Christmas Eve Evening

It has become another tradition to invite my MIL over for dinner on Christmas Eve.  We eat a really scrumptious meal (this year it was meatloaf, BP, green beans, and salad), read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the Christmas story, then open one present (new PJs).  This year Daddy let them open another present because he was excited.  It was our second fake Wii.  I warned him not to be too disappointed.  It works....

This is sparkling grape juice for any wonderers...  Kate is very nostalgic and into creating the perfect mood.  She wanted an ice bucket for our sparkling grape juice and also insisted we all wear Santa hats (BTW - hate the picture).

Anna read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Kate read the Christmas story from her new Jesus Storybook Bible (highly recommend).

Santa came!

One of my favorite times of year...

1. The Christmas bubble has popped and the pressure is off.
2. Scott is off for the entire week.
3. Leftovers!
4. Cleaning and purging...
5. Reflecting, thinking, praying, goal-setting...
6. Still the excitement of New Year's Eve...
7. Still the excitement of New Year's Day at the farm
8. Fun with friends, mixed with being home as a family, mixed with getting projects completed
9. No school!
10. One of the best weeks of the year!!

A Few Funnies

We were going to meet up with some friends from church and we were going to go to a new restaurant we had never gone to before, the Old Town Inn.  Kate and Anna were really excited and Kate said she was "imaginating" what it would be like on the inside.  She was thinking maybe there would be "piano that plays all by itself, Mom, like in the old days.  Maybe there won't be any other music.  The piano will be the only instrument." Anna chimed in, "Yeah, or maybe there will be one of those really big CD players for the music."

A really big CD player = record player.
~~~~~
Anna: "Mom, can I have a candy cane?"
Me:  "Yes."
Anna:  "Okay, I will get a healthy one."
Me:  Hmmmm????  a healthy candy cane???
Anna:  "I got a fruit flavored one momma."
~~~~~
The girls zonked out...

Living Hope Kid's Choir Presents...

A cute little, not too much, not too little, Sunday morning, Christmas program, complete with a reinactment of the nativity story with some of the cutest 4-5 year olds....

 I triple {heart} these kiddos!

Christmas with Connie

I am very blessed with an incredible mother-in-law.  The Lord has grown a love in my heart for her that is deep and wide.  I recognize that because of her mothering, my husband is who he is today...sweet, tender, sensitive.  I recognize that even though we are very different, she has wisdom that I can gain.  She is also very different from my own mother, and most of the women in my family for that matter.  However, I have grown to appreciate these differences because if I allow it, I can learn from them and from her.  She is very good with fashion, makeup, decorating, baking, loving, caretaking, and so much more.  If you know me very well, you know I could definitely use some help in several of those areas.  Anyhow, it has become a little tradition (little because we just started it last year) that the girls and I go over before Christmas and help her bake.  YEAH!!  We have a blast helping her and she definitely enjoys the company!  We made sugar cookie cut-outs and Cocoa Kiss balls.  Very yummy!  I also helped her get her presents organized (huge task) and get all the kiddos' gifts wrapped.  Spending time with her is golden to me.  I will save it for another post, another day, but I never could have imagined this type of relationship with her when I had first started dating Scott and even less after we dated longer and were first married.  God is so amazingly faithful and good, even when sometimes our choices take us down winding paths away from Him.  I cannot thank Him enough for her, Miss Connie Sue!

 Adam loves to be sittin' and drinkin' his wassail.  

 Seriously, how cute is he?  How cute?  Soooo cute!

Merry Christmas!

Making Memories this Season...