Santa Visits the Farmer kids...apparently they were nice this year

In a previous post (I've been tagged.....too) I explained how our family does Christmas gifts. So I won't take the time to explain again, except to give the short version: Santa gives gold, frankincense, and myrrh (representations with specific meanings); Mommy and Daddy give a family gift. I thought ya'll might want to see pictures of the kids playing with their new things (I sure want to see pictures of ya'll)

This year the gold gift (something they really, really want) was a new dog. We had to find a home for Abby (our old dog) when we moved because the new neighborhood had restrictions against unfenced dogs (or so we were told, once we got here dogs were loose everywhere....but I digress). Anyway, Abby, a Great Dane was much too big to be an indoor dog (for us), so we found her a new family. Both of the kids really missed having a dog, and asked about her a lot. When it became clear to us that they really wanted a dog, we decided to adopt one. So, I got on petfinders.com and we found a family that was in a similiar situation as ours with Abby; they had moved and had no yard for their beagle, Gigi. It was a perfect fit because she is small, still in the owners home (not in a sheltar), she had been fixed, up to date on shots, and was in a home with small children. So, in November we went to see her, and decided she would be a good fit for the family. She is not going to win any 'doggy beauty contests' but she is cute and is laid back; and the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE her. Today, I told the kids we were going to take her to the pet store and they both started crying, they thought we were taking her back or something. I didn't even have time to explain to them that we were just getting her a bed. It took a while to sink in for Sara Kate, partly because she wouldn't stop crying long enough to listen. Here are some pictures of Gigi and the kids. Santa really outdid himself.










The Family gift (something we can all do together) this year was 4 wheelers. Brad & Bryce go on an annual father/son camping trip every year in October. This year, one of the other kids had a small 4 wheeler and Bryce (and Brad) fell in love. Head over heels in love with a machine. Brad took pictures of Bryce driving it all by himself, and he sure was cute. Sara Kate, got a smaller battery powered version of Bryce's 110 (engine size or speed or something girls...I really don't know). Bryce was very excited, and on Christmas morning about 8:30 he promptly drove it in to the mailbox :) No, he wasn't hurt.












Both sets of grandparents outdid themselves too, as always. Now the kids have a trampoline....I'll be adding prayers of protection against physical injury way up on my priority list. I can't wait to see them jumping on it, maybe they'll jump off some energy and I'll jump off some pounds (one can dream can't she.....although, to my 2 birth-bladder the prospect of jumping anywhere on anything is not a great idea). They (and Brad) also have a Wii. Who knew video games could be so much fun?? This ain't your granny's video game system, it is really cool. Bryce also got a remote control hummer and Sara Kate got a pink Nintendo DS. Can we say spoiled??? But isn't that the right and roll of grandparents? They take their job very seriously! :)


We also kept up with our traditions. We had the pleasure of hosting Brad's family's Christmas Eve oyster stew & fried oyster dinner. This year, Grandma Sheryl & Papa Tom spent the night here and they got do our Christmas devotion with us and they got to see the kids open their presents, Bryce & KatieBell thought that was the berries. Here is Grandma Sheryl with the kids. Then, we went to my parents on Christmas Day for lunch. Mom always gets the kids to help her with the yeast rolls (which is probably why they don't rise as much as my mammaw's did...but who cares, I'd rather then have the memory of cooking with her.) Here are a few pictures of the annual roll-rolling.


As you can see, the Farmer family was blessed with a great Christmas. We celebrated our savior's birth, we spent time with family, and ate some great food, and we got some new stuff. No complaints here. Thank you God for giving us all the best gift ever........Jesus!