Christmas Wrap-Up

Let's start at the beginning shall we, Christmas Eve began with a stunning Candlelight Service which filled our great church to capacity. No really, standing room only on the third balcony where Nemi and I took in the breathtaking views of near 6000 glowing candles in remembrance of Christ's birth! Once home and snuggled warm in our Christmas jammies, Daddy read the little ones "Twas The Night Before Christmas". Finally Christmas morning came and everyone was excited, even Mommy and Daddy, for Santa had brought us a Wii! Let it be known that this was the best gift for this particular week, see paragraph three.

Daddy reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas"

Cookies for Santa Late night snack...cookies and milk Once all the presents were unwrapped and we had played our share of games for the morning, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas dinner. Joining us were Uncle Bruce and Aunt Linda and Wendy and Jason. We enjoyed another round of gift giving and a fantastic dinner followed by a delicious dessert selection. Finally our exhausted family returned home. Now the real fun begins, Bella woke up December 26th very sick with the stomach flu, followed by Noah, Micah, Jeff and Stephanie on New Year's Eve. So much for a fun-filled week off! We spent our Christmas vacation either sick or asleep or sometimes both. Insert, Santa brought us the Wii. Thank goodness for that, the kids were so mesmerized that they played while Jeff and I recuperated. But a lot of thanks is owed to my Mom who came on Monday when Jeff was very sick, to help me out and again on Wednesday when I was very sick to help Jeff out. What would we do without Mom. So here I sit, just hours before midnight, ringing in the New Year with baby Nehemiah at my side and an otherwise silent household. Yet, I would not trade this week for anything. We may not have gone to the beach, or thrown a New Year's bash, or drove to the mountains to sled (all things discussed earlier this month), but we did spend a week with each other, caring for and taking time with the ones we loved. And really that is the best Christmas gift and New Year's wish of all.

Terrific Fun With Our Terrific Kids

A few weeks ago Noah was honored at school with a Terrific Kid character award for his polite and hardworking attitude. Needless to say Jeff and I are very proud of our little guy. And while Jeff could not make the Terrific Kid award breakfast, Grandma was able to go.

Nehemiah has been growing by leaps and bounds. He has learned how to laugh and coo and best of all, suck his thumb! He has such an easygoing personality and now, even when he does get a bit fussy, he quickly finds his thumb.

Since we had our first free weekend in a long time, we decided to take the kids to the Ballantyne Hotel to see the amazing Gingerbread Houses people made for a competition benefiting the Levine Children's Hospital. The kids loved seeing the different ideas that everyone came up with, while Jeff and I marveled at all the creative details.

The Most Wonderful (and busiest) Time of the Year

In our home, the Christmas season always brings with it plenty of holiday cheer and a packed schedule. From putting up the Christmas decorations to wrapping gifts and baking cookies, every week holds a new seasonal event. My favorite Christmas kickoff event is the frantic and hurried trip out to the stores on Black Friday. This year I had to be extra prepared and on schedule since Jeff had to leave for work at 7:00am. However, I was still able to get out at 4:30am, shop, stand in ridiculous lines with other nutty shoppers and still get home by seven. Some people hate the crowds (well let's face it, most people), but I love the frenzied atmosphere. The next day we headed to South Carolina to cut down our Christmas tree. Unfortunately the trees were so effected by the drought a few years ago, that they were much shorter than in years past. I guess we can live with a six footer this year. What we couldn't live with is the broken tree stand that leaked water all over the floor for three days before we found it. Now that the stand is fixed, the tree leans, go figure. Look how we've grown!This is it.Going...going...GoneA treat for a job well done!Next we visited Santa at a Hometown Christmas celebration in Albemarle. All the kids got to tell him what they wanted this year. Bella wanted a treat (a cookie I think), Calla wanted a basket with a beautiful ribbon (?), Noah wanted a Mario game (for a game system we do not have), and Micah wanted candy corn! Nehemiah didn't have much to say, but seemed to enjoy being held by both Santa and Mrs. Claus. We spent one weekend putting up Christmas decorations outside, some of which have blown over after this week's big storm. This past weekend I got to go to a cookie exchange and enjoy the company of some fun ladies and play crazy games and eat delicious cookies. We also attended an elegant Christmas party for our Sunday School class. Not only was the food amazing, but the entertainment was hilarious. Watching the Twelve Days of Christmas acted out by a majority of men was a rare treat.

Grandma helping to decorate the gingerbread house.But it is not just Jeff and I participating in all of the holiday fun, we have done a couple Christmas themed playgroups as well where the kids made cinnamon ornaments and decorated a gingerbread train one week and had a toy exchange the next. While I do enjoy all of the festivities of the season, it is most important to remember that Christ is the center of Christmas and that this is the highest priority of our holiday!Micah with his Cinnamon dough.Boy this candy looks good enough to eat.

Yep it sure is:)