Christmas 2008!

The Hamblin family had a great Christmas! We were able to spend Christmas Eve and Nana and Papa Nield's house. With Uncle Garrett being gone this year on his mission to Mexico we decided to have a Mexican feast in honor of him. We had quesadilla's, chips and dip, taco soup, horchata, and lots of other yummy food. Nana and Papa handed out the traditional treat bags for the kids which the kids look forward to every year. Papa read a special letter from Elder Garrett Nield which was Elder Nield's gift to us. It was great to hear of his testimony and some of the things that he wanted us to make sure and do on Christmas while he was away. So special!! We visited with each other then watched a special reading of the Christmas Story and music by the MoTab. It was beautiful. After that everyone else left except for our family. Dave fell asleep on the couch and we waited patiently for him to wake up. Poor guy had been working 14 hour days and was wiped out! When we got home the Elve's left pj's on our beds! Those sneaky Elve's. To this day I still don't know how they find our house! On Christmas morning the kids woke up at 8:30 and after family prayer and discussing the importance of the "reason for the season" we didn't start opening presents until 9:00. It seems that Santa did find our house and the kids had a great time. Later on Christmas day we went back to Nana and Papa's and were able to talk to Elder Nield. He is doing awesome and it was a treat to hear is voice and know that he is safe and that he is serving the Lord and having success as a missionary. As a family we couldn't be prouder and we miss Uncle Garrett but know he is where he is supposed to be right now. We had many special experiences over the Christmas holiday and will never forget the kindness and generosity of many friends, family and ward members. We also enjoyed the 12 days of Christmas from a Secret Santa. What fun things we would get every night for 12 days in a row. It was so fun for the kids to anticipate the door bell ring and they loved opening the door to such fun little treasures! Lots of great memories and fun time were had by all!