Kate's First Christmas

Christmas 2006 was an incredible celebration of Christ's birth as we watched our daughter with our families. How blessed we are to live so close to both of Kate's grandparents and almost all of her aunts and uncles. We stayed with the Marleys from Wednesday the 20th-Sunday morning the 24th. We had lots of fun with Gram & Grandpa, Aunt Jill, Aunt Laura, and Uncle Daniel. We helped a little with getting things ready and relaxed a whole lot. The church service at First Baptist was really great on Sunday morning and it was fun being there as a family.

We spent Sunday the 24th afternoon through Tuesday afternoon with the Severns. That was really fun too! Lots of pics in front of the tree and a lovely service on Christmas Eve night at Central Christian Church. My cousin Cari and her family came to spend it in Ft. Smith--her two boys helped even the numbers at my parent's house too. haha Jesse, Kelsey, Stephanie, Rachel, Jared, and I all slept in Steph's room Christmas Eve (Kate's bed was down the hall), we played games and wrestled til the wee hours. I felt like I was 12 again. :)

Kate wasn't much for opening gifts on Christmas morning...she was up for a little bit and then slept peacefully on a chair while the rest of us enjoyed opening gifts. Lots of fun stuff! We're pretty spoiled.

Christmas dinner was at Nana Lou's (tradition since I started dating Jared in 2000). This year was 51 people! Talk about crazy. We aren't the only ones who have started a family so each year gets a little bigger. It's fun for the 5 Marley boys to get together at their mother's home with their kids and grandkids but with the growth we had to call 2006 our last. I think Nana Lou let out a huge sigh of relief when the last person went home.:) Next year is already in the works so we'll see what the plans are...

We opened gifts with the Marleys Christmas evening--lots of great stuff! We're pretty much spoiled rotten. And Kate's big gift from them was a Bob Revolution! For those who don't know, it's a stroller! Yippee! I mean, this thing can go anywhere. For those who know me well, you know that Jared does the research and tells me what we need.:) Well, he says we needed this stroller. So I'm excited to try it out. We also got to see the Stuckey family for a couple hours and catch up on the happenings with them. That was fun.

As always, I had fun reading my parent's Christmas cards from our family friends, enjoyed several cozy fires, lost of fudge (Grandma Anne's recipe of course), and a lot of downtime with the ones we love so much. I think Kate has no idea what happened, but someday we pray she'll know and love the Savior whose birth we celebrate each year. Praise Him for coming to earth and the sacrifice God made when He allowed Him to endure this sinful world. I have to admit this year, being a mother, has given me new perspective on the Christmas story. What a mighty God we serve.

I've enjoyed getting Christmas cards from our many friends and family--what fun to see pics and get updates on all the amazing things happening in your lives! Thanks for including us in your mailings! Jared, Kate, and I wish God's perfect will for you all in 2007!