The Day Has Come

I wasn't ready for this. I knew that the "second child" thing would be different and that time would pass faster, the amount of individual attention would be less, and she would learn things differently than the first child did. But, I wasn't prepared with how influential the oldest is on the youngest!!

Carlie pretty much copies everything Kendyll does, good or bad. We have tried to tell Kendyll this, in the hopes that it might make her stop the negative behavior that Carlie imitates. (a few examples....spitting, yelling at the dog, taking her pants off for no reason---yes, Carlie does this too now, spinning so fast you run into things, and the list goes on and on. There are good things too, like all the sweet songs Kendyll has taught her, the dance moves they do together, the way Carlie sits and reads with her, or the way Kendyll has taught her to slurp a spaghetti noodle.

But, tonight, the big-sister influence was in full effect. In the midst of playtime together, Carlie screamed "Nooooooo Denda (Kendyll)!! MOOOIIIINNNNEEEE!! (Mine!!!!) and then grabbed the toy out of Kendyll's hands. Oh no. Here we go. She has learned "the word". I swear Kendyll was at least a full year older when she discovered the concept of mine vs. yours. But, we have arrived already because she's heard it over and over. (And, if you know Carlie, you know she isn't just saying it to be cute---she means it, and you better give it back immediately.)

I probably should have handled it differently, but I really just laughed and said "Carlie, what did you say? Please tell me you didn't say that!!" And, then started tickling her. She's just too cute, even when she's being sassy. (And, I can't blame her that her older, wiser sister has influenced her sweet and innocent 17 month old self, right?!) Ahhh, the fun of sisterhood. And, it's only the beginning of the many lessons learned.

I only have two minutes...

It's 8:58 and I've promised my husband that I will be downstairs ready to hang out by 9:00. So, I literally have two minutes to blog. But, I can type REALLY fast, so I think I'll have enough time. This is basically for my family, since I've heard it from them for going over a week without new info about the girls....so, here it is. And, Cort, until you get your OWN blog, you can't complain about me and Cassie not updating ours!! We need a Braden page to read---come on, please!!

So, here is my short and sweet post tonight.

The new movie of interest around here is Sound of Music (I would like to say that Kendyll is the only one who watches it, but it is still one of my favorites and I usually can't resist sitting down and singing along for a few minutes...) Anyway, as any Sound of Music lover out there knows, one of the best songs is "My Favorite Things", so here is a tribute to the song I can't get out of my head.....(by the way, it's already 9:00....oops!)

Kendyll's FIVE Favorite Things (right now):

1. Bella Dancerella dance mat and video with musical wand. Because of this, she has now named everything in our house something that rhymes with Bella....and she has practically memorized every move of her dance video.

2. Angelina Uno. Angelina Ballerina, that is. Do you see a ballet theme here? Angelina Uno is now the game of choice for her Mommy-Daddy pre-bed ritual. I think I've played it at least 40 times this week.

3. Pretend Trinity. Yes, my poor child doesn't get to have friends over enough, so she just make believes that they are here. Pretend Trinity (which is exactly what she calls her) has been here every day for the last six days, and according to Kendyll she will be here ten more and then she has to go home. Nothing is done without Pretend Trinity.

4. Baby Braden (her cousin). We got the joy of having Cortni and Braden here for two and half days (pictures to come tomorrow) last week and she really couldn't love a baby any more than she does that little guy. She talks about him every day and carries around his picture in her "purse".

5.Sausage, in any form. Sausage links, sausage biscuits, pigs in a blanket, hot dogs (that's not a new one), and cheeseburgers, which isn't sausage, but it's close! That girl could eat it in any form for every meal....how random is that? But, I'm not complaining! It's a good replacement for the usual chicken nuggets.

Carlie's FIVE Favorite Things (right now)

1. Elmo (aka "Belbo"). We now have Tickle-me-Elmo, Hokey Pokey Elmo, Using the Potty Elmo, and Checkup Elmo and she likes for them to all talk at the same time.

2. Yogurt, but only if she can feed herself. Her favorite kind is the one with Dora's Backpack on the side. She stands at the fridge yelling "ba-pak"....And, it's hard to even recognize her when she's done because she turns into a pink-covered monster. (which leads to the next favorite)

3. Bathtime. She is a fish and would stay in the bathtub all day if it was up to her. My favorite thing about it is the way she says "bas" (bath) and "bubbas" (bubbles). My least favorite thing is her amazing ability to splash....the walls, the floor, and her bath-giver are usually drenched by the end.

4. Little Einstein's, the movie. She is not a TV watcher, so this is very new for her. But, this one movie makes her whole face light up and she is immediately enthralled. She pats her lap to make the rocket take off, claps her hands when they tell her to, and dances to all the music.

5.This one I'm the proudest of because it's taken so much work on my part. But, her other favorite thing is rocking her babies!!!!!!! She is not a baby-nurturing-girly-girl, so this has literally been done through psychological conditioning! But, she has turned into a regular old "mommy", feeding her babies pretend food, holding them to give bottles, changing diapers, and rocking and singing her babies to sleep (of course to put them "night night", she smashes their faces straight into the carpet and keeps re-shutting their eyes until she's completely mad at them, but we'll keep working on that part....) I'm just glad she will halfway care when she becomes a big sister someday.

Okay, done.....and, I'm only 22 minutes over the limit. OOPS!!

Everybody's Off....

I'm going to whine for just a minute. It seems that everyone I know is off work tomorrow...except for the teachers and kids who attend Sunshine School! I know the reasons why (our school only meets two days a week, and if we took off for every Monday holiday in public schools, we would be gone half the year!), but it still makes me want a day off. What is it about an official "day off" that makes it so much better than any other day you spend at home? My three sisters, two brothers-in-law, mom and dad are all off because they are part of the public school system in some way, along with some of my teaching friends. So, of course, as I listen to their plans for sleeping in, getting things done, going to lunch together, or just watching TV all day.....I'm a little jealous.

But, I really can't complain. First of all, I have a great class of kids, so tomorrow will be fun, despite the non-holiday for us. Plus, Mark and I had a weekend all to ourselves, while the girls spent time with their Gammy and Papa Ron, so we fit in alot of those fun things listed above already....got lots done around the house, watched a movie and a half, slept a little more than usual, and went to dinner TWICE without kiddos. So, I guess I already had my "day off"!

(Note: The movie and a half deserves some mentioning. The movie was "Glory Road" in theaters now. GREAT movie. Great reminder of how courageous many people were during the worst days of our prejudice and racism in America...and how cruel others were. Also, a true sports story always makes for a great movie. The "half" movie was "Must Love Dogs". Can't even tell you one good thing about that movie. We turned it off after 20 minutes, because it wasn't even worth staying up late for. Not one of my highest recommendations...)

On another note, Kendyll and Carlie had a blast while they were away and did all the fun things there are to do at "L&R Ranch"....rode horses, fed the goats, saw the newest baby calf born on Friday, rode the "Gator", made mud pies (literally), visited Otis the donkey, went on walks in "the forest", and played and played until they were worn out. It is always fun to hear about their adventures there, because it is so much more "outdoorsy" than anything they can do here with us. They love it there, and love their grandparents so much. (We love them too for taking them for a few days to give us a mommy/daddy break!) What I'm most impressed with is the way my mom teaches Kendyll and Carlie, with only a couple of days to work with.

This weekend, Kendyll learned all the different shapes of leaves (oak leaves, etc.), as well as the types of trees that they have on the ranch. She also now knows all "opposites". I quizzed her tonight because I really wasn't sure how much she had retained since leaving their house. My mom wasn't kidding....she taught her all of them. I need to send her there more often!

The neat thing about it is that my mom has an innate ability to teach without being "teacher-ish", and to do it "hands-on" through the child's experiences, which I believe is a skill that is perfected over years of being a mom and teacher for 30 years. All of these lessons occurred during a walk through the forest, and Kendyll probably didn't even know she was learning!

So, Mom, thank you for passing on your knowledge to my sweet children. And, for encouraging their curious nature in a place that will be such an experience for all of our kids as they grow...the "raynch"! Thank you also for a GREAT weekend with Mark. We now have a clean garage to park in and organized photos for soon-to-be-scrapbooks because of you!

Our Night on the Town!

Last night was the best Stars game I've ever been to. Or not been to, really. (I'm sure that first sentence was completely throwing off most of my family and some of my friends who know me well....What? Chelsea had fun at a Stars game? She HATES hockey!!)

But, yes, we made plans to go to the Stars vs. Capitals game about three months ago, when we bought four tickets at the Christian Services Auction. Granted, the value of these tickets and the amount we paid was about a $300 difference, so it was quite the deal. But, still....Stars tickets are not my favorite "night out", no matter how great the price was.

Hockey is one of those sports I will probably never understand. Although I halfway admire those barbaric men for their ability to ice skate while chasing a tiny puck and trying to kill most of the players around them, their skill at fighting seems to be of the highest priority for attending fans....and I just can't get into that. Sooooo, Mark did some pretty big convincing to get me to go to this game last night.

I told him that I would only go if we could go with friends who I have not been able to see much and would like to catch up with. Immediately, we thought of our good friends, Paul and Jackie, who have two precious boys and a busy life just like ours. We hardly ever get to see each other, and we knew that this would be the perfect catch-up time. So, they agreed to come hang out with us and we decided to meet for dinner first.

Well, this is when the night got fun for me. Dinner turned into long conversation with great food...and someone (I know it wasn't me, because I wouldn't have dared!) suggested to skip the game altogether, since we had already missed the first period. I looked at Mark and smiled, because he knew that's what I wanted to do anyway. Paul and Jackie were just as happy as I was about the suggestion, and Mark finally caved. We left our wonderful Italian restaurant at The Fountain Place in downtown Dallas (actually the site where Mark asked me to marry him!) and we headed to a well-known dessert and coffee spot instead of the AA Center!

So, we spent a night out in a completely different way than we first expected...and we still got home later than we would have if we had gone to the game! That's how much catching up there was to do with our sweet friends!

(I also found out during dinner that Jackie reads this blog....so hi, Jackie! We had a blast last night! And, I'm just waiting to hear that YOU have started a blog all about those cute boys of yours! I need updates on Jackson and Jacob on a weekly basis!)

Anyway, Mark laughed at how excited I got to skip out on our tickets. We consider it to be money well-spent anyway. The purchase price went directly to Christian Services three months ago. And, it was probably the only way we would have made plans with our friends on a Thursday night, found babysitters for all four kids, and hung out til WAY past our bedtimes!

Now, I'm off to take my girls to Gammy's for the weekend, while Mark and I enjoy a weekend at home together. It is actually a "project weekend" around here! (with hopefully a couple of date nights too!)

Fun with Friends

This seemed like an appropriate title for our weekend, and our week so far. We had one of the best "friend" weekends we've had in a long time, and it was such a blessing to me.

Friday, we got to spend time with one of my dearest friends and her precious family, who has lived in Tennessee for the last few years. It's amazing how time passes, and how the children grow...but it is also so comforting to see them again and pick up right where we left off. We wish it could have been longer, sweet friends! We hope you made it back home safe and sound. We also got to hang out with some of our other fun friends that evening and their sweet girls, which made made it even more fun. It was great to see all SIX of our girls having fun together at all their ages!!

Saturday, I got to spend the morning at a friend's baby shower, catching up with other friends who I don't get near enough time to talk to. Alyssa and hostesses, you did a wonderful job at making Amy's shower sweet and fun...and it is always so fun to be with your "gang" and catch up. In those two hours, I had so many deep and meaningful conversations with those who I miss so much and with some who I have missed since college! I could have stayed all day (and I practically did! I was the last guest there I think!) I also spent time talking to two of my sisters by phone, who are friends in the truest sense of the word. In one conversation, we covered everything from decorating to our spiritual gifts and could have talked three more hours about it all!

Sunday, we went to lunch after church with a wonderful group, one couple who has also moved away from here, and two others who I LOVE so much! Girls, it was great to catch up at our end of the table....and our wonderful husbands took "kid duty" at the other end! It was another great example of the way God has blessed me with such wonderful friends.

Over and over this weekend, I was reminded of that very thing. I have such wonderful friends, each of whom give me something different in my life. I am surrounded by so many who care about my family, and who minister to me and encourage me daily. So, if you're one of these sweet friends, thank you. Thank you for what you do for me when you don't even know it!!

Then, of course, I continue the "blessings of friendship" with today. We returned to Sunshine School after a holiday break and I was so glad to be there! I was reminded of how much fun it is to teach with such great women and to have such great "friends" through my children in class and their families. We got to bring Trinity home with us today to play with Kendyll, and now they are sweetly sleeping in Kendyll's room. They have played since the minute they walked in our door, and have not stopped to do anything except eat! They have been the sweetest playmates and have been princesses, teachers, "restaurant workers", ballerinas, gymnasts... and Kendyll's smile could light up this house because she is so excited to have such a good friend here with her. I've never seen her so excited to go to sleep in her bed...because Trinity was on the trundle next to her. What a joy it is to watch my daughter begin to form friendships with my sweet friends' kids! To know the blessing of friendship myself, and then to watch it in our children, is so neat to me!

So, yes, this is just another cheesy post from Chelsea....about how thankful I am for my life, my blessings, my family...but most of all today, my friends.

Hooked!

We are so into LOST now, and I'm having a hard time. I want to talk about it, because I know all of you have already seen so much more than me....but I DON'T want to know what happens next yet. Today, Mark actually stopped working (in his office upstairs) in the middle of the day so we could watch two more episodes!! This is crazy! He's worse than me! We just finished watching the premier from this season, downloaded from ITunes. Wow....so much speculation on my part, but no one to talk to about it. We are so on board for January 11th. Eight more episodes to catch up. Then, I can finally discuss these story lines with everyone who has already had this addiction for the last year.....

Oh, and Cassie, if you're reading this, we have already decided that we are passing the DVD's around the family. It's no use fighting it. It's your turn next....tell Austin he has no choice. :)

A New Beginning

I love New Years. I have read many blogs whose authors don't agree, and feel that resolutions are pointless. But, I, however, like to stay in my dream world where all seems new and my slate is clean and I have the feeling for a week or two that I might actually accomplish a few of my goals. Now, I also have a realistic side to me, and I do know that many of my resolutions are just unattained repeats from last year....but, still! At least it's challenging to think of what I could do differently and what I would accomplish with an entire year's time.

This is my problem, though. I always aim too high. Not just with New Year's, but with every day and week and month's to-do-lists. Mark always gets frustrated with me because regardless of how much I get done in a period of time, I still feel like there were a few more things I was supposed to have finished/accomplished/attained/etc.

So, I am a weirdo. I like goals, I obsess about to-do lists, but I also make too many of them and too long of lists to EVER feel good about what I've finished....or started, for that matter.

I am going into all of this to explain the background behind my "lightbulb" moment. (or actually a message directly from the Lord, I think!) On Saturday night (New Years Eve), Mark and I chatted about our resolutions. And, by Sunday morning, I had perfected my list in my head for my new year. I prayed about them and had a conversation with myself on the way to church about how I can do these things. I decided that I would read some of the more important ones every morning and pray for strength to be this new person I was hoping to be. Of course, by the time I got to church, I had already messed up on two of my resolutions (being a positive, less critical wife and a patient mother) and I found myself already frustrated about how I was going to do this myself when I can't even get to church without telling Mark how to drive (I'm really trying to stop doing this!).

But, leave it to God to speak right to my heart. Prentice was speaking on our "Extreme Makeovers" for 2006. Alot of great things were said that I won't go into, but the one thing that struck me deepest was under point #3, My "Extreme Makeover" Leads to my Transformation. He said that "living the Christian life isn't a matter of trying harder, but of yielding more!" Yielding more to His Spirit will change me, if I just allow the Spirit's full and complete activity in my life. Through giving up my lists and goals and efforts to be something or someone I need to be, I can yield it all completely to Him, and the fruits of the Spirit I am craving in my life (patience, kindness, self control...) will come! Instead of focusing on these resolutions, I need to focus on my relationship---with the Lord, most of all! Another friend said "We spend so much time seeking God's hand to fix things, people, etc. when we really need to spend our time seeking His face...and the rest will come."

Now, I know all of that sounds so simple and common sense, and even a bit cliche in the Christian world. But, it really has encouraged me to see my efforts this upcoming year in a different light. So, even though I still have a resolution list a mile long, I also know that God will work on the parts of me He needs to, if I give it all to Him. What a freeing feeling to know that my trying harder is not what makes it work....

So, here are a few as of now (I keep adding on, and taking off. I guess I need to make a cutoff date of January 15th or something!):

1) Spend time REALLY seeking God every single day. Have quiet time that really gets deeper than just answering my Beth Moore study questions quickly before I go get something else done....time with God that lasts until it's done, not until the dryer buzzes.

2)Be a more positive, less critical, encouraging wife. I really need to do this, not only for sweet Mark's sake, but for my entire family's sake. I set the tone, and I completely realize the tone needs to be sweeter! :)

3)Be a more patient and playful mommy. Cut out the to-do lists at home and just 'be' with them. I always enjoy my day more when I take my time with things the way they do.

4)Say NO more, so that I have time to say YES to the things that most inspire me and that most closely fit my God-given strengths and talents. This has been an ongoing goal...I'm getting a little better at it, but not good enough. (So, if I tell you no, please don't be offended!)

5)Get organized!! I am better in some areas than others. My towels all face the same direction and my children's craft closet is a system of color coded boxes and labels, but other areas are suffering greatly. (which puts #1 and #2 resolutions at great risk, from the stress level I rise to when it starts to bother me....)

6)Be healthy. I am not writing "exercise" because that has been a redo on the resolution list for years and years. It just doesn't happen. But, I do want to eat healthier, feel healthier, drink more water, take my vitamins, and just be nicer to my body...I go too hard for too long before it finally makes me stop.

7)Document Memories. Create some memories in albums for my family. Notice I avoided another word similar to "exercise"...and that is "scrapbook". Many of you know how this has gone for me. I have now caught up all the way to Kendyll coming home from the hospital....four years ago. So, I have a ways to go. I'm going to free myself to find other ways to document the memories and the pictures. If it has to be the slide-the-picture-in-the-slot albums, then so be it. At least they'll be out of the monstrous stacks and shoe boxes they're in right now!

8)Maintain Perspective!! To remember every single day that it's not all about the hustle and bustle that we experience in this place....Everything we do and are in this life is about going to heaven and getting our families there with us. And, about showing Jesus to others. If I can remember that one, then 1-7 will fall into place.

Happy New Years everyone!! And, Happy Resolution List Making to each of you!

Christmas, Part 2

Here are a couple more family pics from Christmas. One with our oh-so-sweet nephew, Braden, who is now a ripe old age of 4 WEEKS! (oh, and Aunt Cortni too...) The other picture shows the constantly entertaining nature of our second child. Carlie decided it was really fun to have the Christmas bows on her head. Of course, I can't get the girl to keep her hairbows in to save my life, but she sure does love the fake shiny Christmas bows! If only those were cuter....

Now, on to three very significant parts of our Christmas:

1. Avalon, Starr, and Rose. Our adopted family this Christmas. In the past, we've done the angel tree thing or found an organization that has a need during the holidays. This year, we found someone a little "closer to home". My dad has started teaching in a school where the children have more needs that can possibly be met. As I talked with him about the kids he interacts with who don't have happy homes, or even the most basic necessities of life, I am overwhelmed with the burden to "fix" it all for them. One thing my dad said that stuck with me is that he has realized that he can't fix it for all of them, but he can make a huge difference for a few. That gave us all inspiration to find a family to make our own. This year, my sisters and I enjoyed hours and hours of holiday shopping for these three we had never met. Then, on December 22nd, we got to meet them. They were the most precious girls, whose spirit was infectious, despite their surroundings. As we delivered gifts to them, we got to play and visit and get to know them. In some ways, it was heartbreaking. In other ways, it was encouraging and uplifting. Overall, their most favorite gifts were their fuzzy houseshoes, new clothes (modeled in the above picture), and hula hoops. We also bought them scooters to be delivered from Santa later in the week. I know they must have loved them, because they loved everything they opened (except white socks for school...that didn't get much of a reaction.) So, this experience was great, and one that I hope to continue each and every year. What I am most excited about is continuing a relationship with this family, who is in need of so much.

The biggest thing I learned was from watching Kendyll react to them. It is always amazing to see others through a child's eyes. We drove up and Kendyll said "Oh, wow, their house is beautiful!" Not exactly what I was thinking, which showed me that Kendyll saw what really mattered. She saw the Christmas stickers on the windows and the lantern lights strung on the porch and thought beauty, and overlooked the other details that detracted from the "beauty". Then, to watch her play and play in a house that I would normally consider to be a safety hazard and very unclean....but it didn't matter that day. Because to Kendyll it was a perfect place to make new friends. Another reminder of why we are called to be like children. To love others the way the little ones do.

2. What I learned about Kendyll this year. A couple of things that I learned....first, that children are extremely teachable at these early ages. We have always stressed being thankful with her, but this year, we were really trying hard to help her remember how extremely blessed we are wtih all of our gifts, family, food, etc. I also reminded her when we were shopping that God asks us to be content and not greedy (this was explained in toddler terms and my speech usually followed her requests for every toy on every shelf in every store...) Anyway, I feel like these lessons were learned and I was very proud of her during all six Christmases she experienced. Although she still had the occasional "Is that all my presents?" or "What else is for me?", overall she was very content with what she received. She also gave a great reaction to every gift with an "Ohhh, ______ (gift-giver)....I love it!" or a "Wow!! This is great!" My personal favorite was "This is just perfect for me!". This was always followed by a hug for whoever the present was from and a thank you. The little things that make a mommy so proud. (Now, of course, we're on to asking for birthday gifts already. Today her birthday request was for a pet duck that she could name Shirley Temple. Don't ask me....I have absolutely no clue where this came from.)

The other thing we got to see in Kendyll was her absolute fear of new or unfamiliar situations. Now, I was the exact same way as a child, and still am, really. So, this shouldn't really surprise me. But, it was still shocking at times. This is the girl who doesn't like stuffed animals, fast rides, or large bodies of water, and has to be prepared ahead of time for anything we're doing "next". Every time we were headed to another family's house for the holidays, we had to prepare her for it. When we went to see the Ice Show at the Gaylord, we talked to her about it, but she was still so unsure through the whole thing...because it was new and different and she didn't know what to expect.

But, the thing that got me without warning was her absolute fear of Santa Claus...at the very last minute. The cookies were iced, the milk was poured, the carrots were arranged perfectly. As you can tell from the picture, she was happy as a lark on the way to bed because SANTA CLAUS WAS COMING!!! Then, we read Twas the Night Before Christmas and everything fell apart. The story, which was familiar to us as adults because we've heard it all of our lives, scared our little girl to death. As she saw the pictures in the book, she suddenly couldn't handle the idea of Santa in our house and proceeded to cry in her bed for an hour and a half. Luckily, I had great experience to draw on (my own fears when I was four) and told her Santa would leave the presents outside, just like he did for me years ago. So, we left a note on the door for him to read, and eventually, she settled down to sleep, only after yelling "I DON'T LIKE CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!" over and over and over again. Someday this will be a funny memory. For now, it is just another reminder of how much our little Kendyll needs preparation for anything she doesn't know everything about!

3. My new TV addiction. The final significant event of Christmas at the Jacobs was a gift from Mark's family----the entire first season of LOST on DVD. I know, I know, some of you are not believing your ears....yes, Mark and I gave in to the masses. Practically everyone I know watches this show. And, not only watches it, but is obsessed with it. Some to the point of annoyance. So, as a result, we always swore we would never get hooked, basically because everyone else was. So, I am now eating my words. Mark's parents have been trying to get us to watch it because it is filmed in their backyard...beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. So, it has been fun to watch it with them and know exactly where each scene is made (many places we have been!). Not to mention, how absolutely GREAT the show is! I am so hooked, it's not even funny. I still have a hard time buying some of the crazy stuff going on, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and holding out for more explanations. We have been watching 4 episodes a night to catch up before January 11th. What a great gift!!

So, that's it! The final three stories I wanted to blog about Christmas at the Jacobs. Now, I can get on with the New Year blog. Hopefully, I'll get that one done by mid-January.

Our Christmas, Part 1

This picture cracks me up. I've never been so excited to have trash day before. This pile represents the craziness that is Christmas. I'm sure all of you had a similar pile of empty boxes, wrapping paper, and holiday meal leftovers. Ours also included a 9 foot crispy dead tree, that could have been sent to the curb about a week before Christmas...it was really dead. Anyway, enough of the trash talk. On to the Christmas report....

We had a fabulous Christmas and enjoyed our kids more than ever this year. They were at such fun ages for all of the Christmas fun and every day was another fun celebration for them. I won't bore you with the details of every gift and every dinner and every Christmas, but some of the highlights include:

*Lots of wonderful time with family. We have the best family and are so blessed by their love for us. We enjoyed all of our time with our parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, baby cousin, cousin on the way, and lots of aunts and uncles on both sides. We even got to see my great-grandmother twice during Christmas week! (Note to family, or really my sisters: If you're not pictured here, it doesn't mean we don't love you or didn't have cute pictures of you. I ran out of room, and will be adding in other pictures in the next few posts....)


* Wonderful memories with our children. From Christmas-light-watching to baking cookies, to visiting Santa, to making Christmas breakfast with Daddy, to watching their eyes light up at each and every gift......it's all so wonderful.

*Great blessings from our families---our kids got showered as usual, along with the two of us. All kinds of toys and gifts, including many pictured here. We've had to clean out lots of room for all of our new treasures!

*Fun times with just the four of us. Christmas morning has always been "our special time" and it was absolutely wonderful this year. When our holiday schedule gets so hectic with missed naps, random meal times, and late bedtimes, it's easy to get overwhelmed, especially as children. So, I loved getting to be home for Christmas morning, enjoying Santa surprises, presents from each other, breakfast together, and lots of playtime. It was so calm and I found myself sitting back just watching my two precious girls play together. I couldn't help but think about how fast this all goes and how next year I will barely be able to remember what this year was like. Thank goodness for video cameras!

*The Santa presents were very successful this year and made it very fun for us. Kendyll asked for a trampoline, and got a mini exerciser version, which they both LOVE. It is so cute to watch them jump together. She also got her piano keyboard with a microphone, which has made for some priceless video material. And, her Leapster LMAX (a younger version of a gameboy type thing) which she calls "a computer with pen on it"....it took me a while to figure out what she meant when she was making her original Christmas wish list!

Carlie, being the not-so-girly girl, got a basketball goal, which has kept her very busy, as well as a few other fun things---mostly balls, animals, or Elmo toys, her favorites right now. However, she did surprise me when she got her first Cabbage Patch doll and actually carried it around without throwing it, and even fed it a little pretend baby food and a bottle! I had hope for her as a big sister, and eventually a mother, after seeing that!

Overall, a great Christmas. More memories to come in the next post. (For some reason, I can't get this darn thing to download all of the pictures at one time! So, they're coming in pieces....)

What a Week!

Well, the twelve days of Christmas are finally coming to a close around here! We had our last of six Christmas celebrations yesterday, so I feel like I can finally blog a post-Christmas report! We are packing up the garland and lights as we speak, and celebrating the new year beginning today.

Lots to post about since the last time I was here.....so I will do this in small pieces. Here are a few blogs to look forward to over the next day or two:

*Lots of pictures!! Too many to post, really. But, I'll try to capture most of the highlights.
*Our experience with our adopted family this Christmas---a wonderful reminder of "what it's all about"
*A (hopefully short) synopsis of our "tour of homes" for Christmas, along with a highlight of the most favorite gifts of Kendyll & Carlie
*A list of all ailments that seem to follow our family around and decided to visit during the holiday season....again.
*An update on the TV watching habits of Mark and Chelsea....there are those of you who will be shocked by the latest developments!
*A "new year's resolution" post. My resolutions, along with some "lightbulb" moments I experienced today as I thought about 2006.
*The latest and greatest accomplishments and updates on "the girls"....my how they change in just a couple of weeks' time!

See you all in a little bit. Time to pack some Christmas boxes first!