Christmas Day!

*Warning*

This post contains way too many pictures!  I just wanted to be able to share Christmas with the Grandparents, Aunt's and Uncles, and this was the easiest way.  So let's proceed to the Jeppson Family Christmas!

It looks like Santa came...He ate most of the cookies and drank some milk, Or it was used for bio-fuel like the movie "Arthur Christmas" suggests...?

 5 kids means lots of presents under the tree...

and lots of stockings hung...

But what did Santa leave us?

 I got a new/old china hutch as an awesome stocking stuffer.  So happy, I love it!

The boys got some Star Wars toys, trains accessories, and their favorites a new basketball hoop and tools!

Anya was surprised with a new 3D ds, some games and a display case for her small globe collection.

Cora got some new clothes for her AG doll, a bed and a pet horse (for her doll)

Hannah got a new camera, a pet horse and clothes for her AG doll.

 Jack does not want to wait for stockings anymore!  

 AJ, just chilling and taking it all in!

Jack naturally gravitated to the basketball hoop, has not stopped playing it since Christmas Day!

 Hunter LOVE his tools and new tool box.  It goes into his bed with him at night.

 I got an awesome new cutting board from my Brother and Sister-in-law.  And a new addition to my village...a Bakery!  Every Village needs a Bakery!

 The girls got AG lunch boxes from their Aunt and Uncle.  They love them

 This is one happy girl with a new pokemon DS game!

 The boys helping Dad unwrap his present...what could it be?

 Golf Balls, YES! The boys were so excited, they thought they were for them!

 Nope...here is your presents from your Aunt and Uncle...start unwrapping them!

 The excitement builds and I see a "oh yeah" forming on Jack's face...

 New bats and balls!!!

 Good hit Jack!

 We love getting weapons for Christmas!

 AJ loves her new shirt.

Some gifts went over better then others.

Look how perplexed Jack looks...what am I supposed to do with this?

 Cora loved her presents...every single one.

Hunter is off on an adventure, with all his new prizes packed away.

It was a great Christmas.  We loved being together and being able to talk with those family members we could.  Thanks for all the gifts and well wishes that were sent from afar, we enjoyed every single one.

That concludes Christmas for one more year, and it was very MERRY!

Leading up to Weihnacht

We had a glorious weekend leading up to Christmas and decided to get our German Christmas on one last time.  Which means we....Headed to our last Christmas market while here in Germany.

 We decided to go to one we hadn't been to before, which led us down to a favorite city of ours called Regensburg.  We walked around the main market square for a bit...but not long after we headed up to this beautiful market.  I loved how traditional it felt.  This is held at the Thurn and Taxis Palace in Regensburg.  There were torches and fire pits all over, along with some great booths.  I found many things I loved here, and wished I had brought them home with me!  But I didn't!

 St. Nikolaus was there, handing out chocolates and oranges to all the kids.

 Center of the Christmas market in the Palace courtyard.

It was so lovely!

 Christmas Eve we decorated cookies for Santa.

 The boys really got into it this year!

I don't think they can fit too many more candies on those cookies!!

Christmas season was wonderful this year.  While we missed family, we did what we usually do...make ourselves feel better by getting out and seeing the sights.  If we stay busy with new adventures then we don't feel so bad that we have no dearly, loved family members near by!

Someday we won't live so far away from everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

Bavarian Horn Band

Here is a short video of the Horn band we saw at the Grafenwohr Christmas Market.

I had never seen anything like it before, they look like hunting horns.  I loved it!

It made it feel so Christmas-ey...definitely a Market highlight for me!

Christmas Markets!

Christmas in Germany is absolutely Magical!

There is just no other way to put it.  I don't think one has truly experienced Christmas until they have done it in Germany...I know I hadn't.  No where I have lived previously has celebrated Christmas so majestically and so openly.  Here Christmas does not center around St. Nikolaus ..it centers around the coming of the Christ child.  St. Nick is an after thought.  The Christ child brings the gifts, at midnight of the 24th...when the Christ child arrived according to Germanic tradition, Christmas is over.  I love this tradition, the Christ child bring the gifts.  After all, didn't he give us and bring us the ultimate gift of the Atonement, and the ability to return to our Heavenly Father again?

There is no slang greeting here...no "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings", 

It is simply Merry CHRISTmas.

Another Tradition I love is the Christmas Markets.

Traditionally they follow the advent, or four weekend leading up to Christmas.  They have become so popular over the years, that now most of the big Markets are open throughout the week also.

Above I am at the quaint market the village of Grafenwohr puts on.

 They had a great Bavarian Horn band.  It was fantastic!

 This is the madness of the Nurnberg market.  The biggest, and most popular market in germany.  We went in the middle of advent, in the middle of the day...and still the place was packed!

I think we only lasted an hour...and then headed off to a more quaint/small market!

 We always have to stop and get Christmas market goodies: Kinderpunch (non-alcoholic version of gluwein...which is hot, spiced wine), crepes, brats, spiced nuts, and waffles!

This nutella waffle was very scrumptious...although not as good as the waffles in Belgium!

 Every market has performances throughout the day from different bands and choirs.  So you get to shop with the sound of Christmas music in the background...so magical, like straight out of a movie.

 Here is a typical booth at a market.  I love them...you can practically find anything you want for Christmas here!  On this day, the girls picked out ornaments for gifts for their teachers.

 Another madness picture!

Most of the markets we go to are not this crazy...just this one.

We ended the day in Lauf.  I love this little town.  I think out of all the markets I have been too, this one was my favorite as far as decorations.  It had these pine garlands strung from lamp post to lamp post...and in the center were these beautiful Moroccan paper stars, all lit up.  It led you to the center of town, where the market was and the town's nativity.  

It was so much fun, I got my favorite kinderpunch mug yet from here (it is red!)

and it was the perfect way to end the evening with a delicious mozzarella and herbed tomato crepe.

Perfect!

Santa

We went to Matt's Office Holiday party last weekend.  It was really fun, good food, fun white elephant gifts (with people who actually steal...makes the game so much more fun) and complete with a visit from Santa!  Santa brought each of the kids a new book.  As he was reading out names for each child to come and get a book, Hunter stood off to the side and just waited so patiently.  He was one of the last to be called up, and he knew it was coming so he just waited.  As soon as his name was called he ran up and took his gift with a big huge grin on his face.  After that he and Santa were tight...best of buds!

He loved sitting with Santa, and he didn't want to leave.

Since Hunter was sitting so wonderfully with Santa, we thought "what a great picture op."  Ha!  Jack would have nothing to do with it.  He didn't want to be near Santa...I had to sit next to Santa and force Jack on my lap.  The whole time he is screaming "NO" at the top of his lungs!

It was very comical, and we got our classic Santa picture too!

 Even though he was anti-santa, Jack still loved his gift.

He got a book about a dog and it's ball...perfect!  He was hugging it as soon as he opened it, we tried to get a picture of the book hug, but we were too slow!

Look at that grin though...it says it all!

After bonding with Santa, Hunter spent the rest of the night trying to mimc him.

He would say "ho, ho, ho", and in this picture he is making a Santa beard.

It was too incredibly cute for words!

SNOW!

The past couple of weeks we have been seriously dumped on by SNOW!  For 7 Days straight we got snow, and a couple of those days it snowed 3 or 4 inches in an hour.  Huge, beautiful flakes.  In this past week we have gotten more snow then all of last winter combined...just to put in some kind of perspective.  Lots of snow!

 So you would think that my kids would be excited the first day of snow and make a snowman!  

Nope, our friend here didn't get made until the 4th day of snow...but once the kids got out there they had so much fun they didn't want to come back in.

 Everyones house has a snow mountain in front.  It reminds me of the huge snow mounts my father-in-law makes when shoveling his huge driveway.  The boys love to climb it!  Or eat it....

 The countryside from my front porch, with the wall of snow from the snow plows.

our backyard. The snow on top of my patio table is a good representation of how much snow we got this past week.  I still think some of it blew away, but it was a lot of snow.

This is the first "real" winter my kids have had in a long time.  After living in Texas and California we would go home for a visit to Utah for Christmas...get our two weeks of winter and snow (hopefully) and then go home to greener (or browner) pastures.

We are really enjoying this winter!!