Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

As our family celebrates the birth of our Savior, we want to take the time to say Merry Christmas to you and your family. This year, we adopted a family and our kids got gifts for their kids. This family is struggling each day just to make ends meet. It was an AMAZING blessing to watch our kids light up as we bought things at the store for them. I think they got as excited to do that as unwrapping their own gifts this morning.

We have been incredibly blessed as a family. We have spent nearly a week with Jody's family in middle Georgia, and we're driving up today to spend a few days with my family in Augusta. This year has been even more special because the kids are a little older (at least our older 3 are) and they appreciate the chance to see all of their cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents even more than in past years. Jody's parents put together a family reunion so that we could see all of the family that lives scattered around the state. Our kids met cousins they hadn't seen in 4 years, and others they had never met. It was GREAT! Caleb and Abby had two of their cousins spend the night, and are planning on calling and writing on a regular basis.

I guess what I'm realizing even more is that FAMILY is what makes our annual venture to Georgia so special. It's not about punching a clock to say that we went home. But, it's something that is an investment in the ones we love, as well as ourselves. Our kids don't get that regular interaction with their grandparents on a regular basis. This trip home has been so important for them....and for all of us!