Merry, meaningful, and memorable...

That pretty much sums up our Christmas this year, but you know I can't leave it at that, so here's the rundown:

Our holiday gatherings began on Sunday afternoon (23rd), but first we spent the morning at Church. Next year I'm bound and determined that we'll get our behinds to church for either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We continue the long-standing tradition in Brian's family of reading the Christmas story and singing carols before we open gifts on Christmas Eve, but it feels like something is missing when we aren't worshiping with our church family as well.


The source of Sam and Julia's three day sugar high. (and mine too for that matter!)

Sunday afternoon we visited with family, ate, played Taboo, ate, watched the kids being silly, ate, and then braved the blizzard like conditions to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house for gift opening. The wind rattled windows, swirled into drifts, and made the snow fall sideways. That blessed wind kept Brian from having to work - no point in plowing snow that is going to blow right back where it was! Thank you Lord!


Sam helped Sharon hand out gifts. There were so many! Brian's family is very generous and gives us wonderful presents.

























Apparently, being spoiled is hard work, but before we could go home for the night the kids had one more gift to "open".



Without further ado, I'd like to introduce the two newest members of our family - Mary and Joseph.
















That was a looooong car ride home trying to keep the fish from being evicted from their home.

What I think I'll remember most from the morning of Christmas Eve this year is the fact that Sam didn't want to come downstairs to open gifts because Curious George wasn't over yet. Then when he did come downstairs, he wanted to eat first. I guess my attempt at making Christmas about more than gifts worked. Now I just need to work on his love of TV. :) Both kids loved ripping the wrapping paper and discovering the treasure inside, though the tool set and stroller from the night before were more interesting than the plate I made for Julia and Sam's new markers. Sam did get pretty excited about giving Daddy the ornaments he and Julia made
for him.


See what Brian got me? I finally have a grown-up coat! No more Columbia jacket on Sunday mornings! I asked for something sentimental this year and he didn't disappoint. It was eight years ago that he gave me a jacket for Christmas ( a white Columbia jacket that I returned cuz really, who can keep a white coat white?) Each time I slip into the satiny sweetness of my new jacket I'll be reminded of our first Christmas together.


















After a good nap we packed up the puppy, the kids, and the rest of the gear and headed to Grandpa and Grandpa's house again.
This time the house would be full of cousins for Sam and Julia to play
with. Can you tell how excited Julia was about that?


Brian's parent's have the perfect sledding hill right out their front door and Gene kept everyone warm with a fire at the top of the hill. Inside things were heating up between the youngest of the cousins.




















Jacob and Julia,
sitting in a chair,












K-I-S-S-I-N-G



Both kids shared their musical talents with our extended family - sometimes with clothes on, sometimes without. It was so sweet to hear Sam singing Silent Night, Away in the Manger, Joy to the World, Frosty the Snowman, and Up on the Housetop. He's knew Silent Night last year, but all the other's he learned this year. Julia's performance during Brian's reading of the Christmas story will be relived for years to come. She plopped herself down in the middle of the living room so her dress poofed up behind her. Then she fell over and grabbed her toes saying, "tooties, tooties" over and over again - all the while displaying zero modesty as her bum and belly were exposed for all to see.




It was 10:30 before we went downstairs to crawl into our sleeping bags and after 11:30 before Sam fell asleep. There were about 20 tense minutes where we didn't know if anyone in the house was going to get any sleep, but then Julia fell asleep in my arms and turned into a limp noodle so I could transfer her to the pack-n-play. Sam watched Rudolf on our mini DVD player twice and then gave up and went to sleep (tucked warmly in his new sleeping bag). In the morning we enjoyed watching the kids discover their toys from Santa. Sam had asked for a toy train earlier in December and then sent him a second letter when his helicopter broke. Simple, handmade toys will bring hours of fun for years to come. I still have my wooden trucks my Uncle Mark made me when I was a kid. There were stockings to look in upstairs as well before gorging
ourselves on cinnamon rolls, tangerines, and juice. It took Brian at least ten trips to get things loaded in the van before we could leave. All Brian and I wanted for Christmas Day were long winter naps and eventually our overtired children gave in. We woke to the most beautiful snow I've ever seen. It looked like we were in the center of a snow globe the way the flakes floated to the ground. The wind from Sunday was long gone and for the first time in 55 years the Twin Cities saw 4+ inches of Christmas snow. Sam caught his first flakes on his tongue.
A quiet sled ride through the woods on Christmas Day and warm hot chocolate when we came inside was the perfect end to a merry, meaningful, and very memorable Christmas.













We didn't have much money to put towards Christmas this year, but the important things don't come from a store anyway. I pray that Sam and Julia will look back someday at all these pictures (and the 240 I didn't post) and see that too. Do you think the grin on my face can get any bigger?

It is better to give than receive

Here's the final result of that gift we gave to Brian's cousin. Didn't Jennifer do a fabulous job on the lettering? Thank you Jennifer! Marla loved it!!!!!!!!!!

Wrapping up

What a wonderful Christmas this has been! No pictures to share yet because Brian has has to plow at midnight and I can't be on the computer while he's trying to sleep. The kids are already sleeping soundly in their beds after a three day sugar high and as soon as Brian is done chatting with his brother who lives in Alaska, I'm off to bed myself. The idea of sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa's house was a great one, but we didn't exactly sleep.

Safe travels everyone!

JMom shared this video and I couldn't help but do the same. Merry Christmas!

I also wanted to extend a prayer request for little Maisie. Jennifer has all the details posted on her blog. Thanks!

What child is this?

who laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping









Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?









This, this is Christ the King,





Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.











Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The babe, the Son of Mary.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Our bags are packed

Now we just need Daddy to get home. Oh...and for Christmas Eve to get here. Can you tell we're just a little excited to sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house? They only live 20 minutes away, but there's just something about not having to pack up and drive home at the end of the night. Instead, we're going to snuggle by the fire, sing Christmas songs, read the Christmas story, and listen for the sound of reindeer on the roof.


I've had these suitcases (swiped from one of my mom's garage sales) stored down in the basement for years - waiting for a chance to use them. How fitting that the first time is for Christmas, seeing that they're red and green. :)

He takes after his mother

Counting down

It's almost time to celebrate Jesus' birthday!!! I don't know about you, but at our house it can't get here soon enough!

Santa baby

Standing room only

Nobody was going to be left out in the cold on Sam's watch. Just think how toasty warm the stable will be when baby Jesus arrives Monday night!

Wordless Wednesday

Making memories - Christmas cookie edition

You ain't seen nothing yet

This wasn't the only cookie to succumb to the cookie monster Julia
tonight, but because I have to resize each picture and upload into a slide show, it's going to take me a day or two to share any more of tonight's tasty treats.

Just doing our part

to help Santa spread some Christmas cheer. Wanna help too?

Wordless Wednesday

Bah Humbug!

Somewhere I came across the quiz that tests your Christmas knowledge. I guess I don't know much because the blog I found this on scored a 91% compared to my 61%. I don't know the dates classic movies were released and I don't know where Christmas tree decorating came from. If you know these things perhaps you'd fare better, but I'll warn you, you have to go through pages of stupid offers to get your results. Poor schmuck who lives at my childhood address is going to get some very odd junk mail in the near future.


Take the Christmas Quiz - Christmas Triva Quiz at QuizRocket.com!
Make Your Own Quiz

"This is so NOT worth a candy cane"

Away in a Manger

I read Lots of Scotts religiously. JMom is the mom of triplet three year olds. I am inspired by her writing every single day. Today she posted about how her family is staying focused on the real meaning of Christmas - a difficult thing with young children. I encourage you to hop over and see what she's shared. Even the comments she received are insightful and encouraging. I look forward to hearing what her other readers do to celebrate the birth of our savior. She and I both have child friendly manger scenes that are played with often, but only in my ceramic set does the baby Jesus wait to make his appearance until Christmas Eve. I don't regret letting them have the wooden baby Jesus out - especially when I hear Julia say JeJe for Jesus and then give Him a kiss.



Only 14 months and already she knows to put the angel on top. Uh....but what's the camel doing up there too, my dear sweet baby girl?



We do the Santa Claus thing too and it's amazing how quickly they pick up on that sort of thing. Julia just about runs to the tv when the opening music for Rudolf starts. We hang stockings (handmade by me - a tradition passed down from my Grandma). We visit Santa at the Mall, we read secular Christmas stories, but I'm trying very hard to always talk about the real meaning of Christmas. I am going to incorporate the Jesse Tree devotions into our advent calendar this year. With no energy to be crafty or the time with Brian being gone some much this week, I will simply use the pieces we have to put on what is intended to be a Christmas tree advent calendar and read/talk/pray with Sam.

What are your traditions for Christmas? Do tell! Even if you've never commented before - tis the season after all.

Here are a few photographs of the kids from my never-ending quest for a Christmas card picture. It was fun to sit back and observe them interact. One minute they are playing sweetly and the next Mary is transformed into a battering ram, aimed right at Sam's nose.














Aren't Sam's PJ's the cutest? I love the butt flap!