First Christmas

Our sweet twin binnies have brought double the joy to our family.

Christmas Day

This year our Christmas didn't hold to tradition. Besides being on a Sunday (a big day for a pastor's family), there was just a lot of stuff going on in the lives of family members.  Our time with my in-laws was set for the 26th so we were all alone on Christmas.  We had a nice time, but it was different.  Since we didn't know what else we would do that day, we opened only brother gifts Christmas Eve and saved the rest for after lunch on Sunday.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable day.

Just to be like daddy, Johnny really wanted a pair. He called them "radios," but now refers to them as "rodeos."  :)

Our boys are famous for regifting. One boy will give something they own to a brother for a birthday who will then give it to the next birthday brother. :) These glasses were a hit...and I don't know which brother gave or received them!

Jesse gave us coupons good for a free shoe shine and 30 minutes of work.  BJ lucked out since his will never expire.  :)

Mommy's presents

Jesse is 9!!!

December 18th our Jesse turned 9! 

We celebrated with our family, Grandma Sally, Papa, and Reaghan.

This picture sums up Jesse. Right when he should have blown out his candle, he slid it over to Jud to blow out. Jesse is known for his wrestling which at times gets him in trouble, but to BJ and me he is really known for his kind, loving, and selfless heart to his brothers.  He has his moments too, but for the most part he really cares about them and will put them first.  A nice trade off for the many spur of the moment wrestling matches he initiates. :)

Happy Birthday Jesse...we love you! xxooo

Programs

Directly following big family Christmas was the Canby community orchestra concert.  It was a really big day.  The boys did excellent, but we were definitely ready to head home when it was over.

The next morning was church, Jesse's birthday, and the evening Christmas program.  The boys were looking sharp in their special ties made by Aunt Amy. :)

This weekend was a busy one, but we survived...although I didn't know if we would at the time. :)

Fritzler Family Fun

Here are a few highlights of big family Christmas this year. The biggest one being Grandma Carolla with her 18 great grandchildren! (Six new ones were added in 2011.) 

The family band is my boys' favorite part.

Here are the wonderful woodwinds. :) Do I say that every year?

The six new babies. 

It was a joy to be pregnant this year with Jocelyn, Heidi, Sheila, and Kaelene. Experiencing the pregnancies and baby showers together was so much fun. I am also glad the twins will have a few cousins close to their age.

Thank you, Aunt Visa, for hosting. We had a great time.

Christmas Traditions...

Having traditions for special times in our lives is really important to me.  We have tried a few that have been bigger hits than others. Some have also been kind of a nightmare (like our first drive around to look at lights experience.)  I am happy to say that this year our looking at lights tradition was a success!  We finally found a neighborhood that has a lot of lights. :)  I believe that (and not doing the hot cocoa) was a big part of the success.

We also enjoyed caroling and delivering goodies to a few widows at our church. It truly is more blessed to give than receive. On our way out of the last home we visited, Rita told us how much she appreciated it.  Justin immediately responded with (in his high tenor voice), "we'll be back next year!"  The boys really enjoyed doing this activity.

And finally, our scheduled night of watching "Its a Wonderful Life" on the hide-a-bed was fun.  However next year we might need to ditch the hide-a-bed part because we do not fit anymore. Maybe we will bring in the sleeping bags. :)

Tradition #1

Tradition #2 

Tradition #3