The Christmas card December 30, 2008

I made several attempts to make a Christmas card with all 4 kids this year.  It just never seemed to work out.  The most difficult was Cord.  He rarely sits anywhere for any amount of time.  I eventually ended up getting a picture of the girls at dance, a picture of Lucy in front of the Christmas tree, and a HALLOWEEN picture of Cord (I actually got his face because he is buckled in his car seat!)

Well, imagine my surprise when Cord sat on the Olivia’s lap on Christmas Eve night after I had put him in his Christmas pajamas.  Lucy willingly went to Emma and I ended up with a picture of all 4 in front of the tree in their pajamas!  You just might get it next year as our Christmas card:)

Merry Christmas! December 25, 2008

I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! A friend shared this Irish Christmas Blessing with me:
The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God’s peace to you.

How thankful I am for the Love of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for his birth ushering in Peace with our Father. 

Majesty in a Manger, Peace on Earth.

Lucy’s first Christmas present December 23, 2008

My dad came today and we celebrated Christmas together.  He and Marian brought wonderful gifts and we had fun visiting and eating dinner together.  Lucy opened her first Christmas present and it was a big hit.

It was a music theme for the family.  Olivia got a recorder- she LOVES it! Emma got a set of jingle bells and a tambourine.  Cord got a drum set and Lucy got light up maracas.  Maybe we will be like the Von Trapps

Olivia’s Mexican Christmas party December 23, 2008

Olivia’s teacher did an Around-the-World Christmas lesson during December.  They ended with a look at some Mexican traditions.  The last day of school before Christmas vacation they began by imitating the walk that Mary and Joseph had to do (las posadas).  They knocked on a classroom door and asked if they could enter.  The teacher would refuse and say,”we have no room for you”.  The last stop was their own classroom where a mom was waiting to open the door and invite them in.

One little girl in Olivia’s class really felt the power of being allowed in after so many refusals and said,”Mrs Washam, I think I am going to cry. They had room for Jesus.”  So precious!

 Once they returned to the classroom, the teachers led the class in breaking pinatas- a bull for the boys and a bird for the girls.  My momma nerves were on edge the whole time- bats waving, blindfolded children, tight quarters.  I was a nervous wreck!

They enjoyed a mexican feast, exchanged books, and opened presents from their teachers.  The party ended with a birthday party for Jesus.

The kids participated in one last tradition- confetti eggs (los cascarones).  The kids broke eggs filled with confetti over each other’s head.  Even Emma had a chance to participate.

I know her teachers must be so exhausted after that day.  I was and I didn’t even do anything!

Feeling like Betty Crocker… December 18, 2008

The past week has been so fun with Emma. When she gets home from PreK, we put the little ones to bed and begin working on Christmas goodies. One recipe we used was for a trail mix that includes Ghirardelli chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, mixed nuts, and craisins. Emma helped me mix it and make all the tags for the bottles that I put the trail mix in. Our other recipe was for peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses on top. Both are easy recipes to make and great for finding things for Emma to do to help.
We are still going to make chocolate covered ritz crackers with peanut butter inside, mint brownies, and pecan rolo pretzel snacks.

This month’s Southern Living had so many good ideas too. I would love to hear what you are making for the holidays. Maybe it will inspire me for next week!

things I am looking forward to… December 16, 2008

1) Haircut on Wednesday morning at 8 am- she worked me in
2) having all our “teacher” gifts together and to the right people so that they know how much we appreciate them!
3)yoga on Wednesday morning- thanks to my mom being here to babysit.
4)The 20’s and 30’s Progressive Christmas Dinner on Thursday night-fun with adult friends.
5) our 10th anniversary on Friday
6) Best friend coming to visit on Saturday-Margie, I’m posting it…that means you have to come!
7) Church-wide Christmas Fellowship on Sunday. I can’t wait to visit with those we love and enjoy some time at the Knights’ home. It is always beautiful.
This is just a fun list for this week. I know you have things you are looking forward to as well. Share some if you like

Big Savings… December 13, 2008

I feel like my friend Becky…Yesterday I saved so much money with coupons!  I ordered my Christmas cards from Walgreens this year.    When I went to pay for them, the cashier printed out a $5 coupon off any photo purchase, a $2 coupon off any purchase, and a $5 coupon off any purchase.  The Sunday paper had an instore coupon that said if you order 20 cards, you can get 10 free.   So when I ordered the instore cards, I ended up using the coupons and got all 30 for free! 

That same day, we decided to grab food for dinner while we were out running errands.  Olivia had a coupon for a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.  Emma had a $5 gift card at Wendy’s for a free kid’s meal.  We used a coupon that came in the mail to Frizzle’s for a buy one get one free chicken basket for Eric and Cord.  Our last stop was Lawler’s BBQ for a free sandwich with a coupon from that same mailer.  The whole thing cost us $4.00.  I know that is a lot of stops, but surprisingly they were all in a row on the way down University Drive. 

Sooo, even though it was a huge savings day, I doubt I would be able to do that again.  I think it was just dumb luck that I ran into all the right coupons at the right time.

random theological question December 11, 2008

In this season of singing about Jesus’ birth, I have had an ongoing thought. What did Jesus act like as a boy? Having a rambunctious 18 month old boy, I watch his behavior and wonder, “What would Jesus do?” I know He lived a sinless life. I know He was tempted and impacted by the fall. He lived in this world completely human. I wonder what being 18 months old and without sin would look like? Would he still spill milk because that is developmentally what 18 month olds do? Would He scream or grunt to get what He wanted because He did not have the words for what He wanted? Was He really easy to raise?  So many questions!

Eric’s 35th December 10, 2008

Eric turned 35 on December 4th. I threw a surprise party for him with a lot of help from friends and my mom. Here is Eric opening the door to the party:

He was completely surprised.  His friend, Jason, took Eric to eat wings and said he needed to stop by the school to be introduced at the Booster Club meeting.  I was so glad that it worked and that so many sweet friends came to celebrate with us.

We waited to tell Emma about the party until after Eric had gone out to eat.  You can never be too sure how she will keep a secret!

Olivia, on the other hand, did a great job all week and we had a serious discussion about why we chose Mr Kennedy (Jason) to take Daddy out to dinner that night.  After telling her that Jason is really good at pretending and that he wouldn’t smile or give it away by his face, Olivia understood that Jason has a good “pokie face”.  She spent all day telling me who has a good pokie face and who doesn’t.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was “poker”.

burritt magic hours meal December 8, 2008

For those of you in the Huntsville area- Have you ever gone to the Burritt Museum on the Mountain for the Magic Hours Meal? (burrittonthemountain.com) It sounds so interesting, but it costs a lot of money and may not be worth it. Can anyone provide some feedback about it? Eric and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary on December 19th and I was looking for really special things to do. Thanks for your input!