::the best laid plans::

this christmas, my sweet family planned to be nontraditional and break the mold we'd formerly used since my parents were married.  all 9 of them agreed that they would forgo the usual gifts and fly to texas the day after christmas to be with us.  ryan's schedule does not offer time off this year, and we were thrilled that they would make such a sacrifice to celebrate with us.

flights were bought months in advance.  a beach house was rented for the weekend.  packages shipped to our home.  and on the night of the 25th, bags packed and everyone in bed early for their 3:30 am wake up call.  

well, wouldn't you know that mother nature had different plans.  indiana winters keep you on your toes for sure.  snow was falling rapidly from the sky, but my family made it to the airport and was about to take off when their flight was delayed.  then cancelled.  they cancelled until saturday with the option to re-book for a mere $8000.  

the entire biber clan was left very downhearted and we were beside ourselves here in texas.  at the 11th hour, the kids and i were booked on flights to fly home to try to regain some semblance of the christmas we'd hoped for.  

it was an absolute whirlwind of a trip, but we were thrilled to have a few days to celebrate and be together.  and ryan surprised everyone saturday by showing up for an amazing, but quick visit.  

it certainly wasn't what we'd all pictured, but time with family is always so very precious.  and we are so thankful...

breaking child labor laws at the airport as we tried to haul it all.

snow!

finn loved his sleepovers with sam and lily was thrilled to share a room with whit.

front porch workouts!

we decided a late night sledding trip for adults only was in order.  we were all sore from laughter (and falling) the next day!

"christmas" morning

i love you all SO very much!!!!

::merry merry::

we had a most sweet christmas day today. 

lily, finn and crosby are at such fun ages for christmas.  i could see the wonder in finn's eyes last night at church and in lily's eyes this morning.  it brought such joy to my heart to see the wonder within them.  

i am so very thankful for my sweet family, and for our extended family.  and for the love of our Savior, this christmas.

merry merry christmas to you all!!

making vegan cookies on christmas eve for santa (and diego).

getting ready for church.

hot chocolate while they wait to come out of their room!

christmas joy!

::christmas, part one::

 we are so thankful that kathy was able to make a trip to celebrate christmas with us this year.  it definitely meant a pre-christmas rush for her to get everything done days before the 25th.  we were so appreciative that she was willing to take on the task and come and to be with us this year.

we had a wonderful time enjoying lily's school festivities, feasting on delicious houston food and having a perfect pre-christmas christmas.

wishing you and yours the most wonderful christmas!

::finn's first football game::

he said the best part was "when they scored." 

but, i think his favorite part was the snacks.

two cute boys...

you know you are in texas when...

field day is in the middle of december!

::big girl named lily:

how is she possibly this big?

time, you need to slow down!

but, it absolutely makes my heart want to burst with joy seeing her try so many new things!

(she is in the middle in a red shirt and white sweater)

::a very christmas weekend::

we started and finished our weekend with all things christmas.  it was lovely.

we went on a search for a christmas tree...christmas tree farms are not nearly as easy to come by here in texas.  thankfully, there was a very sweet man at lowe's who trimmed and baled our tree for us and made the experience feel a bit more authentic.  the kids were thrilled and loved smelling every tree we considered in our quest.  

we came home and decked the halls.  crosby loved seeing the lights go on the tree and was quite the help.  lily and finn really were very helpful and loved every minute of it.  i have a feeling this will be our only year to set up our christmas tree with the air conditioner running.  it was awesome.

on saturday night, we got the kids all ready for bed and had them go into their rooms to pick out books to read.  they found tickets for a "christmas light tour" on their beds and popcorn and hot chocolate waiting for them.  we toured our neighborhood and looked at as many lights as they liked.  finn kept saying "we are on an adventure!  an adventure!"  and asked if we could do it again today.  

my parents recorded "'twas the night before christmas" for our kids.  every christmas eve, my poppy would read it to ash and i on our blue floral couch.  it is one of my favorite christmas memories.  lily and finn have listened to this about 20 times since we got it out yesterday.

happy hall decking!!