Christmas Memories

Molly's candy cane ornament

Rayleigh's Baby Jesus ornament

Tucker's football ornament

The guys hard at work

Time for a quick pose

Molly - Rayleigh

How many 5-year-olds does it take to screw in a lightbulb?!

Let me help Grandma!

Rayleigh finding the perfect place for this ornament!

The tree that the guys were having to cut up!

Tucker's "Tirdy pointer"

Grandma's Girls!

Fun times with Grandma Nita

Grandpa Loyd's new "legs"

I used to play on this same swingset with my

cousin, Katie, when I was a little girl!

Rayleigh Jenea

Molly Ann

The fruits of our labor

Our family spent this Saturday at Great-Grandpa Loyd's house helping him put up his Christmas tree. My Mom and Dad met us there and Carrie rode with us to help as well. It was so fun to spend a day so enriched with memories that you could actually feel the Spirit of the Season tapping you on the shoulder. As we dug through all of the decorations, some old, some new, a new story came with each. My mom enjoyed telling the stories of her childhood as much as we all enjoyed listening to them. She told the girls about the little nativity scene that she was given as a little girl, and how she colored on it with a marker on the bottom (evident still by the little scribbles on the bottom), and stories of ornaments that Grandma Mary had made one year all made of clothes pins, and we found many hand painted ornaments that Mom had made for Grandma throughout the years. The house was dripping with tradition, and we were so happy to be included in that. The kids helped my mom put up the glass Christmas tree that Grandma always made sure to put out (on the toy cabinet, just as Mom placed it this year) for as long as I can remember. Then they helped with the nativity scene that my mom hand-painted for Grandma one year. My dad made the stable that it was placed in and around. How very special for the kids to see this! Grandma Nita also helped each of the kids paint their own ceramic ornament for our tree at home, as well. This was something that she always did with my siblings and I as we were growing up. I love watching memories in the making, as I saw some of my fondest childhood memories flash right before my very eyes as well!

The guys spent most of the day outside, cutting up a tree that was in the front yard. This was exactly what would have been happening when I was a little girl as well. In fact, there is a picture like the one above of my cousins and I (about that same age) sitting on a different tree in Grandma & Grandpa's yard! Everyone took a break for some warm vegetable soup for lunch, and then back at it to finish up. The whole day made for a great day of remembering where I came from and what I (and my family) stand for. I know that my Grandpa appreciated the day as well, and I know that I would never have traded that time for anything. I have a feeling that this will be a day that I look back on in the distant future, and say, "Remember that day at Grandpa Loyd's, when we . . ."

There are so many things that we hope to pass to our children, and fond memories are one of the endless number of things that are very important to me to leave them with!