We hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did and enjoyed spending time with our families as well as remebering the true meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Thanks to his life and sacrifice we can have the most important gift which is eternal life with our family! Merry Christmas to all and have a wonderful New Year!!
No surprise here...Kelsey got her laptop...
and so did Ethan!
The family also got Mario Kart for Wii. The kids have enjoyed it but not as much as Chris does. Loma has to leave the room when he plays because she can't take the screaming and yelling!
We also got to see our cousins for a few minutes before they went down the hill. This is Kelsey, Ethan and Riley with Savannah, Kaden and Addison (These are Loma's brother, Louis' kids, at least three out of the four).
Grandma and Grandpa Horvath came over and brought their gifts for the kids which was a HUGE hit. The kids love going to the movies!!
The grandchildren surprised grandma and grandpa with some pictures of them from the Los Angeles Temple. I can finally post them now that the secret is gone!! We took some beautiful pictures that day!
Once the presents we done it was time to feast on ham and prime rib. Clockwise from the top: Chris, Kelsey, Grandma Horvath, Grandpa Horvath, Aunt Amanda and Peyton (sister in law and niece), Uncle Chris (Loma's brother), Ethan and then the king of his own table, Riley.
Riley talking to Santa on the phone (Riley couldn't believe how much Santa knew about him!)...
wrestling with cousins...
taking part in the Nativity story (3 wisemen...Uncle Ron from Vegas, Chris and brother Jeff, our angel, Kelsey, shepard Riley, Mary and Joseph was Ethan and Kennedy, bottom left was the other shepard Caden and our narrator was Great Grandpa Futrell).
opening presents...
Tile given to us by Chris' parents...
spending time with grandparents (Chris' parents Brent and Gail with Kelsey, Ethan and Riley).
and last but not least, being fortunate enough to spend the holidays with Great Grandparents. Great Grandma and Grandpa Futrell with cousins Kennedy, Caden, Ethan, Kelsey and Riley.
Another wipeout!
My wonderful hubby!
Chris and Riley
Eats dog! (Ethan)
Kelsey, Ethan and Riley
Ethan and Riley used different objects to sled on. First was the trash can lid...
and second was the boogie board, which they crashed on. That's how we do things here in sunny California. Who needs sleds when you have trash can lids and boogie boards!! WIPEOUT!
Chris even got in on the action. Now, he is enjoying the snow since he doesn't have to work in it!
We even convinced Kelsey to give it a try. Last time we went sledding, she hurt herself. No surprise there!! So she was a little apprehensive today. But she loved it! After all, these were little slopes!
Ethan pelting Kelsey in the face!
Great shot! Kelsey's revenge!
Poor Riley never had a chance! Not with Ethan around! Ethan actually buried him in the snow. Riley was not too happy! He crying started after that!
According to Loma...Christmas did come early. These pictures of our house were taken the day after it snowed. When I went out yesterday morning for the official snowfall total, I measured 16 1/2 inches. I could not believe it! I had to include this picture because this is my measuring spot...the top of our pool! 
I still can't believe how beautiful it is!
No snow plow service around her. Look at our street!
This picture of the kids, or should I say the blurs, was taken around 1pm right after I picked them up from school! Yes, they had to go to school today. But with the snowfall increasing, I was nervous about them riding the bus home. So I pulled them out early. 
All Kelsey wanted to do was lay in the snow!
Ethan, on the other hand, pelted each of us with snowballs, over and over again!
Riley enjoyed his hot chocolate, as you can see by the mustache. Right as I counted to three when taking this picture, Kelsey nailed him in the head with a snowball. I love that smile!! We have all enjoyed the snowfall, well, the kids and I have. Chris...not so much!!
Poor Chris had to work tonight so here he is cleaning the snow off of his truck before he left. All he could say to me was..."you really want to live in a place that snows like this". My answer...Of course I do!!! As much as I enjoy the snow, I feel bad when he doesn't! After working in the snow the last few nights, he is definitely tired of it! But he couldn't help being amazed at the amount we received today! I wish it could last through Christmas!! What a dream come true that would be!!
My two little helpers, Ethan and Riley.
One of our favorite traditions is that of decorating the Gingerbread House. This year the kids decorated their own, mainly due to our Ward Christmas Party. This years theme is a Homemade Christmas with the table centerpieces being gingerbread houses. You can see each of their finished products! Kelsey made the house...
Ethan decorated the train...
and Riley worked on Santa's Sleigh. They all did a great job and did it on their own!!
Riley, yes this was a family affair, was asleep in the back of our Surburban by 10pm.
Kelsey and Ethan decided to sleep in the back of Chris' truck. It must have been in the high 30's that night. Kelsey got the mummy sleeping bag, so she slept just fine. Ethan was a little on the cold side and not very thrilled that I took this picture!
Everyone was out by 12:30am except for Loma. She stayed up all night and held our place in line. Thank you Stephanie Meyer for helping me stay awake. I finished the second book in her Twilight series and was on the third by the time the store opened. Even though I have already read them all, it gets better the second time around!
Well at least two of the three Denkers were happy as the store was getting ready to open. They don't look so bad for camping out under the stars for 12 hours! And yes, we did get the laptops. 
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