The Holden Family: Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas. We were truly blessed to have two healthy girls to celebrate with this year and enjoyed spending every moment together as a family. We made our traditional Christmas cookies that Ben also made growing up. We met Ben at one of the Christmas Eve services and then came home and read the Christmas story with the girls. We then put out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We then opened our family gift, which is a tradition Ben did in his family, and the girls opened their matching pajama pants that I made, which I started with Ellie last year. After the girls went to bed, Ben and I enjoyed our traditional Chinese and put the gifts under the tree that we had wrapped a couple nights before. He then had to play Santa and build a kitchen for the girls. It was the first time we really had to set things up and it was a new adventure. The girls as well as us were very blessed this year. We did a lot of shopping on Black Friday and were very blessed with family and friends wanting to give things to the girls. As we told Ellie, GrannyFranny sent a letter to Santa and told him how much the girls wanted a kitchen and so that is what she bought them as well as spoiling them with other gifts (that is what great grandparents love to do and we don't mind letting them). Their other great grandparents also sent them gifts, more than we could ever ask for for them and they enjoyed every minute. Not to mention the grandparents as well and other family members that love on them so much. They are very loved girls for sure. We enjoyed a relaxing day and I made us Christmas dinner. We also celebrated Jesus' birthday by singing to him and having a cupcake. It was so much fun this year to watch Ellie really start to begin to understand more of the meaning of Christmas as we sang to Jesus. A few days later Ben's parents came for a couple days and we enjoyed a whole new round of fun. We enjoyed spending time with them and got to take them to see the Christmas lights and ride the train. We can't wait to take them to ride the train again sometime this summer and visit the splash pad too we hope!

We a had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. The Lord has blessed us throughout the year with blessings we could never imagine and has brought us one of our greatest blessings in Quinn this year. It is always humbling when I come to the end of the year and look back at all that has occurred and how God has moved and used all the circumstances to make us better and stronger as a family. It is not always easy to experience every moment but as I look back it is always worth all the ups and downs. As I look to this new year I am excited to see what God brings and know whatever comes He is with me and our family at all times and He uses all for our good.