Still "Christmas-ing"!!

Pictures to come...blogger's not cooperating today. :)

We are not finished with Christmas, but I thought I would blog a little, so it's not quite so overwhelming next week. :) We have two more celebrations this weekend before we can call the holiday season complete....and Kendyll is loving the fact that there is more Christmas to come! She is not quite ready to say goodbye to the holidays this year.

We've had a wonderful Christmas, as usual, and have spent time with so many of our family members, which is such a blessing. This year, I just kept thinking over and over about those families I know who are without someone they love this year, and I would stop right there and thank God for my family. They are all so wonderful and are what these Christmas memories are all about.

Kendyll and Carlie had a great Christmas week, full of fun surprises from all kinds of people...many presents that were on their "wish list" and a few that weren't that they LOVE! We also had time to do some of the traditions that have already come to mean so much to our little family over the last few years. Those are the little things that make me excited for years and years to come of making traditions last, as our kids grow. From Christmas Eve church together to our Christmas morning breakfast, I found myself extra emotional watching our sweet children this year. (maybe it's the pregnancy hormones or just the idea of knowing that our family will be expanded next year....)

One of the highlights of this Christmas as parents was watching the joy of Christmas morning in our children. We really try hard to make sure they know the true reason for celebrating, and we spent time talking about Jesus and what an amazing gift He is to us. Kendyll said the sweetest prayer I've ever heard her say at Christmas breakfast, and it made it all worth it to me. We also enjoyed watching their surprised faces as they experienced Santa this year (probably because Santa and his LARGE team of helpers worked really hard on their presents!! Thank you Grandad, Cassie, and Austin for being a part. :)

Their Santa gift this year was a "new room" to share as sisters. Santa went WAY further than either Kendyll or Carlie expected and gave them a true ballerina mirror and stage to dance on, as well as new beds and bedding, new vanity mirrors, and some little playthings for each of them. Truly, Santa knew exactly what each girl would love in a new room, and they have spent hours and hours playing there already.

The first night they slept together was precious. Kendyll read Carlie stories, then we all had our bedtime devo time, and then we shut the door and said goodnight. After that, we heard them giggling, talking, and eventually singing "night night" songs together. ALthough we did try to discipline them at some points, we just enjoyed hearing what will hopefully be years and years of "sister-time" after the lights are out and the parents are gone. I remember many of those days myself (which is why I wanted them to share a room!), and I'm so glad that Santa gave them a gift like this.

I will be back with more updates, but I've probably talked long enough for this entry. We hope you each had a fabulous holiday with lots of family memories made.

Merry Christmas, Bloggers!

Since I probably won't be back to blogging until after the holidays, we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

Here is our christmas card picture, for those who haven't seen it yet. So, Merry Christmas from our family....
and Happy Holidays from "the girls"... including Baby girl #3 (there's a pregnant pic for you, Angie!)

The Countdown

The countdown continues! And so does the fun!

Nicole & Alyssa, I am kind of copying your "blogging style" this week. I feel the same way you both do about needing a list of "twelve things we've done" or a short download on each day just to fit it all in a blog! I've wanted to write everything down, because I have really enjoyed going back to last year's blogs and reading what our family did. So, here are our highlights, if only for my memory alone:

1) Wrapping up the fall semester on both school and ladies class study. Ladies Class ended Tuesday and Sunshine School ended on Thursday, both resuming again the second week in January. I love both of these weekly activities and enjoy my time at each for different reasons....mostly I love the time I have with friends and watching my children develop relationships with teachers, caretakers, and friends their age. BUT, now that we're on "vacation" from both, I am loving my days at home without a place to be so many of my days.

2) Christmas Parties!! Both girls had their party day last week, and enjoyed them, of course. Who wouldn't enjoy icing galore, Christmas crafts, and songs and stories with their room moms in charge? I managed to visit both of their classes, even though it was only for a minute, and snapped quick pictures of the "parties in progress"!
3) Family Weekend! This is my favorite part of our last week, I think. We knew that this coming week and next weekend was already full of many crazy days, including Christmas celebrations with extended family and lots of other "busyness", so we decided to spend some quality time with just the four of us before that all hit. We decided to make it all "surprises" to the girls, which they absolutely loved.

Friday at lunch, we went to visit Santa at the mall, eat lunch together, and ride the carousel. This was a special treat because Daddy took his lunch hour from work to join us, which was an added bonus! Carlie actually enjoyed Santa's lap and didn't even cry (although she didn't talk to him either!) That's okay, though, because Kendyll said enough for the both of them. :)

Friday evening, we told the girls the only clue they could have was that they would need their fleece blankets for the car, a Christmas music CD, and that we would sit both of them next to the windows for this trip. We stopped first to eat at one of Mommy's favorite places, Bubba's, for dinner. And, then started the surprise. We rolled down the windows (added some air conditioning to make it actually cold!), started the music and began the tour of a great neighborhood in Dallas for an hour and a half of Christmas lights!! But, the first stop was Starbucks for hot chocolate. (This has become one of Kendyll's favorite things in the world, since our trip to New York with her a few months ago....) Here's a picture of the girls as the adventure began, enjoying their "hot chockit". Their favorite part was saying "Look out my side! Look at your side!" as different houses were lit up out each of their windows. We sang Jingle Bells a thousand times for Carlie and went "left" and "right" when Kendyll said to. They loved that they got to "stay up late" and cuddle in the car in blankets. It was a wonderful night and reminded me once again of the joy of Christmas through a child's eyes. Everything is beautiful and wonderful when you are two and four...even houses with mismatched lights and ugly yard art. :)

Saturday morning, we woke up and had breakfast together, and then got ready for the next surprise. As we got closer to our destination, we made the girls close their eyes. It was pretty cute to watch Kendyll "obey the rules" and keep them closed the whole time even though it was killing her. And, then to watch Carlie who kept squinting enough to still see through her eyelids and would eventually open up just one eye for a sneak peek.

We finally arrived at the movie theater to see Charlotte's Web and the girls were ecstatic. They loved the movie (and so did we!) and we had a great time surprising them with such fun family things all weekend.

When we got home, it was baking time for Mommy & Kendyll, as we began preparations for her big cookie party the next day! We baked and baked all afternoon, until both of us couldn't stir, measure, or sprinkle anymore. I loved every minute of it, though, because it was such a fun time with my oldest daughter, who is growing up SO fast. She is actually capable of doing alot of kitchen stuff by herself, which is just amazing! I hope we can always carry on the tradition of cooking together like that. 4) Cookie Exchange Party! Okay, #3 was a long one, and #4 will be too. Sunday, was Kendyll's long-awaited Cookie Party with her girlfriends. I actually thought of this idea last year, but decided they were all a little too young to really enjoy it. So, I've been waiting to do this party since then! We had such a fun time having 11 of our good friends over to play and have some Christmas fun, and it is just so neat to watch these girls grow up together. (We missed you Bailey!!) We decorated gingerbread cookies, played Christmas games (Bingo & Pass the Present), made crafts, and ate lots of good treats! We exchanged cookies and got eleven or twelve different kinds when it was all said and done! It was a great party and Kendyll will be talking about it for months to come. I look forward to the Second Annual bash next year!
5) Slumber Parties! Now that school is out, Kendyll is on a sleepover frenzy! Sunday night, after the party, we got to have Hollyn spend the night. Kendyll and Hollyn are the sweetest friends and get along so well together. Then, Monday night, she got to spend the night at McCartney's house and has been talking all afternoon about all the fun things McCartney has at her house. :) Then, tonight, she is off to Grandma's to sleepover, go to the movies, and get lots of special "Grandma and Uncle Chris" time! Tomorrow, she will head to my mom's to spend a couple of days at "the ranch" with Gammy and Papa Ron! What a fun week with family and friends she is having---eventually she will crash from all this excitement!

Carlie also got to have a sleepover at Grandma's on Sunday, and decided that the "sleep" part of it wasn't that important. She went without naps both days she was there and thought playing, singing, and talking to her babies sounded like more fun than sleeping (after much effort from Grandma to try and get her to crash!). She also woke up at 5:00 in the morning! Somehow, she still found the energy to play and play and play some more and never get cranky or tired! Crazy girl! Seriously, I love that both of my girls love being with others, and are so excited to stay other places. They will have so many fun memories of slumber parties....and they're still technically toddlers!

6) Nursing Home Visit: Monday morning, Hollyn, Kendyll, Trinity, Trenton, Stephanie, and I took Christmas wreaths that the girls made at the cookie party to the Christian Care Center (nursing home) to deliver to the residents there. One thing I would love Kendyll to have a heart for is the older people who are living in nursing homes like this. I don't feel like I was as comfortable as I should have been at a young age with older people, and it was so neat to watch each face light up as our girls gave them hugs, a simple craft, and a "Merry Christmas" greeting. It made their day to see young children, and I have decided (along with Stephanie) that we are going to make a point to do that throughout the year for our kids' sake, as well as the residents of these nursing homes. It was well worth the time spent and great lessons for our kids, I hope.

That sums up our last few days pretty well. We have Christmas with family starting in a couple of days, and I am looking forward to that very much. We have so much to celebrate and are so blessed with so many family members. I hope and pray that each of us can take the time to just be together without the hurry and stress this time of year can bring. We also have a few things planned to help my girls focus on the "reason for the season" and can't wait to start all of those things too.

We hope that each of you are having a great "Week before Christmas" so far and are also enjoying the blessings of this season. Now, I better get back to Christmas card writing, since many of you have been way ahead of me on that chore! :)

Christmas is in the Air!

December is in full swing. And, these once-a-week entries have somehow become the norm for me. I actually enjoy doing "smaller" blogs more often so I can capture more detail, but here is yet another summary blog with the latest pictures from our house....

New Hairdos: Carlie has been wanting pigtails (dog-ears, ponytails, whatever you might call them) for a while now, and I just haven't felt like taking the time to do it. Getting her to sit still while parting her crazy hair is more than I have time or energy for on most mornings (although I did this with Kendyll all the time when she was this age!) But, we had one day last week when both of the girls needed their hair washed and we didn't have time. So, up went the hair. And, now that I've seen her with pigtails, I'm as addicted as she is. She's worn her hair twice that way since last week, and I can't get enough of how cute she is in them! (Both of the other girls in her preschool class wear their hair up EVERY DAY, so she felt very cute wearing them to school with her buddies. She kept saying "I'm just like Flobby!" Her friend's name is actually "Flavie" and she is French. Carlie prefers the name "Flobby" though....)

Kendyll also had to join in on the "updo fun" and wear her pigtails too.
Our First Christmas celebration: We had our first Christmas this weekend with Mark's family from California. They flew in for the weekend, and we had such a fun time. It was planned kind of last-minute, which made it a surprise to the girls to have Christmas so early! We had tons of yummy food, great time talking and laughing and a pretty good Chinese gift exchange too! The girls got to open their first gifts of the season, and were very sweet and thankful for them, which I was happy about. We also got playtime with Sophie, who is about to have her very first Christmas....

And, yes, I'm making her into a "psycho matching-clothes cousin" just like my own girls. I bought the three of them these sweaters last Christmas before Sophie was even born. :)

We got lots of Pops, Grandma, and Uncle Chris time too, which is always fun. Pops doesn't get to be here as often as Grandma, so we were happy to have him around to play with. Of course, he did beat Kendyll at Candyland, which caused my almost FIVE year old to have a complete whiny tantrum...uggh. I'm really trying hard to make her into a good sport, but man does she resist that idea! Anyway, other than that, it was great playtime! And, Pops, we finally got a cute picture of you and Carlie alone! :)

It's a Wonderful Life: A good friend of Kendyll's moved away earlier this year, and we have missed her alot. So, when we found out that Mary Alice was making her Christmas debut in the play "It's a Wonderful Life", we decided to take a short trip to watch her perform yesterday. Kendyll and her friend Emma, along with the mommies, had a great time at her play, and visiting with Amber and Mary Alice. The girls were so excited to see their friend up on stage and I even shed a tear as I listened to her precious voice say the famous quote at the end of the play. She did SUCH a good job! The girls brought her roses and then got an "insiders tour" of the stage and the backstage from Mary Alice herself! It was a great afternoon---and very entertaining as I listened to Nicole try to explain some of the "harder" scenes to our four year olds on the drive back to Dallas. :) Nicole, you did an awesome job answering questions about poison, angels, child abuse, and other such things as that.

Now, for this week, we have Christmas coming out our ears! And, I love every minute of it. We have chocolate-making to do, Christmas gifts to buy (still!), Christmas school parties to have, Santa Claus to visit, and Kendyll's first annual Cookie Exchange party to host! It should be a week long of fun...hopefully I can keep up with it all!

Another Catch-up

My, how time flies! I keep meaning to blog things that happen from day to day and just don't ever get to it! Here are a few different updates from our last week or so....

First of all, the baby is doing great! Almost 27 weeks old in utero and a real kicker. I've had a couple of people ask why I don't blog about her more. Well, part of the reason is that with pregnancy number three, I just kind of coast through it alot. :) But, most of the reason is because little missy has her own posts dedicated to her on the baby blog. I know I'm a blogging retard, and don't have links on my site, so if you didn't already know I had a blog for baby girl, the link is: http://ourbabyblessing.blogspot.com.

A few fun things that have been going on around here have been cold winter days (like most of you) where we don't leave our PJ's, lots of Christmas decorating (which I LOVE), a sweet birthday party for one of my favorite one-year-olds (my nephew Braden), and the busy-ness that December brings!

Last week, we enjoyed the snow/ice that we had for a couple of days. We had to go to school for the main "snow day", but the girls enjoyed seeing it out their classroom windows, and my three year old class was squealing with delight as they watched it come down and coat (barely) the bushes and the trees. When we got home from school, we got right into "snow day" mode. We had hot chocolate, got the fire going, changed immediately to flannels, and watched our new Christmas movie, The First Noel. We spent the night indoors, and woke up to more ice---a great excuse to hang out longer in our PJ's!

After the ice melted on Friday, we took a family day to hang out at the mall. (I say a "family day"...really, Mark took the day off of work and hung out with the girls while Mommy shopped on my own! It was a great family day! ha ha.) Mark and the girls went to see Happy Feet, got McDonald's at the mall, rode the carousel, got ice cream at Marble Slab, and walked around the mall. Meanwhile, I got a few Christmas gifts finished, and got the rest of our "tree supplies" for decorating at home.

The rest of the weekend was busy, busy! Saturday, we got to celebrate with Braden, as he turned ONE! It was such a fun party and my sister did the best job at having a fun farm party for all of us. Kendyll and Carlie got very into the fun, and enjoyed being the "big cousins", helping Braden do everything from eat his cake to open his presents. I tried not to be the annoyed mom the whole time telling them to stop helping so much (but I probably still was)! Is this not the cutest birthday boy you've ever seen?

I could just eat him up! And, Kendyll was hilarious. I told her Braden's party was a "farm party", so she insisted on wearing her "bandan" (bandana) and she would only wear it around the front of her shirt like a "real cowgirl". She was a bit dorky, since no other kids dressed for the theme, but she's still cute to me. Probably because I made her into the dork that she is. :)
Carlie was obsessed with the outside playhouse on the swing set and the birthday gift bags....not the gifts inside, just the bags. She had five on her arm at one time and was telling everyone "bye". I guess she was off to shop or something.
Anyway, the party was so fun, and it's so hard to believe that Braden was born a year ago! How did I know then how much FUN being an aunt would be? He was my first, and now we have Sophie too. I had no idea how much I could love someone else's kids! Happy birthday, Braden. We love you and your sweet cheeks so much!

After the party, we went home to do more Christmas decorating. Usually, I'm obsessive about doing it all at one time and just getting it done! But, this year, with the pregnancy factor and just the busy schedule we've had every day, we have only had time to do a little bit every day. Saturday was supposed to be the tree. But, it wasn't.

Many of you probably remember from last year, that I was thrilled that my "real tree" husband finally agreed to my idea for an artificial tree (Although I have always had real trees too, I was tired of the pine needle mess stuck in my carpet and the dead tree in our living room by December 18th.) So, in the after-Christmas markdown season last year, I purchased a beautiful 12 foot pre-lit tree 60% off! It was a great deal and I was so excited!

Now, they guaranteed me when I bought it that all the lights worked and that it had just been set-up in the store, so they knew this was true. Well, they either lied or somehow I broke 800 of the 1100 lights on this dumb tree. Because most of them DID NOT WORK!

I had my serious doubts about this whole tree thing as I took this monstrous thing out of the box, looked at its bent and misshapen branches, and then plugged it in to only have a few lights at the bottom work. Mark was ready to trash the tree and go to our favorite tree farm and "go back to the real thing". I, too, dreaded the work ahead of re-bending each stinkin' branch, and then unwinding some very tightly wound Christmas lights from each twig only to replace them with my own lights that I had to go purchase because we threw all of our old lights out last year! So, it has seriously caused me to have a block against decorating a tree this year. I have been staring at this ugly thing in my living room for a week now, and Saturday was the day I finally started.

Notice I say started. It took forever. However, I'm glad to say that we are now officially done with the tree as of yesterday evening. And, I love it. The "artificial" part of it is great for a few reasons:
1) After I finally got all 1200 lights on, I hopefully won't have to do that every year now! Or, take them all off every year like I always do with real trees.
2) If there is a spot I don't like, or a "bare" looking branch, I can just bend the twigs to fill the spot! With a real tree, there is no bending and rigging possibilities for making a certain ornament hang in just the right spot.
3) After all the bending, tugging, pulling, and moving of branches and lights, there weren't ANY pine needles to clean up! Sure, there were a few pieces of pinecone on the floor (this is a "natural" looking tree complete with pinecones), but for the most part, the carpet was completely clean---a look I prefer for my floors!
4) It is perfect in shape, perfect in height, perfect (now) in amount of lights, and beautiful to look at. Most years, we found a pretty good tree (thanks to my anal ability to "pick 'em" from a tree farm), but nothing that had no natural holes or didn't lean a fraction to the right or left. So, I'm happy with my fake, but pretty, tree....even though it doesn't smell as good in our house as it usually has in the past. :)

Here is a picture of my sweet girls last night after baths, when we had finally finished the ornament hanging. They have on the cutest pj's from grandma and were so proud of the job they did on the tree. There is nothing better than Christmas time with lights through the house, Christmas music blasting, and two darn cute girls dancing their hearts out to "Go Tell It On the Mountain". Now, tonight, we plan on enjoying the beauty of a finally finished Christmas house. My favorite time of year, for so many reasons. It makes me smile, even after a day today with a room full of crazy three year olds.