves to work out. I won a drawing for a free night's stay for two at a nearby bed and breakfast. Yes, I showed a disgusting display of joy, because this is the first time I've ever one anything in my life! The ladies were all laughing at me, but excited for me, too. Michael and I are super excited that we get a night away together. My mom said she would come over to babysit. Yahoo! God is good.
I also recieved a rather large Christmas bonus from my very generous boss (least amount of hours I've ever worked and the biggest bonus I've ever received from him) and we were able to get a 40 inch flat screen TV to watch our movies on. Thanks to Dave Ramsey's budget plan, we also were able to purchase a vent-free gas fireplace with a nutmeg stained mantle. We've always wanted a fireplace! The day after Christmas we will be doing a little remodel job on one of our living room walls. Can't wait to see how it will look when it is all done! I feel like God has blessed us so much since we buckled down to do this finiancial peace budget. May God show each of you his blessings this Christmas!
Merry Christmas Everyone! May it be filled with love, joy and peace this year!
Love,
Jackie and Family