A Blessed Christmas Sunday

today I am blessed because:

all my kids have coats to wear to church because it was freezing!

we got to drive past this house downtown, my kids thought it was great - the photo does not even do it justice to how decked out it is.

blessed that Anne came to our church to hear Annie Kate sing the closing solo in the Christmas program. It meant a lot to Annie Kate and me!

blessed because someone lugged their harp to church
and played it for the Christmas program today.

blessed that Michelle sent me some of her incredible tags and
I used them for the gift bags we gave to the Primary teachers today for Christmas

I am blessed because this song was sung for the Christmas program and I had never heard it before. It was awesome! I came home and bought it off itunes. (i bought a little more jazzy version from The Blenders)

Lyrics below.
By David Meece

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a Savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small city of life
Oh.

One king bringing his gold and his riches
One king ruling an army of might
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight
One King bringing us life
Oh.

See him lying, a cradle beneath him
See him smiling in the stall
See his mother praising his father
See his tiny eyelids fall

One small light from the flame of a candle
one small light from a city of might
one small light from the stars in the endless night
one small light from a face
Oh.

See the shepherds kneeling before him
See the kings on bended knee
See his mother praising his Father
See the Blessed Infant sleep.

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream in a people of might
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small Savior of life
Oh.
I am blessed because Annie Kate was asked to sing Silent Night to finish the Christmas program. She is a young girl with a young voice. She may have got my singing voice (which is not good) to start off her life with, but I have every bit of faith she will become a beautiful singer someday like her Dad. She was so nervous. She only practiced with a piano once when we got to church. She started the song, "Holy Night, Silent Night" (it reminded me of when she swam at the championship swim meet this summer and started swimming breast stroke for the butterfly) She caught her mistake but just kept on singing!
What was so awesome about today is that her primary class in her local ward came to hear her sing! (they happen to be all boys and she loves these guys so much) Their cub scout troop was coming to our ward to put on the entire sharing time, music and all. When they found out Annie Kate was singing they decided to come early for the program. That meant these boys went to church today for 6 hours and drove 2 hours.
Caroline is the one that noticed them in the back and said "Mom it is Eli" I turned around and the tears just ran down my face. I could not believe it.

Blessed to hear ne boy played the piano, one played the violin. They read a story, made cards and an awesome craft out some hardware from Lowe's.

Here is the finished ornament.

I was blessed to see Sally Jane run in the door to hang it on the tree

I was blessed because Anne brought her famous chocolate chip cookies with Andes Mint chips in a cute tin. Note only one cookie left by the time we got home to take a photo. They are so yum!

Blessed to see the Young Women in our congregation (ages 12-18) looking like super models today. (photo from Shabby Apple website) They all had new dresses from Shabby Apple. The company sent our ward a box of samples for the girls for Christmas! Seriously can you believe it? So generous and the girls were so excited. One of the girls had this exact dress on and it was beautiful and so was she!
I was blessed to get this CD from my friend and primary president and to find out it is her CD. I never even knew! How does one with so much talent not shout it from the roof tops.
If I had a CD it would be the first thing out of my mouth when one would meet me. It is a great CD.Blessed because Pat Bagley, the author of I spy a Nephite and editorial cartoonist for the Salt Lake Tribune, sent a copy of his book to everyone of the children at Church. The kids were thrilled. The kids instantly sat in the spot they were standing in and started flipping the pages.
blessed to see one of the sweetest ladies in the ward walk to church with her basket on wheels full, i mean full of Christmas presents for every child at church. They were all wrapped. She does not have very much but is ALWAYS giving to the children. She is the one who gave Jeff three dollar bills our first Sunday so we could take the girls out for a Soda. Would you ever think of going to buy a gift for all the children in your church? This woman is incredible.

blessed because our friend the bread maker gave us a loaf of his bread for Christmas. It is hands down the best bread I have ever had. He was a baker to put himself through law school - Annie Kate kept digging out of the middle of it on the way home. We had it tonight with Chili.

It was a blessed Sunday!