Annual Talent Show

For the past three years, we have had an annual dinner/talent show with our very close friends. The kids all perform their talent and some of the adults do too (the talented ones--not me). I love that we celebrate the talents God has given our families. This year, the kids decided to dress in traditional Chinese attire in honor of Kate. Isn't that sweet?

Will and Harry (and Dave) performed magic shows. Will also did a few really great yo-yo tricks! Our friends children all played beautiful music on their gorgeous piano. Kate and I were supposed to do the chicken dance (she is quite good) but she decided to play her best piano piece instead. Well, I guess there is always next year because that is my only performance talent:)

If you put your cursor on a photo, there are captions.

Last night we had this family over for dinner. It was a lot of fun. So much fun that I forgot to take any pictures! Six boys playing Wii and air hockey in the basement. One little girl wandering around. And four parents talking, eating and drinking. Soon, there will be two little girls wandering around! We are glad to have these new friends.

Uh-oh

I was looking at the blog templates this morning and "thought" I was saving mine. But apparently, I changed mine. I have always wanted to learn how to do my own blog and I think I am going to try to learn. But for now...I have messed things up. Please excuse the mess while I re-decorate. It might take a while.

Kim

Christmas Afternoon 2007

After Kate's nap, she opened a few more presents...

But she really had other ideas for those boxes....

"I think I'll climb them."

"Oh, and wouldn't it be FUN to jump off of them!"

We let her do that once.


Then she had to settle for sitting on them and looking through her "princess" purse.

Finally, I convinced her to open the big one she was sitting on...

And lo and behold inside was this AWESOME tea set from Auntie Stacie and Uncle Long! It was one of Kate's favorite gifts. We have had non-stop tea parties around here. She feeds her little baby in the high chair and says, "Yummy!"

Down the hatch!

This is one of Kate's other favorite gifts. I saw it at the grocery store (of all places!) last week and knew she would like it. It is a little Disney princess "boom box" with cassettes and Cd's. She loves it!

Harry and Will both got magic kits and they are quite the magicians.

Auntie Susie came over for a delicious dinner of beef tenderloin, roasted vegetables, caesar salad and home-made macaroni and cheese. My mom (Mimi) was supposed to spend Christmas with us also but she sprained her ankle and hurt her back and was unable to make the trip. We were all very disappointed.

Aunt Susie bought Will the last installment of the Harry Potter series. He and Dave have read all of them so far.

Aunt Susie kindly took a few family photos of us before she had to go feed the farm animals. Aunt Susie own an organic farm. Isn't that cool?

Well, that is it for our Christmas photos. I am actually seasoned out. I am ready to take down the decorations and get rid of the Christmas theme on my blog. I always yearn to get everything back to normal right after Christmas. However, we will be enjoying time with friends over the next few days so I think the decorations will have to wait.

I am even sick of the holiday music so I at least changed that. I first heard this song here on my friend's blog. I love this song and she hasn't posted it in a while, so I am borrowing it:<) Hope you don't mind, Debbie.

Christmas Morning 2007

Side note---I did not take a lot of pictures when Will was a baby (or Harry for that matter). I only became photo obsessed when Dave bought me my Nikon D-80 last year. In fact, I had never even uploaded a photo until one year ago! Now I feel as though I missed out on a lot of shots of the boys when they were younger. I took a normal amount just not a ton. Well, now I am definitely overcompensating. I took 143 pictures on Christmas day! And I want to post almost all of them. Don't worry---I won't! But I will have two posts...a Christmas morning and a Christmas afternoon one. The boys were definitely better in the morning and Miss Kate was much more fun in the afternoon!

Coming down the stairs on Christmas morning!

This is what they saw. We honestly do not go overboard at all on Christmas. We buy the kids about 5 gifts and Santa brings a few. This year I am not sure we even bought them five each because of the BIG gift from Santa. We do not want to spoil our children and as you can see from their faces, they appreciate each and every gift.

Will saw this hat at our local health food store last week. He loved it and asked for it then. I said no but snuck back the next day and bought it. He has not taken it off since Christmas morning! See, it is the little things.


Hugging Dad with great gratitude for a new bike helmet.

Next, Will opened the WII from Santa. This is what followed:

A belly bump that went out of my camera range:)

We actually let Kate sleep in for the first half hour. The boys woke up and came into our room. They wanted to go downstairs. I debated about whether to wake Kate but I am so glad I did not. I was happy to really focus on them and their excitement for a little while.

Kate had a very confused look on her face. She was not sure what this was all about. Several months ago, I saw this "Christmas Morning Dress" here. I thought it was so beautiful. The lace collar is hand embroidered with a green and red bow. The buttons down the back are exquisite. I had to have it. I know it was a really indulgent purchase but c'mon this is the first Christmas with my daughter. So, here she is in her Christmas morning dress.


The buttons each have an embroidered rose bud on them.

She liked the high chair and immediately asked to get in it. Then we put her favorite doll in it and she realized it was for play.

Harry checked a book out of the library a few weeks ago on children's crafts. In the book, there was this game called "blow ball" and Harry told us that he wanted to make it for Will. Of course, he returned the book so he made it from memory. I am SO proud of him. He planned the project, got the materials and spent 3 days working on it. Everytime we thought it was complete, he would add something (like a concession stand and bleachers, and a scoreboard). He could not wait to give it to his brother on Christmas morning.

Will loved it and they began to play it immediately.

Will gave Kate this pinwheel. I loved watching her blow on it.

Kate was really mellow in the morning but she got into the swing of things after her nap and opened more gifts in the afternoon. In fact, she still hasn't opened all of her gifts. I have some great photos and I will post them soon. I am taking the boys and a friend to see The Waterhorse while Kate plays with Devyn at my friend Elissa's house. I am so glad to be able to spend that time with them:)

Christmas Eve 2007

Each Christmas Eve we have done the same thing since we have been a family. We go to the Children's Mass at our church at four in the afternoon. We always arrive at church about an hour early to get a seat. This year we sat right in front of another family who had adopted from China. Their daughter was a year older than Kate and from the same province. They just moved to our town and it was wonderful meeting them. Kate was squirmy and toddlery during Mass but it could have been worse. They cranked the air conditioning and I was freezing. My whole body was shaking. All of a sudden I felt blanketed in warmth. A kind, elderly gentlemen behind me (the little Chinese girl's Grandpa) had placed his thick wool cardigan around my shoulders. It was such a kind and chivalrous gesture. I was very thankful.

The three peanuts before mass.

After mass, we always go to a local place for pizza. I know it doesn't sound like a traditional Christmas Eve dinner but it is to us. I cook a big breakfast and a big dinner on Christmas day. And since we leave for church at 2:45 in the afternoon it is difficult to cook Christmas dinner. Our whole family loves pizza and we do not eat it often because of food sensitivities. So it is our special Christmas Eve treat.

After dinner, we drive around looking at the decorated houses and Christmas lights. Kate liked the first few houses and then she fell asleep.

When we get home, everyone bathes and puts on their Christmas PJ's. The boys each open their nutcracker. Kate opened a bracelet this year. In the future, she will open her special ornament from me but this years was very fragile and already on the tree.

Harry got this nutcrakcer because he was very interested in Army men and toys and everything camoflauge.

I searched high and low for a nutcracker with a hedgehog becuase Will is obsessed with hedgehogs this year. But I had no such luck. Will is also very interested in cooking and wants to be a chef. He loves cheeseburgers. So, this nutcracker seemed perfect for him.


Will helping Kate open her gift.

I bought Kate a pearl bracelet with a silver heart. She loves to wear bracelets.




Next we hang the stockings. We hang them on the stair railing. Our fireplace is stone and not easy to hang stockings on. PLUS...I really fill them. We had stocking hangers one year but they could not handle the weight. We did not have 5 stockings this year that matched. I could not find new ones that I loved so Dave used his Dad's old one and Scout is using Dave's childhood stocking. I have a year to find 6 new matching stockings.

Daddy helping Kate hang her stocking.

She is really concentrating in this one:)

Harry looks like he was being ornery here but really he was making us laugh!


Will is hanging Scout's stocking while Kate watches.

Kate is opening stickers that her bloggy friend, Kamree sent her. Thank you so much! As you can see, Kate LOVES them.

The peanuts have a little friendly wrestle before we read our stories.


Finally, we read Twas the night before Christmas and the story of Jesus' birth. Kate did not sit still for the stories at all! She was climbing all over me and the book and getting down and then begging to get back up on the couch. Even though she was a little restless, it was wonderful to share all of our Christmas Eve traditions with Kate.




Kate wiggled around and sat right on top of the book while I was reading. She even ripped it a little. We were all laughing though.

Having listened long enough...she decided to go look at the tree.


I know this post is long and detailed but I do not want to forget one single minute of this very special Christmas! I will try to get the Christmas morning photos up soon. With 3 peanuts at home and all these fun new things to do...I am not on the computer as much.