Daniels' Family Christmas in Pictures

Rick had to work Christmas Eve so he wasn't home for the 4 am wakeup from our Lexi! She snuck upstairs and enlisted Blake to help her wake up the rest of us. I awoke to pounding down the stairs. They all looked through their stockings and then headed back to bed for a couple hours before we had to get up and ready for church. Rick met up with us at church where we were treated to an amazing sacrament meeting. The talks were beautiful and the music filled my soul with the spirit. I wish that Christmas would fall on a Sunday every year. I just cannot describe how wonderful it was to hear a packed room singing Silent Night, or to hear the entire priesthood sing Joy to the World. The other numbers done were moving and touching as we remember our Savior and what we all owe to him! We then came home to continued music and started our dinner while we opened the tree. Morgan used her recipe book to make Grandma Daniels Cheesy potatoes. They were very yummy! The kids had a wonderful Christmas and loved all their gifts. A highlight of their Christmas is seeing just what Grandma Merrill picked out for them. This year it was a victorian shoe that holds rings. So my mom!! Both our parents gave us reference books for the book of Mormon. I had opened the one from my parents as soon as it got here (even though it had Rick's name on it) and I have been using it for the last couple weeks. Then we got another one from Rick's parents and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It added great insight into my study this morning.

You can tell by Blake's expression that he loved the quesadilla maker! They used that a lot at my mom's this summer. Rick, of course, was thrilled with his new gun and is so excited to go try it out today along with the kids and their airsoft guns. Rick finished off my 12 days of Christmas with a new watch and in the card he referred to me as his princess. He definitely made me feel loved and appreciated but I must say every day he makes me feel this way. I know that he truly loves and needs me and I am so grateful for that!! Rick then had to go to work so the kids and I watched Phantom of the Opera ( a gift from the Daniels). I had seen it when broadway came to Austin last year and it was amazing, but I had never seen the movie. It reminded me ow much I love the music so I downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes! It was a long movie with almost all singing, but my little troopers finished it with me. Our little tree did its job and made it all the way. We will probably take it down today to make room for the kid's family gift of game table. It was another wonderful year and I am kind of sad to see it end. But I do look forward to the upcoming year and to embrace the changes that will come!!!