Christmas Gifts

holy moly.  if you know me you can probably imagine my squeal as i opened this puppy.  my very own fancy camera?  i thought i would never see the day {well at least for a few years or so of scraping & saving}.  thank you sweet parents for giving us so much more than we deserve {just like Jesus}.

since having our super cool, awesome, new gadget we've been taking some pics around the house.  any excuse to figure out our new toy.  we're definitely just beginners but we're having so much fun!  since i didn't have this before christmas i only captured some of the aftermath.  i have a few of christmas to share soon.

playing with the flash.  i don't think it's as bad as everyone says...

my new books!  i finally can finish narnia. and then have it foreeeever!

christmas at our house

our 2010 family ornament

ben's new old man 'monster boots'.  he loves to jump & stomp in the snow in them.  what else can you do with that much traction?  you gotta stomp.  it's awesome.

benny didn't look that excited to be my 'subject'

i'm so much sweeter...

well, maybe not.  ben said that's the face i make when i'm angry.  i promise i wasn't.

.just a little peak at some of our loot.

my grandma got me this awesome vintage...um...i'm not sure what they are called but thing to hold yarn etc.  isn't it adorable?

turned of my automatic focus to try and do it myself.  nothing but a blur.

as much as i loved seeing our families, being with benny & enjoying time away from work, my favorite part of the holiday was of course, our true gift... celebrating the birth of our Savior.  i so enjoyed reading & re-reading the accounts of Jesus coming to earth, Lord wrapped in skin.  i loved participating in the longing & waiting that took place for a Messiah to come & rescue us from our Sin.  what grace!  i love to remember God's grand plan, His love story to us, the redemption of his people.

matthew 1:18-22

"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)."

galatians 4:1-7

"What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.  The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.  But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."