Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas with kids!! I love making sure that it is a perfect day for each one! This year was no exception. Haden was thrilled with his drums, spiderman toys, and other loot and didn't even comment about the lack of jackhammers, chainsaws, or 4 wheelers.

Regan loved her guitar (just like Taylor Swift), collection of clothes, accessories, and American Girl doll stuff.

Lila's reaction was the absolute best, though. She went Christmas shopping with me when I bought this silly doll for her. She held her through the entire shopping trip and squawked in the car when I wouldn't hand her over. Her face completely lit up and her mouth was the perfect look of surprise when she ripped the wrapping paper back. I loved it!

On a side note, Haden thought we should put out salad instead of cookies for Santa because it was "much healthier". This became all the more amusing when we read one of the books Haden got for Christmas entitled, "I'm a Grumpy Santa Claus". The story was about what an awful day Santa was having, but it was all made better by the plate of cookies someone left. Haden looked a little sheepish!

And in case you missed it, our 2011 Christmas letter...

Merry Christmas!

We’ve had a wonderful year and hope you have too!

Our kids are growing up so quickly! Regan is six going on sixteen! She is excelling in 1^st grade and loves to read and write stories. She loves all things fashion and is quite the trendsetter. Seldom is Regan found without some piece of jewelry to accessorize her carefully planned outfit. She swapped ballet lessons for swimming and music lessons and is doing well at each one. Friends are still a very important part of her life. Regan is a fabulous older sister and takes very good care of her siblings.

Haden is four, and is loving being in preschool. His imagination is outrageous. He is the best firefighter ever. Our house constantly has some fire going that he and his “crew” need to put out. It’s a good thing the hose to my vacuum doubles as a fire hose! Apparently there are also many “bad guys” that Haden fights and chases away so the girls in the family won’t be scared. Such a gentleman! His antics always keep us well entertained. Regan is one of his best friends and they play very well together.

Lila is nearly 18 months. She is a very opinionated, strong willed, little girl! She loves helping me with anything in the kitchen, playing in the sandbox, and keeping up with her siblings. Even without talking, she never has a problem communicating what she wants. When she doesn’t get her way, she throws whatever she’s holding. Her arm is phenomenal. She once launched a chewed up grape across the dinner table and right into Haden’s nose. It was hard not to laugh! She is very generous with her hugs and kisses and loves playing with her siblings. We all adore little Lila!

Clint no longer serves as scoutmaster for our church. I think he sometimes longs to swap his long Sunday meetings for campouts and bike rides! He still manages to find time for running and biking. He’s a wonderful dad and husband!

I stay busy keeping up with the kids. Volunteering in Regan’s classroom has made me miss having my own class full of students. Maybe I will again, someday. In the meantime, I am lucky enough to work with the 14 and 15 year old girls at church. They are such neat girls. Clint introduced me to road biking this summer. It has been a fun change. I didn’t think I would like going so fast on a bike!

We have all been very blessed this year. We are grateful for our Savior and love celebrating His birth and teaching our kids about Him. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Clint, Rachael, Regan, Haden, & Lila Waldron