'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

We woke up to lots of snow on the ground this morning, and it kept snowing until about 2 in the afternoon! As you can see by this picture, we got about a foot of snow.

I love the snow because it makes everything so pretty, but it was sad today because the snow made the roads really bad and so we weren't able to make it to Preston's baptism! After making a valiant effort to drive to L* where Preston was being baptized, we (Nate, Michelle, Curt, Carrie, their boys, Jon, Grandma C*, and me) turned around and spent the morning and early afternoon at Grandma C*'s. It was another fun Saturday with the fam. But we missed Chad because he had to work. Once I got home and it stopped snowing, I decided I probably should shovel the driveway, sidewalks, and walkway in front of our house. I was so proud of myself, because that was a lot of snow to shovel. It took me about an hour to do it all. Here is the final product:

Another very happy thing I wanted to share with you is that Chad and I have decorated our home for the Christmas season! Chad had the day off yesterday and we spent part of it at Target buying Christmas gifts and some stuff we needed. Well, I wanted to buy some Christmas cards and so I asked Chad to come with me to the Christmas section and help me pick some out. And while we were in that section, Chad suggested we buy a Christmas tree. My initial reaction was that we couldn't because we'd have to spend a lot of money on the tree, lights, and ornaments, but he convinced me that we could spend the money.

I am so glad he did, because I had so much fun picking out ornaments for our tree and then decorating the tree with him. He also bought some lights for the outside of the house and a wreath to go on the door. He did such a good job, don't you think?

(This picture absolutely cracks me up, because it looks like there is a full moon in the background, but there totally wasn't! It's like a little tender mercy from God, because He knows how much I love the moon. :) But really, I do think it's pretty strange that that random light showed up looking like a moon in the picture.)

And here is our tree:

It's funny, because our tree only has a few ornaments on it, but it feels like the prettiest tree I've ever seen. I just love to sit and look at it. Our first Christmas tree together!

We also got to put up the nativity scene Carol gave me for my bridal shower. I love nativity scenes and would like to collect them like my sister Jessi does. And I really like my first one! Thank you so much, Carol!

I am so grateful for this Christmas season. It is a time of such joy for me. I love the gift-giving, the Christmas music, the tromping through the snow, the family get-togethers, the opportunities to participate in charities, and the abundant reminders of Christ's love, miracles, humility, and salvation. And I feel especially happy this Christmas season, as it's my first with my wonderful husband. Merry Christmas everyone!