Sunday, December 31, 2006




Santa was kind enough to bring Hannah and Ellie digital cameras for Christmas. They had fun snapping shots all evening. Dad then put them on the computer and I'm trying to figure out how to post them on the blog. It is definitely a lesson in patience and endurance for me! :-)

The first picture is of Princess Abby. She adores dressing like and pretending to be a princess. Santa was gracious enough to bring her a new gown as her old one was looking a lot like Cinderella before the magic.

The second picture is of all the kids and me holding our new personalized popcorn bowls. This wonderful lady in our church has given us something personalized each year for Christmas - a real treat. Her daughter does the engraving as a personal business. You can check it out here: www.staceyspans.com. Notice that Sam finally gave up on the church clothes and got comfortable. Poor kids we dressed and undressed into/out of our good clothes three times Christmas Eve day as we attended all the services offered that day.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Sand Man.

Ah, Mr. Sand Man, bring me a dream, or two, or three. Oh, wait, could you stop coming for awhile?

Our house has been overcome by sleepiness the past couple of weeks. Shoot, we hardly can drag ourselves out of bed before 8:00. That makes it a bit hard for my husband to shower, dress, scarf down coffee and breakfast before getting over for Matins at 8:30. It makes it nearly impossible for us to get over to Matins, when we had been so faithful until our before Christmas break from school. Trying to do school this week has been difficult with getting up so late.

The kids too, sleep and sleep in the mornings. It is like we are under a spell and can't awake until the magic hour of 8am. I admit, I've never been a morning person, but really, as an adult I do understand that waking earlier than eight, would help my days go better. Even I admit that 6:30 or 7am isn't *that* early.

My husband did set the alarm for this morning. Yet he still couldn't pull himself out of bed until ten minutes after 7. I didn't even hear the alarm, or him until he came back into the room around 7:30ish. Even then, with the smell of coffee brewing, it was a struggle to pull myself out of bed. Ugh! But at least dh was able to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or two before Matins.

The kids and I on the other hand, still need to work on getting up. Maybe I need to set our alarms to play that phrase from the song in the Sound of Music, "when you wake up, WAKE UP, it's healthy."

Maybe not, maybe I'll wait till after our mini-vacation next week to family. Maybe then we can get to bed at a decent hour, and then wake up easier in the morning. Who knows, just watch out for the Sandman.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas.

Christmas Eve day we attended the 8:30 am Children's service. I thought all the Sunday School children did a great job of speaking their parts very clearly and most all of them had them memorized. Super! After service we came home and our children opened their gifts they had bought for each other (name exchange) and dh and I exchanged our gifts. Then, while I finished cooking, the kids played, dh went back to work to come home for our nice family dinner at noon. That afternoon all took a nap and then dressed and ready for the 6pm Lessons and Carols service. Then it was home to open the rest of the gifts, eat snacks and enjoy the presents. Dressing one more time we all went back for the 11pm Christmas mass.

Christmas Day we awoke and attended the 9am Christmas Mass and came home, changed, gathered our things and headed to family for a big dinner, lots of visiting and fun. We stayed overnight and enjoyed playing Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Seafarers of Catan. Arriving home last night, we all enjoyed sleeping in our own beds, and now getting life back to "normal" again.

There might be others who didn't like the Services for whatever reason. But I thoroughly enjoyed how they all entwined together and how singing the carol, Let Our Gladness Have no End on Christmas day it brought together so nicely all the services and sermons I had heard in the past day.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Christmas

We'll be getting the last things done today to prepare for our Christmas celebration. I will need to make another batch of buns for Monday's dinner with extended family and make a batch of crescent roll dough for our little family's Sunday dinner. Then there is the cleaning and laundry which the kids help with (not always willingly, but they do a pretty decent job). I also have to help the three littlest wrap their gifts for their sibling. We did an exchange between them this year. They found it great fun.

Dh will be busy preparing for the many services in the next two days. It is nice that as the years of experience increase, the pressure/panic decreases. Not that there still isn't any, but it has definietely decreased since those first years.

My family's Christmas is this afternoon, but I will only be there in thought as they are states away. It is the first year for mom to be back "home." I think all those living around there are quite glad to have her back. I'm sure she is busy baking the crescent rolls and the various other dishes right now, loving every little minute of it even if she is tired and feeling grouchy. I don't think she would have it any other way.

Merry Christmas to all! I can't wait to sing all those lovely hymns and be able to worship 4 times in the next two days. God Bless all of you!