Christmas 2015

Christmas 2015 has been a good one for our family.  We have spet lots of time together at home which is a treat for us.  We are in the process of remodeling our living room, with new flooring and a new paint job.  

Christmas eve was spent in Radford.  We had a great afternoon with my side of the family and then we headed to my Great Uncle's home in Radford for an extended family gathering.  Here are our three on Christmas Eve.  

We did snap a family picture as well.  It was unseasonably warm this Christmas break! Mike even had shorts on! 

As always Christmas Day was spent at our home in Marion.  We love lazy Christmas days where the kids can play with their toys and spend the day in their pajamas.  GG and Pops were suppose to come down, but Pops had a rough night.  He has handled the chemo pretty well so far, but he has a pesky kidney stone that has bothered him since this past summer.  Here is Hope with her new American girl, Kit.  

This is one of my favorite pictures of Christmas Eve.  Hope and Clayton spent a long while on the piano.  Clayton has the talent to play by ear and has never taken a formal lesson.  He truly has a gift!  Hope has been in piano for several months now and is learning to read music.  I love their expressions in this picture!! 

I am not sure how many more years Hope and David will believe in Santa Claus, so I paused to take a picture Christmas Eve of the cookies that Hope laid out for him.  David, Hope and Kelsey had baked for Santa the day before Chirstmas eve, and so they left some of their cookies out for him.  

The weather has been so beautiful this Chrismtas that we thought it would be a great idea to head to Dollywood two days after Christmas.  It must have been a great idea, because 5 million of our closest friends were also there!  Ha!  It was sunny and in the 70s-we couldnt have asked for better weather for a family day.  

Pos even lasted  a full day at Dollywood!  We really had a great family day together at Dollywood.  Dave certainly loves his Pops. 

This was a first-these two riding a ride together!  Our kids are growing up to fast.  

Kyle was a good sport and rode rides with David.  

Kyle is a teenager, but there are moments of beauty when I see him caring for David and it melts my heart.  He is a good guy for sure.  

The year 2015 was a good one for us.  David had great UVA appointments which always gives us a big sigh of relief. We spent a lot of time with family including a cruise to the Bahamas that was a blast.  Kyle and i served the Lord together in Georgia this past summer on a mission trip, and overall our kids are happy and healthy. 

Looking ahead to 216, we are excited for the doors that God has opened when others doors were closed.  We always trust in His plan.  I am beyond excited to keep teaching preschool and to dig into youth middle school ministry at church.  We pray that God will bless you in 2016!!