Christmas Weekend

Everyone woke early on Christmas morning to see what Santa placed in their stockings. The kids were excited to see that Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk they set out. They quickly opened their stockings and saw the presents under the tree.

Ben loves that Santa brought board games and a Science kit.

Cami poses with her stocking

After opening the presents and having some breakfast, we all got ready to head up to Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Neil's house to celebrate Christmas with them. Once we got there, we enjoyed a delicious meal then headed to the living room to open presents. Ian was excited to get a quilt with trains and helicopters on it.

Cami loves her dolls and Ben loved getting more games!

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying more wonderful food, treats, time with each other, a movie, sledding, and the kids, Justin, and Grandpa all got haircuts.

Ian finishing his haircut

once handsome boy!

Ben and Grandma used a recipe from Ben's new Star Wars cookbook to make delicious strawberry shakes.

Grandpa made a huge sledding hill with his tractor. Everyone had a great time sledding down the hills.

Another wonderful Christmas.

Christmas Eve

We decided this year that we would start our own Christmas family traditions. After a really hard week of Dana recovering from a spinal blood patch after complications from a procedure, we were happy to have a day to spend together as a family. We decided that every Christmas we want to do some form of service. Last year the kids enjoyed ringing bells for the Salvation Army, so we decided to do it again this year. We were lucky enough to get the last slot at Hy-Vee, from 8-10am, on Christmas Eve.

After a morning at Hy-Vee, we went home. We let the kids each open up a gift. They spent part of the morning playing their new Wii while mom prepared Bulgogi, a Korean dish, and dad prepared Bobalki, a Slovakian dish. After a nice nap, we enjoyed an early dinner then headed to Christmas Eve service.

a family picture in front of church

a family picture in front of our Christmas tree

gift bag from Cami with her Christmas tree ornament in it

Christmas bag from Ben with Christmas tree ornament in it

Christmas tree ornament from Cami

Kids opening their gifts

Of course with Christmas morning right around the corner, the kids were eager to set out Christmas cookies and milk for Santa in hopes that Santa would leave a present and fill stockings.

Santa enjoyed some milk and cookies

Family Prayer

OUR FAMILY PRAYER

HEAVENLY FATHER,

YOU ARE WRITING OUR LIFE STORY. YOU KNOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE GOING. YOUR AMAZING LOVE AND ABUNDANT PROVISION HAVE OVERWHELMED US. YOU'VE FLOODED US WITH GRACE BEYOND MEASURE. MAY OUR LIVES SHOW THAT YOU HAVE WALKED BESIDE US. Bless our family with your love. empower us to forgive as we have been forgiven and send us into the world to witness to your love and grace.

Oh Christmas Wii, Oh Christmas Wii

The kids were beyond excited when they got the opportunity to open their Christmas present from Aladodo and Papa a little early.

"the best present ever"

thanking to Aladodo and Papa over the phone

jumping up and down with excitement

Sound asleep and missing all the excitement

let the games begin!

"I wish this bowling had bumpers"

Baking Cookies

Christmas time is coming soon, which means...

Christmas cookie time!!!

The kids got their gingerbread aprons (made special by Aladodo) to wear while making Gingerbread cookies and Hershey kiss sugar cookies.

The kids couldn't wait to get started. Daddy and the boys made sugar cookies. Daddy pulled them out of the oven and set them on the table so the kids could work together on unwrapping the mint Hershey kisses to put in the middle of each cookie.

Of course, they each had to try a chocolate.

Next, Ben found the cookie cutters while Cami worked on rolling out the cookie dough to make gingerbread cookie cutouts.

They each made gingerbread men and women. After the cookies were baked and dinner was finished, each of the kids happily tried out their creations!

ALCS Christmas Concert

What a joyous occasion on Tuesday evening as we headed to ALCS for the Elementary Christmas concert. This year's theme was Christmas Favorites of the last 5 years. The kids did a great job performing. A fun time was had by all!

Cami's class anxiously awaits the start of the concert

back- Cami, Ana,Will

Front- Sydney, Cruz, Tricia, TJ, and Mara

Ben and Grant

The kids begin their concert

Singing praises

Christmas Tree 2010

The time has come to head to the backyard and pick out the perfect tree to be this years Christmas tree. Just 10 years ago, Neil and Sandy brought us 21 trees to plant in our backyard. Since we were pretty sure some would not survive the transplant, we planted them all. We were blessed with all of them surviving, unfortunately, as they grow, they are running out of space. It is time to weed some out so the others can grow and spread out. Last year a few trees went to good homes and we decided to do that again this year. One tree left to become the school Christmas tree at ALCS, one will make its way across the street to the Ruhle home, and a third will become our family Christmas tree. Ben and Justin headed outside to choose the perfect one for our house.

Ben and Daddy find the perfect tree in the yard to become the Marthaler Christmas Tree 2010

Ben and Cami both help daddy with sawing the trunk of the tree.

Two strong men pull the tree from the backyard to the front yard to get it ready to put in the house.

Cami takes a quick break to try on the dresses Aladodo and Papa sent her.

Time to open their first present, an ornament for the Christmas tree.

Cami and Ben both find ornaments they made when they were in preschool.

The boys LOVE helping put the ornaments on. It is fun picking out which ones will decorate the tree each year.

Cami gets a little help from daddy to put some ornaments on the top of the tree.

Ian loves Mickey Mouse and trains. His ornament is to remember our time at Disneyland meeting Mickey and also our time this summer at the train museum in Green Bay where he met Thomas the Train.

Cami loved her ballerina ornament, which reminded her of her time at PAC when she took ballet class.

Ben loves Star Wars, so Yoda and the Storm Trooper were a great addition to his ornament collection.

To top off the decorating, Cami and Ian pulled out the Christmas window clings to decorate the front window.