Mark and Jessica Spangler

Proof we were at IKEA in France! We arrived in Grenoble a few hours before our appointments and went to IKEA!!! Fun times for sure!

Here are some pictures of our hour train ride to Grenoble. This is our first time outside of Chambery! We went to get our physicals for our stamp in our visas! Fun trip!

These are very popular here and very very very very yummy! I wish I could offer each of you a taste! Fina brought us this for New Years! And again it was so so so so yummy!

We got a huge package from home recently from some friends and it was so fun to open! I can’t even tell you all that was in it but a few highlights were: clothes and toys and books for all of us. My favorite thing in the box was an insulated starbucks cup!!! I take it everyday to class with my iced cold brew latte in it! Yum! Mark even made me some peppermint chocolate syrup so I can have peppermint lattes every once in a while! Thanks you guys! The kids have a ton to do and some fun activity books in English. Again, there was so much in there!

Sorry i didn’t get more pictures of the other stuff in there. I will have to collect some pictures! I was just so excited about the cup and the kids were so happy playing with their new stuff for HOURS! It actually makes me want to go have a latte right now :).

It is easy to tell that I am American when I carry around that puppy!

This lake is pretty close to where we live. We rode the bus out there one afternoon on Christmas break. It was sunny, but we froze!

I have never been this close to a swan before. I was hoping he was more friendly than the average goose because this beast was as big as I was!

Caleb laying sideways in the sit and stand stroller. He sleeps like this when we go out in the afternoons. I honestly don’t know how he does it.

By the look on Micah’s face it is freeeeeezing! We didn’t stay long!

This cheese is only made once a year when the heard is at the top of a particular mountain grazing. It is yummy for sure and won’t be around much longer!

Here are a few more pictures of us opening presents! The quote of the day was when Ali opened a pocket knife Mark bought her. She yelled, “how could you afford this!”

The boys got swords! Mean faces!!

We all waited in the living room for Zoe to come in after she woke up on Christmas morning. It was too much to wrap her gifts so we just set them out. She got a HUGE bear and a cute little stroller. We waited to see her reaction and it was the funniest thing EVER! She freaked out! She laughed we all laughed for a very long time. Her gasping reaction was hilarious! She even took a double take at the big bear and it was so hilarious! Here are a bunch of pictures to help us share this moment with you!

So, we had a great year this year with our advent tradition. Each night we sing Christmas songs and read and talk about a small snippet of the Christmas story.
It is a lot of fun and it is very good for all of us to think and reflect on who Christ is and what he means and brought to the whole world. These are pictures of our advent candles being lit.

We make donuts every Christmas Eve morning and this year was no different, although it was our first year without our friend Becca, who usually comes over and spends the night with us the night before. So, well, here we are!

Micah actually wore his jammies all day. He said, “mom, we wear our jammies all day on Christmas Eve.”. So, we let him, even though we had friends over that evening. I assure you he has never before worn his jammies all day Christmas Eve.

Mark made a cross.

Ali made a candy cane!

Covering them with powdered sugar or, glace.

Ali made a snail.

Zoe got an award for eating the most donuts! Thankfully they were plain! But, still! Every time we turned around she had found another donut no matter how hard we tried to keep them away. It is a mystery how she got them! It is a good thing she at a yogurt too I guess.