December Ramblings

I know I haven't posted anything recently except for the fire, but I have been busy! We have lots going on that isn't fire related...here is a little bit of it:

• We have received MANY Christmas presents from family and friends (including the four foot high boxes from my mom and Jim!), so we decided this week to start opening gifts early. Each of the children get a day to open a few presents and then on Christmas eve they'll all open one, and hopefully it will cut down on all the chaos of Christmas morning. I just want them to be able to appreciate each gift and reflect on who is giving it to them.
• We're currently staying at Dave and MaryBeth's house, which is about 40 minutes from our house. So we are learning some fun things about our new area...including the great small-town library and awesome local parks!
• My wonderful sister-in-law Kelly knew that I really wanted to make new advent calendars for the kids this year but didn't have the opportunity because of the fire...so she made them for us! They are adorable and the kids LOVE them.
• We put up our own little Christmas tree in the kids room and they use the soft white lights as a night light every night. It's so cozy in their room right now!
• Dave and MaryBeth are babysitting for us tonight so that Sam and I can have a date night with friends...looking forward to a fun evening.
• We finally have a date on the fire investigation (they still haven't looked into the cause of the fire, as they have been arranging for 10 different people to be there when they actually begin) and it looks like it will happen January 11. So hopefully that means January 12 we can start rebuilding! :)
• Our Christmas stocking were being cleaned and stored by the restoration company, but they dug through everything and rush-shipped them to us so they would be here in time for Christmas. They arrived yesterday and still have a smokey smell to them...they'll always be memorable!
• We are so excited for Christmas! All of Sam's side of the family will be here on Christmas day to celebrate together.

Merry Christmas! Hope your holiday season is blessed as you celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ! :)