Christmas Moments

This Christmas and New Year celebrations were bittersweet for me. It was so good to be with family but also so difficult to say goodbye knowing that I won't see some of my extended family for several years. I have heard it said that your heart takes pictures of special moments to make memories. Here are just a few of those moments from our Christmas this year...

• All four Yates girls sleeping the same room (even though there were other empty rooms and beds available). 
• Getting up to the traditional song. As kids we would wait at the top of the stairs for 7 am when Grandpa Gausman would play the record signaling that we could get out of bed and come open presents. As adults this Christmas we decided to sleep in a bit but the music was still the signal it was ok to come out of our bedrooms. 
• The traditional liturgical Christmas Eve church service with the lighting of candles and the singing of all the favorite Christmas Carols. 
• A Christmas Eve trip to snowy Leavenworth to see the Christmas lights with my grandparents (my grandpa is 94 now!) and parents.

With Grandpa and Grandma Gausman in front of the Christmas Tree at Leavenworth

• Reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning before we opened presents. Having a grandchild read the Christmas story was a tradition we started many years ago and we have worked our way down through the years as each grandchild learned to read. This year we started over and I, as the oldest grandchild, got to read it again. Although this year my sister Kristin decided we should read through Simeon and Anna and we ended with Mary's Song. 
• When the snowball fight raging outside came inside - oops gotta clean up Grandma's floor :)

Aunt Cindy and Cousin Colin cleaning up the snow

• Puzzles with the cousins. Stayed up until almost midnight working on one of them and then the last piece was missing :)

From L to R: Cousins Paige, Madison, Ian, and Daria

• Setting up the Christmas tree at home with our family ornaments that bring back so many memories. 

• Adding my Nativity set (a gift over the last several years from my parents) to the decorations at home.