It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

What a fun Christmas.  More proof that God is a God of Miracles.  Mike is still one month from getting his first paycheck, but thanks to the hand of God and many generous people and anonymous gifts, we didn't feel the pinch.  Thank you to everyone who had a part (you know who you are) in making this a wonderful Christmas for us.

Jane yelling "CANDY!!!" 
She found the stash Santa left.

Cole dumping his sock.

Macy opening her Santa gift.

Ali's desk chair from St. Nick

Jane's favorite Dora movie.

Cole never disappoints in the reaction department.

Yup.  We give cereal as a gift.  The kids LOVE it.

Watching Dad unpackage something...
isn't this how parents spend most of Christmas morning?

The gang's all here
(Here you're catching a glimpse of the cold just starting
that wiped me out all that day and the next).

What's Chrismtas without garbage bags full of wrapping paper?

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

We had a fun Christmas Eve this year.  My parents joined us via Skype.  We had Mike's laptop aimed at our fireplace "stage" and they had it set up on their big projector screen and joined in on the fun from afar.

This pic is from Christmas morning, but you get the idea.

We decided our kids were old enough to start Mike's family's tradition of having a "talent show" on Christmas Eve.

Macy and Jane danced (ran in circles) to the Carpenters "Jingle Bells."
Cole sang along with Glee's version of "Jingle Bells"
Ali sang "Silent Night."
I read a christmas story
Mike read a special arrangement of the nativity story with scriptures and christmas hymns mixed together beautifully.

The kids then got to sleep together in the same room (minus Jane).

It was a great night and even more fun to be able to share it with my parents!

Macy a.k.a Rupunzel

Macy received this "Tangled" headband as part of her 12 days of Christmas gifts from her Nana and Papa.  She insisted on wearing it all day for multiple days on end. "Can I wear this in my bath, Mom?"

She is infatuated with the idea of having long hair (I was too at her age, wore half slips on my head... my poor girls inherited my hair that won't grown 'til their 5).  She tried brushing it, had me put it in a ponytail with her other hair, "Oh, Mom... it looks so beautiful!"  She would dance and spin letting the hair flip around.

Now it's a mangled, gnarled mess, but every few days it come out and the twirling starts again.  Love that four year old imagination.

Ali's New Glasses

Ali's New Glasses.
Hard to tell in this picture, but they are blue.
So cute, Ali!

Jane Train is Two!

Happy Birthday Jane Train!

It was Cole's turn to take the pictures and although I SWEAR he clicked

10 or 12 pics, this is all we got. 

Enjoy.

She's thrilled.  Can't you tell?

Jane hugging her Dora card from Nana and Papa (squealed when she opened it).

One of my favorite things about Jane is that you get the excited reaction to the present
BEFORE the wrapping paper comes off.

Love you Jane.

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

Every year my Mom and Dad do a fun 12 days of Christmas for my kids.  They send 12 simple presents for each of the kids and they get to open one a day for the 12 days before Christmas.  Still a bit of birthday thunder ("Guess what's on Monday guys?"  "The first day of the 12 days of Christmas!!!!"  "I was thinking of my birthday, but ya, that's true too.")

While my Mom was helping us move my Mom noticed that Cole is an engineer in the making.  The kid will create anything out of... well... anything.  So on the second day of Christmas Cole got a roll of red duct tape (my parents were kind enough to gift him things he can create stuff with so he stops draining me of toothpicks and tape). Here's what he made with it and a binder clip that day (made one for his friend too).

Christmas Snow

Still don't miss the snow, but I LOVE this photo of it. 

"Christmas Snow", photographer Michael Kimble.