Happy Christmas from Montana

Only a week left until Christmas. I put in a special request to Santa for a big bag of doggie bones. Kurt and Corinna took the boys away last weekend for a real vacation. I know… farmers don’t ever take vacations, right? They headed to Chicago to show the little boys a real, big city. They loved it — the Bean, Grant Park, fancy hotel downtown, the German Christmas Market (something called Gluehwein?), and even a train ride on the Metra out to Geneva, where Jed supposedly saw a freight car loaded with John Deere tractors. Of course, we didn’t get to go along. But David and Cindy always feed us extra well when we go to their house. So I didn’t mind.

This December has been fun with lots of Christmas traditions — Advent wreaths, Christmas tree shopping and decorating, Advent Activity devotions each night for Jed, cookie baking, Elf on the Shelf, and 4 Advent calendars for Jed. His great Uncle Karl-Heinz and Tante Elke from Germany sent him a 3-D homemade Advent Calendar that looks like a tractor. It’s pulling a wagon of straw bales, which are stuffed with candy! Lucky kid. Where’s my Advent Calendar? We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and God’s peace and joy during this holiday season. Woof!