Christmas morning at the Deibel's house

Ok, so we have a couple videos of the morning that we wanted to share with our friends and family. The first is of the girls as they came down the stairs to see their stockings on the table...the excitement as they saw what they got is awesome! The video after is of the "big surprise" gifts we gave them. I've always looked forward to that Christmas when we'd give the kids their first bikes, so we snuck into the room we had them hid in, and taped their reactions...a sweet Merry Christmas at the end of that one from both of the girls. We do hope that you had a very Merry Christmas, and we pray many blessings on you, wherever you are, and we thank you for following our blog, supporting us with your thoughts, and all the blessings we have because of you, whether you're family or friend. Merry Christmas from the Deibel Crew!!!

Do you ever wonder...

...what happens just after a great adorable video is taken of kids singing a wonderful Christmas song for all their friends and loved ones to enjoy? Well...wonder no more! We present the "outtake" of the girls singing Away in a Manger...

...for your Christmas spirit

Bed time at our house usually consists of a story, prayer and a song. Since it's Christmas, we've been doing Christmas songs, and one of the girls favorites is Away in a Manger. They've come up with some "sign-language" for it and sing it so sweetly, I just had to get it on video and post it for you all. So, from our family to yours, we're wishing you a great Christmas season! (by the way, I'm singing in it too, and my apologies...they were having a hard time staying focused the first couple tries so I had to help them get through the song. Enjoy anyway! LOL)

Santa's Lap!

On Sunday, our village had their local Christmas fair, held in Hannah's school. It was a great event, and probably 80% of the community showed up to it at one time or another. There were crafts for sale, cookies and things for sale, and of course, plenty of tea and coffee. All proceeds were going to Hannah's school for fund-raising purposes. We had a lot of fun talking with people we knew, meeting new people and just having fun. The girls got their faces painted (which they were VERY excited about!!) and of course, they got to meet Santa. Now, since I'm a former kid myself, and have seen many Santa's, I have to say, this was the coolest Santa experience I've ever seen! When we got into the gym, we gave the workers the kids name and ages, and paid our fee for the sitting. Once we finally were brought into the room, it was magical! It kind of made me think of a Haunted house or something the way the first room was darkened and decorated (like Christmas, not Halloween!) and you had to walk to different room where Santa was. He was sitting in his throne-looking chair flanked by a decorated tree and a mocked-up chimney. All done well, and not cheesy looking at all - you really felt like you were walking into a story-book! So, Santa asked the girls (mind you, this is all in Irish, so we'd done some practice before we went into the room) what they wanted for Christmas, and of course they told him. He went through the usual, "Have you been good" etc. and just complimented them on how sweet they were. Then, all of a sudden, down the chimney came 2 bags! One each with their name on them packed with a few age-appropriate gifts like a coloring book and markers for Hannah and a toy music player for Cailyn; and of course some sweets! Santa presented them to the girls, and wished us all a Merry Christmas, and out the door we went. It was SO fun! I'm sure that may be the longest Santa's lap-sitting story you'll ever hear, but to us, it was just very awesome, and the girls really loved it. Around our house (*spoiler alert*) we know that Santa is make-believe, but we do understand that there's a lot of fun in pretending. It was a great day out, and here' the picture they sent us home with of the girls sitting on Santa's lap.

Oh Christmas Tree...

Well, we're all set for Christmas - we have a tree!!! It's a fake one, but that's fine because we've decided that those are simply easier to deal with. It's a gorgeous tree and we had so much fun putting it together! It really does feel like Christmas time now, and we love it! Here's some pictures of the event...

Before the ornaments go on...

Look at this one!!!

Handling with great care...

The stockings were hung with care...

Hannah got to hang the tree topper this year

All finished!

Flying High

My dad owns a Cessna airplane that my brother and I learned to fly in. Each time I come home, I try to get a flight in. This Christmas, we had a chance to go for a flight, and Hannah got her very first plane ride!! My brother has a couple of toddler size head sets, so we strapped in, and away we went. It was an absolute gorgeous day...about mid 40's, no wind, and beautiful sunshine. My brother was our pilot, and it was an awesome flight. There is snow all over the peaks and the ground...it was great to see it all from the air. Here's a few photos from the day.

Ready to go!!

I took this picture just after we took off. We're looking northeast back at the runway. I love the way the airport looks when it's outlined in snow.

Hannah is having a great time...this is a couple minutes after takeoff and we're about 1,000 feet off the ground. I was a little worried about what she would think about it, but my fearless little girl just loved it!

Great view of the San Fransisco Peaks from the cockpit just outside of Flagstaff

We flew over my brothers' house that is at the foot of the Peaks. We're circiling 1000 feet overhead...you can see Jen and my Sister-in-law Leanna and her mom outside waving us on. (between the cars and the house)

Another great shot of the Peaks

Coming in for a landing...this is about 300 feet off the ground, going about 65 mph. We'll touch down on the numbers at the end of the arrows. (the arrows signify a take-off only section of the runway...the landing zone is where the numbers are painted)

Hannah had a great time. Here she is next to the plane saying, "I did it Daddy!!

Uncle Adam did a great job flying!!

The last step is to park the plane. Hannah and her cousins are helping push it back in the hangar for another day.