Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Haws, Bridgeport WV (December, 2007)

Sawyer was "the Angel Gabriella" (Gabriel) in the live nativity.

Ryder was a shepherd and wanted to keep the towell on his head all night.

Family picture after the live nativity.

Uncle David gave Sawyer and Savannah matching Las Vegas shirts.

From left to right...Jayden (shepherd), Matthew (Joseph), and Savannah (Mary).

Aren't our kids lucky? They get to celebrate Christmas for close to a month and in 3 different states (PA, WV, and UT). Sawyer and Ryder always love to go to grandma and grandpa Haws' home since there are so many cousins, uncles, and aunts that give them attention. Because there are so many people and so much commotion it's pretty much a free-for-all and they can pretty much get away with anything.

This year Eliza decided she was going to do something special for her parents and give them a gift that would surprise them. She knew that her Dad (Kim) has a passion and skill for woodworking and has made custom picture frames for all 10 kids in the family in years past, and because Kim is always thinking of others, he has never taken time to make one for his own family. She also knew that there is nothing in the world more important than family to her Mom (Toni) .

With this in mind, she came up with a design for a big picture frame and decided she would spend some quality time in the wood shop with Kim to be able to enjoy and participate in his hobby with him. Eliza, like Kim, also loves working with wood and doing crafts (as long as it involves the use of power tools). She made a few trips down to West Virginia in the month of December to work with Kim on the frame and they were able to bond and make memories that neither one will forget.

Eliza convinced her family that the picture frame was being made to house a picture of Cody and Eliza and was going to be given as a gift to Cody for Christmas and that everybody needed to keep this secret from Cody. On Christmas Eve, Eliza shocked everyone when instead of giving the picture and frame to Cody, she sat it on Kim's lap to open. Sparks flew, emotions ran high, and Eliza was happy that she was able to give Toni the picture and frame her home was missing (a large picture of the entire Haws family including in-laws and grandkids) and bring some joy to their lives during the holiday season. She was also very grateful that she was able to spend so much quality time with Kim and see him in his element.