Christmas 2009

What a beautiful day.
I adore the feeling of Christmas, the happiness, the warmth...the tradition.

This is our traditional Christmas Eve Picture.
The kids were all dressed up for dinner at Grandma's. We got home just in time to open one present, get some cookies ready for the big guy, and read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

(This is our gingerbread house that the kids made...(just thought I would throw it in here))

So, on Christmas Eve night, the kids always get to open one present...the present is always pajamas and the kids know it, and love it! It has been a tradition since Karman was little. Then they go put on their jammies, and wear them to bed, and then ALL DAY on Christmas!

Then we got some cookies ready for Santa because we knew that he would be hungry by the time he got to our house. We left him some milk too, even though he told us in his letter that he has a hot cocoa machine on his sled now...Tyler thought he might be thirsty for some actual milk by the time he got to our house, and of course carrots for the reindeer.

We read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and got ready for the big night!

Then mommy and daddy wrapped what was left to be wrapped, and got a few other things done....and we headed to bed too.

The next morning...Santa had come!

The kids were so so excited!

They get to come out and open their stocking while we make our traditional breakfast.

Every single year we make breakfast rolls from scratch, and an egg casserole. It is so good, and the kids absolutely love it!

Izzy opened her stocking which was pretty good entertainment.

She's so cute!

She took to opening as if she does it every day.

And she was a happy girl.

She got it open, and this where she laid for the rest of Christmas morning...chewing away!

The kids had a great Christmas. Santa brought them each just what they wanted!

Among them, Karman got her high school gear, and a new MP3 player...

Makylie got her talking doll house, and Littlest Pet Shop toys...

And Tyler got his Imaginext Batman cave, LEGOS!

This was, for Tyler, the year of the Lego. He has discovered that he LOVES Legos! He got some from almost everyone, and he has been working non stop on them ever since...he even got a Lego Batman Wii game from Santa...

Daddy loves them about as much as Tyler.

It was a great year. I am so Thankful.

Kevin and I are trying to pass down tradition, so that some day, when the kids are all grown, they say..."I remember every year we"...or "I remember when"...and then hopefully hear that they were so important to them that they continue the traditions with their own families.

To me, this is a season all about tradition...and the richness that those traditions add to our family story. It is so important to me.

We have so much to be thankful for, and we are.

We hope everyone also had a wonderful Christmas,

and we wish everyone an amazing New Year!

Time

I swear...it was JUST December 1st!

Seriously!

This season went SO fast!

At the beginning of the month, Kevin had year end close at work...so that is a LONG week for him, and we barely saw him (which also makes it a LONG week for me too)....then AS soon as he was done, he was home for ONE DAY, and left for almost a week on a business trip (Yeah, business.....a cruise to.......ARUBA--you do feel sorry for him, right.)

Anyway.....

BLAH

BLAH

BLAH

So we have baked some, and shopped some, and played some and spent lots of time together. Two of the kids had Christmas concerts, and the third played Santa at a fund raiser.

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Tyler's Concert was great! I love that they can still sing Christmas music in our district, and that they haven't yet taken that away.

Tyler was picked to play the "gong"! He was SO excited about his responsibility!

He is right there, to the right of the Music teachers head.

They sang 5 songs, combining, singing, and music, speaking parts, and even solos. They sang Christmas songs, one about Hanukkah, and one about Kwanzaa...They ended with one about Peace. Oh it was so good!

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Makylie, had her very first concert with her preschool class. It was so cute having them all perform for the first time. They had a celebration during class, celebrating Jesus' birthday, and then a concert for the parents...

Here she is walking in. She was pretty shy at first!

They all memorized 3 songs, and then two more, which were sung to a recorded voice. (Those must have been songs they sing in class.) There were a lot of body movements with them!

It was so darling to watch them each slowly come out of their shells.

Until we finally got to this last picture where even the shy little ladies were doing all of the movements!

It really was fun to watch her in her environment...we never have had the opportunity to see her there.

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Karman went and did a fund raiser for her TATU club, which stands for Teens Against Tobacco Use.

They were to have a Football player acts as Santa in front of the grocery store where they would then offer to take pictures for a dollar. Proceeds going to their club of course.

The boys all backed out at the VERY last minute!

So guess who stepped up.

She doesn't make too bad a 17 year old Santa's helper. :)

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I organized the class Christmas party for Ty's class, and it was really fun.

We really have another great group of kids. I am really happy that Tyler, being such a loving and NICE little man, is surrounded with kids that act very similar to him.

I love being in the classroom...I miss it from my past, and it makes me happy to be there.

So school got out yesterday and I am really excited to have 16 whole days to spend with my kiddos!

Tyler is SOOOOOOO fun this year! He is so into the whole holiday....it makes me smile, and he just brings that "childhood" to the season that we all miss so much!

I am loving this year...not that I don't love every year...

but this year the magic is present again,

and,

knowing it won't be that way forever,

I am reveling in it!