The Kid born in a barn

We were so excited this year to have Zian & Adon 

both in the Christmas Musical

and Zian had a solo and a speaking part!

She did so GREAT and all the kids were so cute!

we were so proud of them both

and Grandma & Grandpa loved it too!

Time for Traditions

This year we made our Traditional cookie cut-outs and had fun 

getting creative with my Grandma Jeans icing

 Johan made this colorful little tree with Adon

 and Zian made this cute snowman

we also made our chocolate truffles and chocolate crinkles

but someone forgot to get pictures of them (me).

JOY Joy JOY

This Christmas there has been one word 

that has stood out to me everywhere I go...

Besides the world turning Christmas into a commercially driven secular holiday,

there is something else they are missing...

and it is stamped across my heart

I don't want to lose this

and I don't want my kids to lose this

EVER.

Christ the KING is coming in the humblest of ways

to shine a light into the darkest of hearts

and that should spur nothing short of pure

*JOY*

in our hearts

this Christmas!

Thank you Jesus for coming into this cold, lost world to save me

and thank you for my beautiful family, wonderful friends,

and all you have given me! 

Please help me not to lose focus on the 

real meaning of Christmas this year.

~Amen

playtime

I gave the kids a Christmas craft to do the other day

coloring and cutting out their very own Christmas trees to hang!

They loved it and even Jonah tried his hand at coloring for the first time  

and then Adon wanted to pose for some photos...

and practice his silly faces

 

Here it is!

Our 2010 Lotriet Family Christmas photo!

Nothing fancy but it got the job done.  :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Our hearts rejoice at the birth of our Savior & King!

Christmas time already?!

This year Johan was able to go with us to the 3M Christmas Party

and it was a LOT of fun!  

The kids couldn't wait to get there and fill their bags with goodies,

play the games, eat the Christmas cookies and sit with Santa...

but of course, their favorite this year was

the new Pillow Pets they got to pick out and take home!

Mommy doing Christmas crafts with the kids

 the same "fake" looking SANTA as last year

yes, I realize there is one stocking missing 

(haven't sewed Jonah's yet)

Sweet puppy eyes..

she gives me these eyes a LOT.

how can you say no to that??!

EXCITED for SNOW?!?

YOU BET!!!  

(but only because we have kids whose noses have to be peeled off the windows while snow is falling)

a little something I made this morning

and am thinking of using for our Christmas card this year..

it's of the first snow taken right out our front door.

 first frost out our back door...

 ...and nothing to do with snow but too cute not to post  ;)

walking man

Jonah took his first 3 steps on October 24th!!!!

It was AMAZING!

Time for Presents!

the gift I had ordered months in advance 

and couldn't wait for Adon to open so we could all watch it!

(my favorite Disney movie when I was little)

  

a new suitcase filled with gifts from G'ma & G'pa!

 Adon finally got his very own Zhu-Zhu pet 

after watching Zian play with hers for months.

Adon turned 4!!!

Wow, that still sounds so old!

4

No more baby left here.

Adon had been asking for months to go see Chucky Cheese

for his 4th Birthday.

So we did.

It was a TON of fun acting like children again 

and winning ticket for our kids :)

It was so empty there for the time of day that we went,

that they gave the kiddos their choice of prizes without any tickets!

It was AWESOME!!

Grandpa and Grandma even had a blast playing games and going on rides!

He wanted a birthday pancake for breakfast that morning...

 a very yummy chocolaty cake!

 this was the best one of Adon (imagine the deleted ones!)

This is the best "look-at-me" smile I could get out of Zian

 Jonah really wanted to play

the kids got themselves on the tv!