After all of the incredibly special homemade gifts I received Christmas morning, I truly do feel blessed! My love language is gifts, but the way to my heart is a homemade gift! My boys do love me so well!
Franklin painted an adorable Christmas box. He painted a snowman scene, and some Christmas trees around the side. Inside the box, he painted three big letters...M-O-M. He worked on it privately without my knowledge, and I was so surprised when I opened it! It was so sweet! I love it!
This year Franklin painted an amazing sunset in his watercolor class. He (and Reid) framed it and gave it to me! It will be hanging up the next time you come visit! Franklin is very gifted artistically. I love to be surrounded by my children's artwork! What a great gift! 
This gift from Mason was precious as well. He used his wood burner and burned a verse onto a piece of wood for me. One of the verses I memorized this fall was 2 Corinthians 5:9 - it's a verse I am trying to live by daily. The verse reads, "Therefore, we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." This hand-burned verse now sits on our mantle and reminds me of my greatest ambition, and it also reminds me that I have a very sweet son who knows what I would LOVE!
A few days before Christmas, Weston was running around the house hiding index cards everywhere. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied, "I'm making a scavenger hunt for you and Daddy. It's for your Christmas present."
"My Christmas present? Well, what is it?" I asked.
Weston sweetly responded, "I can't tell you what it is, but I can tell you that you will probably cry when you find it."
Christmas afternoon, Weston gave me the gift! He had taped a quarter, and three dimes to an index card. He gave me $.55 of his own money. Yes, I did tear up because he was giving something to me that was truly special to him. Later that morning when I was alone, I did cry in thanksgiving that our boys have such giving hearts! What a praise to God!
I will keep my "taped-up" index card forever. Weston wrote "I love you, Mom. Merry Christmas!" So precious!
Wondering what my oldest boy gave me? This year Reid was VERY, VERY CREATIVE! When we lived in NC, we named our home school, Arrow Academy. The name is based on the verse about "sons being sharp arrows in the hands of a warrior." Upon returning to homeschooling, we continued with the school name. This year for Christmas, Reid made me a special shirt. He designed a logo for our school; it's an "A" with four arrows going through it for our four boys. Above the logo the shirt reads, "Teacher of the Year - Arrow Academy!"
Hey, I know I have joked about being teacher of the Year on my BLOG, but this gift meant so much to me. Not only because the principal of the school chose me to be the recipient (ha-ha), but because Reid was affirming and validating what I am pouring my life into right now. It really was very meaningful to open this FUN gift! I am so blessed! God has been so good to me!
A big "thumbs up" for ALL of my gifts! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!
Jake and the boys with their gifts!
Kaitlin was so excited to open her gift from us...her own courting candle! We learned aobut these on our homeschool field trip to John Sevier. The father gets to wind the candle up to determine the amount of time a gentleman caller may spend with his daughter! Once the flame reaches the spiral, the caller must leave. I am sure the boys coming to call on Kaitlin will be instructed to say everything in 30 seconds or less!
