Soccer Anyone?

Our big boy received his very first soccer ball and net set from Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Jamie, and Cousin Callie. Thanks for the Christmas present! It'll give him something else to do during our long, cold winter. However, he has quite a bit to learn about soccer and right now is mainly interested in carrying the net and soccer ball around. Good times. Check it out!


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We're Making Progress!

Just a few months ago when Mommy gave me crayons, it took me days to create this.
Just a lot of dots and random lines.


A couple of days ago, when Mommy gave me crayons, I created this piece of artwork.
A rainbow (A couple of the marks are Mommy and Daddy's work)


Mommy and Daddy say that it's so wonderful to watch me grow and learn!

Merry Christmas!

Below are a few pictures from our present opening this morning. Enjoy!

FYI - The picture of our big boy playing with the box was right before he fell into the box. I turned around for one second and he fell right in! We all had a good laugh about it. Later, he decided it would be just as much fun to fall out of the box. What a character!

Our big boy wanted to "help" Mommy unpack a present. What fun it was! Watch both videos and you'll see.


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As you can see, we had a wonderful Christmas celebrating as a family and opening gifts. But the greatest Christmas present we received did not come in a box wrapped with paper and a bow. The greatest present we receive is the Christ child. Jesus, our Savior, was born a baby in a stable among the lowliest of God's creations. He was born to live, to teach, to love unconditionally, and to eventually die on the cross at Calvary to pay the price for the lowliest...for us. And now we wait for His return, that we might live with Him forever. May you continue to celebrate our Savior, this Precious Gift, our Lord has given us throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

A Blessed Christmas Eve to you!!

Since we are blessed to attend the Sunday School Christmas Program tonight and Christmas morning service tomorrow, we decided to split up the presents this year. Our big boy certainly made the day interesting by not taking a nap (okay, maybe a 10 minute nap at the most...it's almost as if he knew something exciting was about to happen!)...but we made it work! Our big boy never ceases to surprise us. He was not at all interested in opening presents. I don't remember him having trouble with this last year, so I will write it off as an effect of sleep deprivation. The true test will come tomorrow when we open gifts from Grandma & Grandpa King and Santa. Although he was not in the mood to cooperate, I did take a couple of videos recording his reaction to his new tent (Thanks again Tammy M. for all of your help!).

Note: You might want to turn your head to the side for the first video. I held the camera the wrong way. Sorry!


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Second video is of our big boy using his new tent. Of course, it's a great spot to read books. And as you know, we LOVE books! Check out that smile!


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Thanks for the beautiful glass ornament Grandma and Grandpa King! It already has a spot of honor on our Christmas tree.



We pray that your Christmas celebration will be filled with the hope and joy that only the Christ child can bring! "Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!"

Dress Up

Not really, but I wanted to try on Daddy's pull-over sweater. How do you think it looks?

Mommy, I don't want to smile.


Okay, since you said please.

O Christmas Tree....

Here are some pictures of our Christmas tree! We went to the local nursery and picked one out (we like to support our local businesses - whenever possible)! We think it looks great! I took pictures of a couple different sides so you could see the ornaments, lights, etc.





Needless to say, our big boy was a bit excited when he saw the tree all lit up and decorated. The video is a bit darker than I wanted, but you can still hear his excitement.


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Of course, we had to explore all of the ornaments on the tree! Here are a few shots of our big boy exploring the Christmas tree ornaments (that is, until the very first [and last] ornament hit the floor and Mommy got the pleasure of picking up broken pieces of glass). Oh well. We are keeping a very close eye on him when he's around the tree and teaching him what he can and cannot touch.



Such excitement and so much fun for Mommy and Daddy to see our big boy get excited about the Christmas tree! Imagine the excitement he gets on his face when we do our Advent calendars and Advent wreath!

Guess It Doesn't Matter What We Read...

We LOVE books at the Strickland house!

All Bundled Up!

This morning we braved the cold and the winds to go play outside in the snow. With today's high of 14 degrees and strong winds, we lasted only 5 minutes outside, but it was great fun to see our big boy's reaction to walking in the snow! He needs more practice in his snow boots, but the practice will have to wait for another day. Usually, our big boy fusses when we take him inside, but not today. He was almost eager to go inside and enjoy the warmth. I think the cold wind blowing in his face was a bit much. Besides, we didn't want to push it since he just got over having croup and a sore throat. Just wanted to share. Have a great day and stay warm!