Christmas Eve continued...

Next we opened Christmas PJ's:

Then we set the camera on timer to attempt to get a decent family shot in our new PJ's...I think we took 10 and came up with this one...(girls had red snowmen and boys had blue snowmen pjs)

The kids also opened the gifts that they had bought for each other. They were dollar store purchases so some were questionably fun.

Then they all decided that they liked the presents (especially after Dave talked them into thinking they were cool--he is so good at that!):

Then it was up to Ashlyn's room where we piled all of the mattresses on the floor where the kids sleep every Christmas Eve. We had our annual wrestling match:



Then we read Twas the Night Before Christmas and urged the kids to listen for Santa and his reindeer as they slept.

We had made cookies earlier in the day to leave out for Santa. Always hershey cookies for Santa, an apple for the reindeer and candy for the elves. (Ashlyn wrote the note this year)

This is what we found Christmas morning:

TESTIMONY OF CHRIST

I kind of think it deserves it's own post.
By Jeffrey R. Holland
"I testify that Jesus Christ is the literal, living Son of our literal, living God. This Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer who, under the guidance of the Father, was the Creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. I bear witness that He was born of a virgin mother, that in His lifetime He performed mighty miracles observed by legions of His disciples and by His enemies as well. I testify that He had power over death because He was divine but that He willingly subjected Himself to death for our sake because for a period of time He was also mortal. I declare that in His willing submission to death He took upon Himself the sins of the world, paying an infinite price for every sorrow and sickness, every heartache and unhappiness from Adam to the end of the world. In doing so He conquered both the grave physically and hell spiritually and set the human family free. I bear witness that He was literally resurrected from the tomb and, after ascending to His Father to complete the process of that Resurrection, He appeared, repeatedly, to hundreds of disciples in the Old World and in the New. I know He is the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah who will one day come again in final glory, to reign on earth as Lord of lords and King of kings. I know that there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved and that only by relying wholly upon His merits, mercy, and everlasting grace can we gain eternal life.

My additional testimony regarding this resplendent doctrine is that in preparation for His millennial latter-day reign, Jesus has already come, more than once, in embodied majestic glory. In the spring of 1820, a 14-year-old boy, confused by many of these very doctrines that still confuse much of Christendom, went into a grove of trees to pray. In answer to that earnest prayer offered at such a tender age, the Father and the Son appeared as embodied, glorified beings to the boy prophet Joseph Smith. That day marked the beginning of the return of the true, New Testament gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the restoration of other prophetic truths offered from Adam down to the present day.

I testify that my witness of these things is true and that the heavens are open to all who seek the same confirmation. Through the Holy Spirit of Truth, may we all know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent.” Then may we live Their teachings and be true Christians in deed, as well as in word, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I found this testimony by Elder Holland a few years ago as I was reading the Ensign. If I could speak my testimony about Christ eloquently and boldly this is exactly what I would say. Every time I read it I feel the Spirit testify to my heart that it is true.

Oh Christmas Time

Here is what we did Christmas weekend...
Christmas Eve: annual Austrian Dinner (i.e. yummy goodness)and Martinelli's

Corbin liked the Martinelli's so much he started licking the inside of the cup. Wow.

Then we got in costume for the Luke 2 reading:

Dave squeezed into the Shepherd's costume that was really meant for a kid. We all laughed.

Then we acted it out as Dave read it.
MY ULTIMATE FAVORITE TESTIMONY OF THE SAVIOR:
by Jeffrey R. Holland
"I testify that Jesus Christ is the literal, living Son of our literal, living God. This Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer who, under the guidance of the Father, was the Creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. I bear witness that He was born of a virgin mother, that in His lifetime He performed mighty miracles observed by legions of His disciples and by His enemies as well. I testify that He had power over death because He was divine but that He willingly subjected Himself to death for our sake because for a period of time He was also mortal. I declare that in His willing submission to death He took upon Himself the sins of the world, paying an infinite price for every sorrow and sickness, every heartache and unhappiness from Adam to the end of the world. In doing so He conquered both the grave physically and hell spiritually and set the human family free. I bear witness that He was literally resurrected from the tomb and, after ascending to His Father to complete the process of that Resurrection, He appeared, repeatedly, to hundreds of disciples in the Old World and in the New. I know He is the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah who will one day come again in final glory, to reign on earth as Lord of lords and King of kings. I know that there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved and that only by relying wholly upon His merits, mercy, and everlasting grace can we gain eternal life.

My additional testimony regarding this resplendent doctrine is that in preparation for His millennial latter-day reign, Jesus has already come, more than once, in embodied majestic glory. In the spring of 1820, a 14-year-old boy, confused by many of these very doctrines that still confuse much of Christendom, went into a grove of trees to pray. In answer to that earnest prayer offered at such a tender age, the Father and the Son appeared as embodied, glorified beings to the boy prophet Joseph Smith. That day marked the beginning of the return of the true, New Testament gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the restoration of other prophetic truths offered from Adam down to the present day.

I testify that my witness of these things is true and that the heavens are open to all who seek the same confirmation. Through the Holy Spirit of Truth, may we all know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent.” Then may we live Their teachings and be true Christians in deed, as well as in word, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Trevor's experiment

Trevor found this experiment in a book so we put it to the test. It's actually been sitting on my counter for over 2 months and took about a month to grow (I hope this gives me definite brownie points as a mom because a tree growing potato is the last thing I want on my counter for that long). So anyway, we got a potato, stuck tooth picks in it and stuck the bottom half of the potato in a jar full of water. And it worked!

It's my blog and I can post (lots of pictures) if I want to

that's all.

My new favorite tradition: Stan Hywet Manor

More than half a million lights, beautiful Christmas Trees, Santa, a Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, theme inspired mansion and a decorated conservatory = fun for everyone in the Collette family.









The village looks miniature in this picture but the houses in this village were actually the size of a real houses. So. Cool.


Love that this picture looks like Corbin's conservatory is the trashcan! It's not, it was the name of the Stan Hywet Conservatory. Kind of cool.


Don't tell Corbin that he's the girl in this picture...he might be mad about that.

Feeding the birds

We have gone to the same spot every year for the past 5 years to feed birds. Dave loves it. Seriously. I think the kids think it's ok. It's not my favorite, mostly because you have to hike 2 miles each way to get there...in the snow...with three kids. The cool part about it is that the birds actually take seeds from your hand. The kids had at least 20 birds fly into their hands to snag some grub on this day and that is normal. Dave and a friend and the kids made the trek out there.