Christmas Time

We had a great Christmas this year with lots of festivities and parties to attend (too many if you ask Omai). We decided to do something a little different instead of exchanging gifts with our families--we did a Sub-4-Santa. On the Graybill side we helped Oakland Construction provide books, socks, and underwear for all the students at Edison Elementary (we provided gifts for 15 kids). My family provided Christmas for a family in my mom's ward for a single mom who has four boys ages 8, 7, 6, and three months old. We communicated with the grandma to get all their sizes and information. She told us that the little eight-year-old was very worried about Christmas coming because he didn't think Santa would find them. He wanted to spend Christmas at his grandmas' house because he was sure Santa would find them there. We were able to help Santa find them this year and it was so great to be a part of bringing a little joy to them. I think we all teared up a little when we read the note left by their grandma who thanked us profusely and said we were all now her best friends. It was a great experience.

Another fun thing was that my mom resurrected our old Christmas dresses for the little girls. We all gathered on Christmas day where the girls received their dresses and then we attempted to take pictures. The picture part created a bit of challenge--probably more so than the dresses. With six little kids; the youngest being less than 2 months old, the "photoshoot" was more entertaining than anything.


Overall it was a great Christmas and we especially loved the four-day weekend. Happy New Year's everyone!