Our final Christmas in Nova Scotia

Christmas felt very complete this year having little Loren with us, and there simply was not much we wanted to enjoy more than a quiet Christmas at home all together. 

Christmas Eve we gathered at the church with the other student families for dinner and the nativity. 

We tried to grab a few photos by the tree before heading out, but the kids were less than thrilled to cooperate, leaving us with a few classic faces to remember the magic. ;)

I love the photos and these faces! Our greatest gift this year is having three little ones under this tree. 

The kids were tucked in that night cozy and warm. I held and snuggled Loren while Justin brought our gifts up from the basement and prepared our home for the magic of the morning.

With all calm and bright we sat together in the glow of the christmas tree lights, finding it hard to believe our fourth and final Christmas in Nova Scotia had come. 

The morning unlocked all the excitement the kids had been waiting for. 

Miley could not believe her eyes, and she was so thrilled to see Santa had come! Scotlin took one look at that the gifts wrapped in paper, and immediately burst into tears.  He thought he would come down to christmas morning and find all the wonderful things he had been asking for... these boxes wrapped in paper were a huge disappointment. :) We did our best to explain that the gifts must be opened to find a present inside, but it still took him a few minutes to warm up to the idea. 

I don't think I'll ever look at his face in this picture without laughing. 

He definitely got the hang of it. :) 

The morning was a thrill for these kids. They could not have been happier. 

Miley and Scotlin made personalized homemade ornaments for mom and dad. 

And even baby sis had a few gifts too.

The rest of the morning was spent quietly enjoying one another's company. Dad spent his time assembling parts and pieces, while I baked in the kitchen. The sounds of the children playing happily with their toys echoed through our home the entire day. Truly magic filled the air as our hearts were filled with gratitude and love for the blessings of family and of this great day.

We missed family greatly this christmas, but were glad we were able to visit with them for a little while, and feel of the magic there.  

We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful christmas and hope we can be together next year!

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours!