Happy Birthday Jesus!

For only the 2nd time in the 13 years that we have lived down here, we decided to stay home for Christmas this year. It seems like the older the kids get the crazier and busier life has become and the kids really just wanted to spend a relaxing Christmas at home. We had some reservations about missing out on the family stuff up north but in the end decided to just go ahead and stay home. We did miss our families but at the same time it was such a nice relaxing Christmas. It was 'picture perfect' Got up in the morning and opened presents, then went to a great church service, came home and had a delicious meal and topped it all off by taking the four wheelers out in the gorgeous fresh snow!

Obviously Ashley was less than thrilled to have a camera out so early in the morning:)

Tyler and Kendra both THRILLED with their new DS's for the long bus rides and days in the gym

Ashley was so excited about the Christmas gift she made us in her welding class that she made us open it a couple weeks early. I can see why. It's gorgeous!

I had planned on doing a ham for Christmas dinner but Bob decided we should do prime rib. Now, I'm not a very good cook and I'm also very thrifty (thrifty just sounds so much better than 'cheap) so I have never done prime rib before. My opinion has always been that a prime rib was waaaaay too much money to pay for a piece of meat I would end up ruining anyway.

As luck would have it, as I was in the grocery store looking for a prime rib I happened to run into Nate denHoed who's a great cook and he gave me instructions as to how to prepare it. It was amazing. We are looking forward to having an excuse to make it again! And it was very simple. Poured a bottle of port wine on it and packed it in coarse salt. mmmmmm.....my mouth is watering just thinking about it again!

The snow started falling about mid morning. It really was a picture perfect Christmas day.