Snow!!

We had our first snowfall of the season a few days before Christmas. That round was mostly melted by Christmas morning, but we got a nice snowfall the next day. The kids briefly exchanged their pjs for playing-in-the-snow clothes and enjoyed the weather. (Tyler was out there, too. I just didn't get many pictures of him.)

I nailed her. She started it. :)

Snow angel. Why face down? Because the angel needed a nose, of course.



Everyone loves the snow!

 

Such a dork.

 



Finally!

 

Christmas Day Highlights

We had a very nice Christmas!

We celebrated Christmas a little early with Ron's parents. It was nice to have time together before the rush of Christmas week.

We visited with my Dad and family on Christmas Eve eve. I enjoyed sitting around the table and talking after dinner while the kids watched a movie in the other room. We didn't talk about anything important, but it was nice to just be together.

My Mom, stepdad, & brother joined us for Christmas Eve service the next day. After church we went to dinner and then back to our house to exchange gifts and enjoy my brother's belated birthday cake. We had a nice time together, too.

Christmas day was a good day. The thrill of opening presents was over too soon, but we enjoyed lounging around in our pjs all day, playing with our new toys, and hanging out together. Considering recent events, it was on my mind several times over the course of the day that not every parent got to share the joy of Christmas with their child. I know it sounds cliche, but I'll say it anyway - I am so grateful for God's blessings on our lives. More than anything this Christmas, I'm grateful that I got to wake up to the excited whispering of an 11 year old and a 9 year old outside our bedroom door on Christmas morning, and I got to tuck them back in bed again that evening. Those are the gifts I am most thankful for this Christmas.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas morning.


Christmas Eve



Clara couldn't wait to open her presents. She was a good dog this year.

He got the video game he wanted.

And she got the AG doll she wanted.

We got the kids Samsung Galaxy 2 tablets. Definitely the favorite gifts this year.

The aftermath. The house stayed this way for another 3 days. Actually, the kids did, too. :)

I really enjoyed the time Danielle & I spent baking with her Easy Bake Oven.

Cupcakes!

Making pretzels!

I think out of everything about Christmas, Danielle was most excited about giving me her gift. She bought me this nesting box. It hangs on the window and is clear so you can see what's going on inside. She knew I wanted it and it was important to her to get it for me. I like the box, but I really love how much it meant to Danielle to make me happy. I hung it on our bedroom window since it's up high and our room is pretty quiet. Hopefully we'll have tenants this spring.

Made with Love

Ron has spent every spare hour over the past couple weeks down in the basement, hard at work on handmade gifts for the kids. He gave the gifts to the kids today, and they were big hits!

Danielle had requested a special bed for her American Girl dolls. She saw one she liked in the AG catalog, but the plastic bed was over $200! And, even if we really wanted to spend that much money on something like that, that specific bed is backordered until March. Ron modeled his bed after the AG one. Danielle loved it! I'm sure it will last longer than the AG bed, plus Ron put so much love and thought into it. You can't mass produce that. He was very proud of the finished product, and Danielle's reaction was perfect. When he was out of the room, she told me it was probably her favorite Christmas gift ever. He didn't have time to make a chair to go with the desk, but that is on the agenda for the next couple weeks.

Tyler has been wanting some shelves in his room for awhile. Ron searched the internet for some ideas and then sketched up his own plan. He finished off the shelves and measured out all the pipes. He knew Tyler would enjoy the shelves even more if he got to help make them, so he gave Tyler a box of premeasured pipes and the blueprints. It was fun watching Tyler figure out his gift. They turned out great, and Tyler loves them.

Our Elf

It looks like Candy Cane is ready to head back to the North Pole until next Christmas. We will miss him.

Great Joy!

 

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

Our Elf

On Saturday Candy Cane kicked back with a good book.

On Sunday we caught Mr. Nutcracker giving Candy Cane a piggy back ride. Zipping back and forth to the North Pole every night must make Candy Cane tired. Mr. Nutcracker is a faithful Christmas decoration, so I'm sure he was happy to lend a hand.

Our Elf (& Some Snow!)

The howling wind must have made Candy Cane nervous last night. We found him camped out in the sleeping bag outside our door this morning.

The howling wind brought along some snow. It's our first snowfall of the season and it actually accumulated a little. The kids went out to play for a little while late this afternoon. The snow fall actually picked up around the time they went out, and the patio is fully covered now. Danielle's all-star softball days paid off. I opened the door about a foot to take a picture with my phone of the kids & dog outside in the snow. See that snowball she launched? Her aim was perfect. It made it right in the door and splatted on my leg and across the kitchen floor.

Christmas Break

Did you hear that giant sigh of relief? That was me, sighing with contentment as I realized I can sleep in for the next 13 days!!! I get a respite from prying Tyler out of his warm bed at 6am for a couple weeks, and we get a break from multiplication flashcards and word-sorts. Hooray! Oh - the kids are glad it's Christmas break, too. :)

The kids had their Christmas parties today. Tyler's teacher decided to have a nacho bar for their party. I think that's pretty creative, and it was a BIG hit! Tyler, whose absolute favorite food is tortilla chips with nacho cheese, couldn't wait to get to school. In fact, I typically have a very difficult time getting him out of bed. Today, when I came out of my room to wake him up, he was already dressed, complete with shoes and socks, sitting in the chair, just waiting. I didn't think parents were invited to attend his party, but he said there were lots of parents there. Oops.

Christmas parties at the elementary school are almost painful. They have an all school singalong first, and it just drags on and on. I really didn't want to go, but I know it means a lot to Danielle, so I went. I arrived an hour early so I could get a parking spot (it was pouring), sat shoulder to shoulder with other parents on the uncomfortable bleachers, listened to taped children (because the volume on the tape was much louder than the actual kids' singing) singing a thousand different Christmas songs, including ALL 12 verses of the 12 Days of Christmas, and could only briefly see the back of my daughter's head. Ah, the extent of a mother's love. :) But Danielle knew I was there. I smiled and waved when she walked in. That's what she'll remember when she's a mom and it's her turn to sit on those uncomfortable bleachers.

Last week the 3rd graders started their timed multiplication tests. They have 60 seconds to complete multiplication facts for one number and cannot miss any problems. Each time they pass a test, they move on to the test for the next number the following day. I'm proud to say that Danielle passed each test on the first try and finished her tens today. Only 5 other people in her class passed them all on the first try. I will also add that Tyler did not finish them all on his first try (or even second try) when he was in 3rd grade. When we practiced at home, she could do all of them in 25 seconds or less. I'm proud of her for working so hard on those. She got a certificate and a rolo bar.

Ron and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary yesterday. That's a long time! His aunt and uncle watched the kids for us on Sunday so we could go out. I was feeling worn out from strep and a sinus infection, so I wasn't much of a date. Last night we had take out from BW3 and ate by candlelight - all 4 of us. The kids were loud, and there was nothing romantic about it, but that's our life right now. We'll have lots of years of quiet - too quiet - dinners someday, so a little chaos at the dinner table is ok with me. Thankfully Ron feels the same way. We are a good match for each other.

Our Elf

Looks like Candy Cane had a rough night last night. At least he still has a smile on his face.

Christmas Stuff

The kids opened their Christmas gifts from one set of cousins this past weekend. Their cousins made them each a special shirt. They were quite a hit! Danielle wore hers to school today and told everyone that her cousins made it. Tyler's shirt has a snake on it and looks really cool, too. Thank you Caleb, Annalise, and Natalie!













I was experimenting with bokeh the other day and got a couple pictures that I thought were kind of neat. I want to practice a little more, but I've been sick the past few days. This is a rough time of year to be under the weather! Anyway, thought I'd go ahead and post my favorite, and hopefully I'll have the chance to experiment a little more before we have to take the tree down!

Our Elf

Looks like Candy Cane enjoyed a tear-jerker while we were sleeping last night.

Our Elf

Candy Cane and holiday Barbie took in a little "reindeer games" today.

Our Elf

Our Elf

I guess it's not a good idea to leave a partially folded basket of laundry in the same room as the Christmas tree when you have an elf in the house. (It was kind of funny watching Ron pick his socks off the tree this morning, though.)

Our Elf

Candy Cane got a little naughty with a blue marker yesterday.