Here's December 2016 in a nutshell...or, at least in a slew of pictures!
I was digging through bins (as I always am) in our attic and found the dress Emma wore for her first Christmas! She was able to wear it again this year as a tunic.
Dave and I took turns reading "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" aloud to the kids. This is my original copy from 3rd grade! It's quite torn up, but so loved. I had forgotten what a sweet story it is! After we read it, we watched it the made-for-TV movie version of it with my parents.
Isaac started playing winter Saturday basketball, and Dave is his coach!
Isaac and Emma were so anxious to set up the tree after we got home from Thanksgiving in Iowa! We promised them that we could set it up on Saturday after Isaac's basketball game. As soon as we got home from basketball, we ate a really quick dinner because both Isaac and Emma were doing everything they could to get us to finish eating and decorate the tree! They were clearing dishes and putting food away, and then they raced upstairs to help Dave pull the tree from the attic. They both worked so hard pulling all the branches down and then fluffing them. (Dave still thinks this is nearly abominable, after having grown up with a real live tree each December!)
We give the kids an ornament each Christmas. I try to choose something that depicts a memory from that year or a new skill they've learned.
I found this bushy-tailed fox for Isaac, since he loves animals so much and also because he saw a real fox running through Papa & Nana's backyard in Steamboat this summer! Josiah received an airplane ornament--he will stop anything he's doing and do the sign language sign for "airplane" when he hears/sees one flying. Emma received a beautiful gingerbread house, which I chose because Emma started playing dolls and dollhouse a lot this past year. But, I packed her ornament in an instant oatmeal box. When she took the wrapping paper off, Dave said, "It's an oatmeal box! You love oatmeal so much!" She burst into tears and sobbed her poor little eyes out. It took awhile before we calmed her down enough to realize that we were teasing and there was a real ornament inside the oatmeal box!
It was Josiah's year to put the star on top of the tree.
After such a long (and wonderful) evening of decorating the tree, Emma fell asleep like this!
I've grown quite fond of smocking lately and loved dressing Emma and Josiah in these outfits.
We celebrated Pop's birthday a little late because of Thanksgiving. These kids love their Pop! We all love our tradition of spending each Sunday night with my parents.
Emma is up so early most mornings...she usually sits at the table and colors/writes or reads books until her brothers wake up and we all eat breakfast.
Each week, Isaac's basketball team focuses on a different character quality, and at the end of the game, the coaches choose one player who demonstrates that character trait. Isaac received the weekly sportsmanship medal for showing encouragement!
We all bundled up and went on a hayride at Northwood Church to see the life of Christ. It was cold, but so worth it!
My cousin, Nate, proposed to Ashley! We all met at Saltgrass when they were in the Metroplex, and they asked Isaac to be their ringbearer and Emma and Amanda to be flowergirls. The girls are opening little puzzles that they assembled, and the puzzle said, "Emma, will you be our flower girl? Love, Nate and Ashley"
Emma had pajama day at PreK, so we had an impromptu pajama day for Isaac at home, too!
We took a field trip to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa, but all the stuffed wild animals were an even bigger attraction for my kids! We wandered around & looked at all the animals for quite awhile. I read that this Bass Pro Shop has the largest collection of wild game in all of North America! Josiah wasn't sure what to think of Santa; but, because Isaac and Emma were with him, he didn't cry. But, I did! What joy to have three precious children to love.
Emma, my mom, and I went to a tea room to have lunch as a very belated gift from my mom's birthday!
This is my sister Emily's coat that my mom saved. Emma loved wearing it on the very few days that a Texas winter warranted a wool coat.
Even though it was in the single digits, my kids still loved playing outside!
My mom treated us to the Nutcracker downtown one afternoon. When the Arabian Dancers floated in on their magic carpet, Emma loudly announced, "That's a real-life Jasmine!"
All the Bergstroms were together for Christmas this year! 
The last time we were all together was in 1999, and we all had matching shirts then. Our family has grown a lot since 1999, but we all miss Grandpa and Grandma so much.
The five of us celebrated Christmas at our house on Christmas Eve morning. Grandma Debbie had sent a big box of presents. Isaac loves his new Cubs shirt from her!
Christmas Eve services at Keystone
Jell-O came out with dye-free jello this past year, so my kids were so happy to have the 7 layer Rinn jello! They each helped make layers.
Emma received Calico Critters from my parents, and she immediately took all their clothes off! She said, "Real live bunnies don't wear clothes!"
(Emma intently reading the advertisement that came in the Calico Critters box)
It was so great having Emily & Caleb here from California! Isn't this about the sweetest picture ever?!
On Christmas Day, we had breakfast and opened stockings at my parent's house, and then we all went to Kym & Bernie's for Christmas dinner and a polar bear jump!
And then, we left that night to drive to Steamboat to see Papa & Nana!
The kids spent hours building their new Lego kits.
This teepee was a gift for Josiah, but Emma and Josiah loved it just as much!
Josiah was not impressed by the snow. He didn't cry, but he also didn't seem excited about it! All he kept saying was, "big snow! big snow!"
My kids love helping Nana in the kitchen! Nana taught Josiah to say, "Knead bread!"
The kids woke up so early most mornings in Steamboat. Dave and I have been especially praying lately for Isaac and Emma's friendship to grow, and it brought my heart so much to joy to see them playing Uno together on their own early one morning.
Dave, Uncle Mike, and Papa took the kids to Howelson Hill to learn to ski two days while we were in Steamboat! Each time, they returned home to say that Isaac is cautious and steady, but Emma was guts-feathers-and-all and was only disappointed that she couldn't go faster!
And that is about the longest post I'll ever write...but it was a wonderful packed and full December! Even though gingerbread houses, Christmas trees, and snowy weather are all fun, we pray that we showed our kids that Jesus is the reason we celebrate.
