It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Merrill home!

I know it is kind of weird, that I have two post within hours of each other, but honestly, the Thanksgiving post was done over several days, for I kept having to come back to it, due to many interruptions, therefore it took a lot longer than expected to post it, therefore, just so you know, no, I did not just sit down and right all of that today, rather I quickly proof read it this evening and hit publish, that is all! Now, with that being said, I could not pass up the opportunity to share with you, what a lovely Sabbath day it has been. I feel truly blessed to have been apart of such a lovely day. I woke up in one of the best moods I have ever been in and I was excited to go to Church and be uplifted through the different sermons that would be taught there, but not only that, I was excited to go, because it has been weeks since I have been to Church, therefore it was a much needed reprieve for me to go and see my friends and hear words of encouragement. Unfortunately, Payten was not well enough to go, so Joseph had to stay home, while the kids and I went, but I am so grateful that I was able to go, for the messages that were spoken, were truly inspired words that I needed to hear. The main message that I want to share with all of you, came from the Relief Society meeting, which is the woman's meeting at church and during this woman's meeting, we had a beautiful lesson on Christmas and the true meaning of Christmas and how the life of the Savior plays a key role in what Christmas is. I want to share a few of the words that were spoken during this meeting.

The teachers spoke about what the true meaning of Christmas was, which ultimately, is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, but the message was not solely about his birth, but rather it was about the life of Christ and how he lived a life that was meek, lowly and humble, so that we might relate to him better, so that when we are ever in a time of need or despair, we can feel as though we have someone we can turn to, who has been there and who understands our pains and our sorrows and that someone is our Savior Jesus Christ. This was such a beautiful lesson that had a simple reminder to each of us who were in that room, that our Savior did not just take upon our sins and bleed from every pore and die for us, but rather he lived for us too, so that we might have a friend during our greatest time of need. What a beautiful message that is! This message helped to remind me that I am never alone in my trials, rather my Savior is always there for me and he can relate to what I am feeling and he is there to help lift me up and ease my burdens, what a beautiful and simple truth that is. The whole purpose behind this lesson, was to help remind each of us that no one is left untouched from pain and tribulation, including the Savior, for we all have our own hardships that we must endure, therefore we need to remember that by and through leaning upon our Savior Jesus Christ and through the pure love of Christ, these hardships will always work out, no matter what. So this Christmas season, we need to remember, that we are all struggling, therefore we need to be a little kinder, and we need to try and lift the load of those around us, for by doing this, we will be living a life that our Savior lived and we will indeed be following in his example. I am so very thankful that I was able to hear this sweet message of love and peace, for it truly spoke volumes to my heart and soul. I was a much needed reminder for me to be/do better.

Then we I got home, my day got even more beautiful, for I was able to do one of my all time favorite things, which is, spend time with my family and though Payten was sick and struggling some, it still felt like Heaven on Earth. While the children and I were enjoying our time at Church, Joseph took advantage of the free time, while Payten was napping and put up the Christmas Tree. Therefore when we walked in the door from Church, we were greeted with the wonderful surprise of our Christmas Tree ready and waiting to be decorated. And you can only imagine the squeals of joy that came out of my children's mouths! Believe me, they were priceless and they filled my heart with pure joy, for there is something special about a child's joyful squeal at Christmas time, for I believe it is the one thing that can melt any persons heart. Once we got settled in from Church and had some supper, Joseph and I relaxed, all while watching the kids put their ornaments on the tree. The gleeful smiles and the joyful giggles that took place, as our children decorated the tree, will forever be ingrained in my head, for these are the moments that are worth treasuring during this time of year. Here is a picture of the tree during the decorating process and after,

I must say, they did a fantastic job! It truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Merrill home and it makes my heart happy! The only thing that possibly could have made this moment more prefect would have been if Payten could have participated in the tree decorating, but at least she was in the room watching, at a safe distance, for if she could have, she would have brought that tree down and no one wanted that, so we kept her as far away as we could, still feeling as though she was apart of it. It truly was the prefect ending to an extremely lovely day.

I just wish that Payten was not sick! She has a bad bout of diarrhea right now and we thought it might be from all the antibiotics she has been taking, but unfortunately that is not the case. We know that she has some sort of stomach bug and we know this because, we have been giving her probiotics and they are doing nothing for her, which tells us it is more than just the good bacteria needing replenishment, but rather it is a virus or a bad bacteria that is attacking her GI track/system. I just hope and pray that we can get a handle on it before it becomes so far out of our control that she ends up in the hospital due to dehydration. So if you could, please continue to pray for our sweet Payter Tater, in hopes that she may recover from this illness and have somewhat of a peaceful and happy Holiday, free from illness.

I can not express how lovely this day has been and the beauty it has brought unto me, it truly has been heavenly and I am beyond grateful that I was able to be apart of such a day as today. Before I go, I want to leave you all with a beautiful song/message about Christmas, that I feel sums up the messages I received this day while at Church and here is the song,

Isn't this such a beautifully, inspiring message of love?! It truly reminds you what the true meaning of Christmas is and it leaves you pondering the question of, how you will find room in your life for the Savior, this Christmas season? What a profound thought to be left with, for the scripture is true, When ye have done it unto one of  the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. We need to remember that, we need to remember that by loving and serving one another this Christmas season and through out our lives, we are not only making a difference in some one's life, but we are also making room for our Savior to be apart in our Holiday and our life and that is the true spirit and beauty of Christmas and this is why Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I love you all my dear friends and I wish you all a good night.