the best part of waking up

has to do with this guy.

i am not a morning person and neither is my pal emmet.

we could both stay up late and sleep late too.

if only it wasn't for grace being a morning person. (say what?!)

i was just thinking the other day about this very thing and how if emmet would have been my first we would have spent a lot of time snuggling in bed.

sounds delightful huh?

grace usually wakes up early and she comes and has a quick snuggle with me, but soon her tummy growls and down stairs we go to get her breakfast, let the dogs out back and say hi to the chickens.

sometime after the two of us have had some one on one time, which i love, 

mr. e wakes and we hear his feet land on the floor.

 out of bed he makes his way to the top of the stairs.

that is when i peer up to see his hair all a mess and tangle, 

rubbing his barely open eyes with his darling dimpled fists.

i cannot help but scream his name and run up to grab him.

he reaches for me and wraps his arms around me so tight that i never ever want it to end.

i always sneak a smell of his sweet neck and hair.

breathing in him.

this simple but beautiful embrace lasts a couple of minutes, sometimes more.

i am so grateful.

it leaves me all filled up with love, hope and gratitude and reminds me that all is right in my world.

i don't want to imagine a day when the morning embrace of emmet might stop.

so i will soak in each and every morning with him, my sweetest boy and thank God that he gave me such an amazing soul to take care of here on earth.

a few happenings this december

 we started out this month by putting up our Christmas tree.

this year we put the breakable ornaments up high and then just let the kids have at it.

 we ran over to a church by our house and snapped this picture of the four of us for our Christmas card. And because i am so scattered brained i lost some of them.

so if you didn't get one don't feel bad. 

i can't find my copy either:(

 making our traditional Christmas ornaments that the littles make by themselves and hand out on Christmas. Check out my handsome man working on his ornament.

 in draper they have the most beautiful huge lighted tree that i believe they call the tree of life.

it was so beautiful.

we didn't dress warm enough however and froze just a little bit.

the kids had fun running around and daddy and grace taught emmet how to roll down the hill.

 mary jingles (merida) our elf on the shelf.

this was where we found her on her first day this month.

little e playing behind the christmas tree.

betty also enjoyed sleeping under the tree until she had her puppies.

There were plenty of leaves hanging around this december which lead to a fun afternoon of raking.

we were lucky enough to wake up to a beautiful white Christmas.

i was sleeping with grace and she woke up and immediately peeked out the window and in the most excited voice said, "mom it snowed!!!!"

best way to start Christmas day.