Merry Christmas

Victoria, as some of you know

is our wild child!

I feel like her beautiful name is being worn out, we yell it so much.

I have to stay 10 steps ahead of her on a daily basis.

And then you mix in the excitement of Christmas

quickly approaching and you have a mixture of

sweetness and disaster!

Pickles and Ice Cream!

That's what she is.

For the past several weeks some would say she has been

out of control,

a bundle of anticipation,

hell bent on wheels.

We kept reminding her to pull it together or she was going to get

COAL in her stocking.

Victoria would respond as she would put her hand to her forehead,

shaking her head,

"I know, I am just so happy, I have a hard time obeying,

 I try to have self control!"

 Well, I think someone taller than me assisted Santa with his

list of naughty children.

Victoria got coal in her stocking.......again!

Her response?

" Usually I get a whole bag!

I only got ONE this year!"

I think she thought she was improving.

Speaking of staying 10 steps ahead of Victoria........

Before we left Phoenix, Kirk and I had discussed Christmas

and what our budget was going to be.

We came up with a dollar amount and decided that we would spend it on

one gift per kiddo.

As we were wrapping their individual gift, I realized that

Victoria's was the biggest.

Knowing her, I didn't want her to guess what her gift was.

At the time I was thinking that she would only have one gift under the tree and being a little kid

I didn't want any dissappointments. 

At the time I had no idea what was being sent by

Nana&Poppa,

 Uncle Josh & Aunt Jolie!

SO

I wrote on the tag that it was Henry's gift.

Of course she spotted it and immediately looked to see who's it was.

"Wow Henry, I wonder what you are getting in that big present?!

Every once in a while I would see her "chatting" with Henry about his

present and asking him if he wanted her to help him open it.

To her surprise it was her present

and a new horse(from Target)  for her American Girl dolls!

And Henry?

He got a Squeeky Toy!

Though HE thought it was Priceless!

We spent the day lounging around and playing.

Baby Jesus has been so good to us this Christmas.

He is with us every step of the way

on this difficult journey that our family is in.

We wouldn't be surviving right now if he weren't with us.

I know some day we will look back on our situation and just be even more

amazed than we already are as to how we have survived these past four years
since Kirk lost his job.  And then me losing mine almost a year ago.

Things have been horribly tough but I have recently read

" It isn't what you get at the end of a journey,
 it is who you are at the end of that journey."