WE ARE GOING TO CHINA

We just received these photos of our brown-eyed boy. In less than a week he will be in my arms. That's right we are going to China!!!!! We would love to have you follow our journey to bring our sweet Joshua home. You can join us at

www.minotfamily.com

Minot Family Christmas!

The celebration of Christmas 2010 has come and gone and I am always surprised at how much work and preparation goes into planning for just a few hours. I have to admit that for many reasons this year just wasn't the treasured celebration that our family usually enjoys. Sure we did most of our traditional things but due to my crazy busy work schedule and the kids hectic school schedules we were left with very little time to make memorable moments. We were all so very tired and worn out as work and school came to an end for a few weeks and spent the first week of our break passing a stomach virus through our family. Not fun at all....in fact as we sat down to our Christmas Eve dinner of beef tenderloin, cheesy mashed potatoes, spinach and apple salad and lemon veggies none of us had much of an appetite. Not even for Paula Deen's incredible chocolate cake. So we picked a bit, stuck the left overs in the fridge and opened our gifts. The kids were delighted with their gifts from GA and FL and I always love to just watch their sweet faces as the joy bursts when they receive their most wanted gifts. After gifts we loaded up in the van and looked at Christmas lights around our neighborhood and then back home where we all settled down for the night.

Christmas morning arrived very early and I enjoyed some quiet moments reading some Christmas books to the kids while we waited for Mike to wake up so that the kids could open their gifts from "Santa". They were so patient and I treasured my time of reading to them as I had not had time during this season to read one book to them. We opened gifts, ate a breakfast of french toast casserole and then the kids commenced to trying out all their new things.

We ate left overs for lunch so for the first time in MANY years I didn't cook on Christmas day. Then we enjoy our good friends The VanKirks for the evening for some delicious desserts and coffee while the kiddos played and shared their Christmas toys.

As I laid my head on the pillow Christmas night, I thought about how each Christmas of our lives takes on a different flavor. Some years I am filled with creativity, wonder and time to make special memories and others (like this year) I am doing good to accomplish little things, worn out, tired and ready for it all to be over. But despite the season of my life, the celebration is always the same.... we remember the birth of our Savior when God stepped down from heaven and became human all for us. It was a simple act of great love that gave me a gift of eternal life with Him. I rejoice and celebrate the glorious birth of my Redeemer!

Me and the kids on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning with my gift....a fire pit for evenings outside on our patio

Grace opening a long awaited gift (3 years to be exact) a FurReal Pony

Finally a DS of her very own

The breakfast table set

Dad finally gets up...happy kiddos

After waiting for an hour they are so excited to open gifts

Santa gifts arrive - Emily

Grace

Cody

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care

Emily and her Christmas Eve Dinner

Cody

Grace and her Florida Santa Hat....a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Minot

Our Christmas Eve Table

Me with a canvas print from Sara for Joshua's room...what a treasurePillow Pets from Nammy and Bee

Chatty Girl Book exchange from Becca and Leah

Grace's Christmas Concert at school (little did I know she was getting sick...poor baby)

Decorating the Tree

Cody's 8th Grade Choir Concert

Giving Thanks!

Our Thanksgiving celebration was very quiet this year and I will have to admit a little lonely. While the rest of my family joined together in GA we remained here in CO where it was just the 5 of us. I found myself missing my extended family like crazy. Being so far away is very hard sometimes. I prepared a feast to feed a crowd and we hardly made a dent in the food so looks like left overs for the next 2 days. We ate and then enjoyed some joke-telling by Grace, some entertainment by Emily and Cody and I watched a movie which is a treat for me ( I usally don't sit down long enough to watch a movie) But for one afternoon I enjoyed my kids to the fullest and it was truly time for which this mama was thankful. So another Thanksgiving has come and gone....we are a few pounds heavier and have more memories which I will treasure forever. Looking forward to getting our house all Christmas-ed up today and then back to the busyness of life. Lets hope that busyness includes packing for China!

Here's how we gave thanks this year......

Post Feasting Photos with my kiddos

We finished our day with Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding as featured on Pioneer Woman.....It was DELISH! (I even had some for breakfast this morning)


Grace told a few jokes from her joke book after dinner.

This girl ate 5 stuffed eggs....they are her favorite.

The girls were not interested in posing for any photos, silliness reigned for most shots

The Thanksgiving table compliments of Grace

Table settings complete with placecards and Thanksgiving notes to us all.