2010

A brief intermission from the Christmas postings...I hope 2010 will not be defined by how it began...a 4 year old with pneumonia, a 7 year old needing stitches, and a teeny tiny one starting to cough now, too!! Hoping for a year without mishaps or further health issues!!

Christmas #2, Dec. 24

with flash

no flash

Christmas Eve:

The kids sang in two church services, 4pm & 6pm. Not the usual Christmas songs, but they were beautiful anyhow! It becomes a very late night quickly since the second service ends at 7pm. By the time we get the kids home and we eat, present opening with my side of the family doesn't begin until after 8 or 9pm! Mike and I are trying to come up with something different for next year, because it's just too much too late for us. We got to bed around 1:30or 2am. Not fun with a new baby who woke up a short time after we went to bed. The kids were up very late, too. They kind of just passed out in the middle of the living room floor. The next morning Cal couldn't remember if we had opened presents the night before or if it was a dream. They forgot to leave cookies out for Santa Christmas Eve night (though Mommy remembered to leave some out anyways) and they didn't even wake up until 8am Christmas morning!!

Here is the one picture of me from all of the Christmas gatherings, other than our family shot Someone really needs to start taking some pictures of me with my kids or something, there are so few!!

Santa, baby!

"Taking your own photos require a minimum purchase"
I am the fool who paid $15 (the cheapest purchase available, argh) for a 4x6 photo so that I could take my own pictures. I need to find a Santa next year who doesn't charge an arm and a leg, and lets me take my own photos!! Mike was mad at me though because I brought my old camera. Is it that crazy that I didn't want to bring my big camera to the mall a couple weeks after getting it and risk it being dropped or getting stolen?

We went to the mall on the 23rd after the kids got out of school. It was Maddie's first time ever sitting on Santa's lap. We don't talk up Santa a whole lot; enough that they know who the big guy in red is, of course. Maddie was super excited after watching "Letters to Santa" on PBS the night before, she was certain that she, too, would be on TV. SO she asked for a toy and a surprise. Wow, easy enough, huH? Cal and Kaycey asked for Packers jerseys, something they had never mentioned. That meant a trip to the store for Mom after seeing Santa...

Christmas #1, Dec. 20

okay, so my pictures do upload!! there must have been a problem with the site or something. it does take a little bit longer for them to upload, but the other day they weren't uploading at all.

So Christmas #1 on Dec. 20--with Mike's immediate family; his parents & siblings and their spouses and kids. Here are all the cousins. It is crazy how chaotic it is when we are all together.

The 10 cousins. Seven girls, three boys. Cal is the oldest, then there are nine under the age of 7. Kaycey and Julia are 7 yrs old, and they are 2 months apart. Then Ethan & Isabella are 5 (4 months apart). Then Maddie and Jacob are 4 (2 weeks apart). The four of them are 10 months apart. Then Grace is 3. Norah and Sadie are 4 1/2 months apart.

The six of us.

Maddie and Gracie, best buds. They are 14 months apart.

For Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa, Cal got a new desk, a case for his mp3 player, and a cool Baltimore Orioles wall hanging. Kaycey got a movie, a small chest for her American Girl doll clothes, and a new game. Maddie got an easel (a household favorite!! I can't believe our kids never had an easel!), and some Calico Critter playsets (super cute little animal families and furniture). Sadie got a "johnny jump up" for the doorway, which it won't be too long now that she'll be able to use it!! She is already getting so big...her cheeks are so chubby, and some of her clothes are already too tiny and have to be packed away!!

Merry Christmas!

Attempting to blog with a babe on my lap...we'll see how long this lasts! This is the first time I am on the computer since Thursday. Wow. I think that is one of the longest stretches ever without the computer. and even that day, I only checked the email the school principle sent us to see what time the kids had to be at church for their program Christmas Eve night. Which was AWESOME by the way. 100 kids singing (the whole school 3k-8th grade) and Maddie was easily heard over everyone :) what a ham. I would love to post the video as soon as I figure out how. We got a new camcorder from Mike's parents for Christmas. Actually we had forgotten to bring it to the first service. I made Mike go back to the 2nd church service with camcorder in tow to record the songs because it was that great.

Maddie loves the commercial for some insurance company with the song "I'll be there". She says it is her favorite song.

Lunch time...Maddie is requesting pickles, cookies, and candy. Ha.

I've taken prob. 1000 pictures with my new camera. Even figured out how to get them onto my computer. Too bad I don't know how to shrink them so I can post them to my blog, or anywhere else for that matter :(

Took the kids to see Santa Wednesday. It was Maddie's first time ever to sit on Santa's lap. She asked for a toy and a surprise. And she thought she was going to be on TV. She is so entertaining it's ridiculous, in a funny way of course.

Looking forward to posting pictures!!

Happy Anniversary to Mike & I!