Winter is Finally Here!

Well this has been a very exciting weekend for us Allen's. We got to have our traditional Allen Family Christmas Party at Grandma Sheila's house. It was so much fun gathering together to make Gingerbread houses, eat yummy food, and watching Christmas shows together. I was feeling very blessed, loved and appreciated for all that has done for our beautiful family. Christmas Season always makes you realize how blessed and lucky you are. It makes you appreciate all you have and the family around you. It is nice to be here, even though I have no been so appreciative of it pretty much all year. But during Christmas time and the holidays it makes you love and appreciate your family. I love this time of year! I am realizing that living here we can spend sometime with family and have Ryker get to know his Aunts, Uncles, and grandparents. He needs it. Sheila does such a great job making Christmas time special. She always makes Christmas so special and very memorable. I feel like she out does herself every year I truly appreciate all her sentimental amazingness and willingness to love everyone. It inspires me to be better. She makes the holidays special and I look forward to it each year. We have great traditions coming together in our family. We are going to starting living up all the winter fun activities that are around. Christmas lights, parties, Christmas movies, hot coco, etc. We are going to start our traditions this year now that Ryker is starting to become aware of everything. Well the traditions Sheila has started for our grandma fun are pretty exciting and I know Ryker will love them once he understands all of the magic of Christmas. Ryker got this Minon that sings baby lullabies and he loves it. We use it every night now. ha. Great gift.  Sheila really made it a special Christmas this year.

We woke up to 9 inches of snow this morning. It really is a winter wonderland outside. It makes Christmas more magical. I think Snow is magic because you look outside and everything is colorful yet all the leaves are starting to die. But snow makes it sparkle. It's like it takes all the crazy colors and makes them a clean slate and it's like starting a new painting. Reminds me of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's like making a clean canvas and making the painting all over again.  It was pretty amazing to see everything so clean and white. Another reminder of why we celebrate this Christmas season. The Savior is our world, our life, and our meaning. Every time I see the purity of fresh white snow it reminds me of all the blessing and miracles the Savior has done for me. It's perfect to think of how Heavenly Father created something so pure for us to remember our Savior.  I hope we all can remember his amazing miracle and gift he gave us all year around and not just for Christmas. Check out this video it really puts this gift into perspective.