Penner’s Stop!

Our good friends, Joel and Emily Penner, stopped by on their way home to Iowa from their Christmas travels! We enjoyed a nice lunch together and a few hours of chatting before they got on their way. It was fun they came on our anniversary day! They were with us 14 years ago on our wedding day! And look how God has blessed both of our families in those years! A full table! 

Barker Christmas!

Grandma Bev’s brothers and one of each of their children came on Tuesday night to celebrate Christmas. Lisa, Ralph and Donna’s daughter, was in town so she joined us. And Andy’s family, Terrie and Everett’s son, rove down from Mount Morris to spend time together. We enjoyed a simple soup and sandwich dinner along with lots of hang out time. The little kids came up with a talent show half way through the evening which made for some great entertainment! Joel did magic tricks, and Callie sang. We had a great time together!

During the day on Tuesday we send the kids outside to play, despite the freezing temps! They stayed out for 50 minutes and enjoyed a nice game of tackle football! 

Odell Family Christmas!

Our Christmas Day didn’t start out so good with the Odell family when we arrived in Wyanet around 11am. Pop’s Meat has just caught fire in the smoker and it was burnt up thankfully the Lord provisioned Caleb to take the trash out when he did so he saw the abundance of smoke and alerted Pop. Thankfully nothing else caught fire and everyone was safe. And thankfully, Pop already had the brisket done and out of the smoker so we didn’t loose all of the meat for dinner. Pop was very disappointed and saddened that the ribs didn’t make it. He couldn’t even smile for the picture. His brisket meat he smoked was AMAZING and hopefully he could enjoy it at dinner despite loosing the ribs. 

We had a great time opening gifts together! It is always so fun to see the joy on the kids’ faces and the happiness in their hearts as we give to one another. Sometimes they are excited about what they got, and other times they just can’t wait for someone to open a gift they picked out. 

Cade and Jake got matching sweatshirts and Pop got them both nice basketballs. Cade also got a big Nerf gun from Jake! Callie loved her new coloring book, sticker book, sewing kit, squeankies, and spikey building balls. Plus Pop got her a special necklace. Joel had a great time opening up his surprises and finding little toys to play with! Grandma got him kinetic sand which occupied him almost all day long!! Mommy got a new top from Grandma she really likes, and Daddy got new clothes, as well. One of our favorite Christmas moments is opening gifts with Pop, Bev, and the Lambert family. It is a lot of fun! Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Morning!

Merry Christmas!! We woke up to eager kids ready to get Christmas Morning rolling! We had to wake Callie, but the boys woke before 7am! The kids did a great job of thinking of gifts for each other this year, so it was fun to see delight and hugs between them as gifts were opened and shared. The kids all got remote control vehicles plus lots of other fun things - movies, audio adventures, clothes, Legos, Playmobil!!  Daddy treated Mommy with new clothes, a new hat, and new Chaccos (bring on summer!). Daddy got a set of nice noise canceling headphone to use in his office plus a few other goodies (book, camo under armor, diffuser, Cubs Hat!). 

We are so blessed with everything the Lord has given us. I always get overwhelmed at Christmas time with the expense and stuff because I want to be a good steward of God’s money and resources. I also want to be giving, so I am learning to trust the Lord more and more each year. The stuff will never satisfy us, but the Lord grows me through the moments we share together as a family giving to each other. It is a beautiful thing.

Christmas Eve Light Drive

On our way home from Wyanet we decided to drive around to look at the Christmas lights for a bit! Since we cancelled the Christmas Eve service, we knew Josh and Tori were home and available so we picked them up to enjoy the ride with us!! Next year we won’t all fit into one vehicle because little baby Anderson will

be here. This was one of our last car rides all together! Merry Christmas! 

Sledding!

On Christmas Eve Day we got snow!! There wasn’t enough to really make anything, but there was a dusting on the ground to ride in a sled down the slope in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard. Callie and Anna found great success. The ramp idea didn’t go to well for the big kids, as it was crushed each time a sledder came through. But fun was had and tomorrow is Christmas! It is going to be a white Christmas!!

Christmas Cookies

After Grandma Glenna and Grandpa Bill left, we rested for a bit and then headed to Wyanet to see our Lambert family. Aunt Kim, Grandma, and Aly were baking cookies, so we joined in on the fun! Aly taught Callie the swirl technique and Joel loaded up the sprinkles! Since we didn’t get to cookies this year, this was a fun activity! 

Good Morning Family!

Our fun continued on Saturday as we woke and enjoyed some hot chocolate, games, and moments together. We had a second pinata so the big kids could participate, and then our special gifts from Grandma and Grandpa! All of the Odell boys got drones (Grandma knew their wishlist since the Fair!) and Callie received a fixed chair! Grandpa rebuilt the broken wooden chair for her. We received more than we deserved and enjoyed the fun and excitement of being surprised. 

And of course before it all went too crazy, we had to get a grandkids and grandparents photo! We were so blessed to host everyone in our home! Merry Christmas family! Thank you for coming!

Nerf Launchers!

Later in the afternoon on Friday, we went out to the church gym and had a big Nerf launcher fight. Our Lambert family arrived in town on Thursday evening, so they were able to join us for the battle too! The kids had all of their cousins in one place = pretty special!!! Grandma Glenna bought Nerf guns as gifts for a few of the big boys, so we opened those early and surprised the battle with some powerful launchers! We also played a few games of knock out in basketball with everyone! We had a nice time running around and getting out of the house! We enjoyed some pasta back at home with some of Grandma’s pumpkin pie and whipped cream!! Our Friday Fun was a success! 

The Relatives Arrived!

Part of the Bents relatives arrived on Thursday afternoon the 21st! Uncle Jeremy, Brody, Corbin, Glory, Serenity, Grandma, and Grandpa all made the daytime trek! Callie and I had been working hard on preparing the house, the bedding, some food, and our hearts for the past few days. It was so exciting when they finally arrived. They got lots of playtime in Thursday! Grandma brought Beyblades so the boys were beyblading all evening! Callie got to play in her room with the girls, and we even did a couple Christmas crafts! Aunt Katie, Sage, Julia, Celeste, and Hogan arrived a bit before midnight. They needed to stay home for a puppet performance, which ended up being cancelled. 

Bents Christmas Pinata & Grab Bag Fun!

We were excited to bring back and introduce our kids to a few fun Christmas traditions of the past in the Bents/Sparks life! We enjoyed a pinata and the fun of the “stealing grab bag” game. I was a bit nervous my kids would get upset with the grab bag game, but there were plenty of toys they enjoyed and the game was fun. Grandma Glenna even brought enough gifts for the adults to participate too! These two traditions came from Jeremy and my days growing up during the Sparks Christmas gatherings. Mom would always work for hours on a pinata each year. Lots of paper mache and tissue paper. Usually it was a snowman or a santa. I am not sure how she started the tradition, but it was something we always did when I was a kid. She made some pretty strong piñatas that took some big muscles to break. Everyone would get to hit it from the littlest to Grandpa. It will never be the same as when I grew up, but it was fun to bring back something from the past. The kids were excited and participated with gladness! 

And we celebrated Brody’s 15th Birthday with a yummy cake Grandma made!